This easy sugar cookie recipe - no chill - makes soft sugar cookies that can be immediately cut out and baked. There’s no wait time and they still retain shape. Perfect for decorating!
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Baking and decorating homemade sugar cookies is a time-honored tradition for many families, especially at Christmas time. But, it’s not just a Christmas cookie.
Cut-out sugar cookies are great for any occasion - birthday parties, baby showers, cookie swaps, bake sales, and ALL holidays. They’re also just a fun activity to do with kids.
I know the little ones in my life get a little impatient with sugar cookies that require chill time. They want to cut them out, bake, decorate, then eat.
Which is why I created this No Chill Sugar Cookie Recipe.
Looking for more quick, easy cookie recipes? You may like:
- Snickerdoodle Cake Mix Cookies
- Maraschino Cherry Cookies
Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
I also wanted these no chill sugar cookies to taste delicious.
Sometimes, sugar cookie recipes that focus on no chill time and/or retaining shape can almost taste like play dough. 😂
Not this one. These easy sugar cookies are soft and chewy with delicious, buttery cookie vanilla flavor.
When topped with this buttercream frosting, these are my favorite sugar cookies. Together, they’re the perfect sugar cookie recipe.
And these cut-out sugar cookies are PERFECT for decorating. They have a smooth, thick surface that can hold lots of buttercream frosting.
Simple Sugar Cookies
This sugar cookies recipe is incredibly easy-to-make with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your home - flour, white sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, an egg, baking powder, milk, and a little bit of salt.
The first time I made this easy recipe, I did not include milk. I was worried that too many wet ingredients would make the cookies spread.
But, the result wasn’t the soft, chewy sugar cookies that I wanted. The little bit of milk in the recipe creates a tender texture and a softer cookie.
As long as I don’t overwork this no chill sugar cookie dough, it does not spread in the oven.
If I mix or handle the dough too much, the butter warms up and it becomes a really soft dough. If this happens, the sugar cookies will spread some in the oven.
More Easy Cookie Recipes:
- Almond Joy Cookies
- Fruity Pebbles Cookies
- Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate
How to keep sugar cookies from spreading?
Most sugar cookie recipes chill cookies so they don’t spread. But, I figured out another way.
This easy sugar cookie recipe no chill results in very minimal spreading. If the sugar cookies expand a tad, they still retain their shape.
The key to prevent these sugar cookies from spreading is to not overwork the dough.
If you massage, mix, or roll out the dough TOO much, it’ll be more on the softer side and THIS is when the cookies will spread.
After combining the ingredients in this sugar cookie recipe no chill, I recommend separating the dough into a few separate balls.
It’s best to roll out and work with one ball at a time. This helps to minimize the time spent re-rolling the same dough and softening it.
After preparing a work surface with parchment paper and enough flour to prevent sticking, use a rolling pin (also prepared with flour) to roll out one ball of dough.
Dip cookie cutters into the rolled dough and place each cut-out cookie on a prepared baking sheet.
Instead of immediately gathering and rolling out the scraps of sugar cookie dough, I recommend rolling them into a ball and setting them aside.
After rolling out the other dough balls and cutting out shapes, return to the ball of scrapes. This prevents it from becoming too soft and spreading in the oven.
More Tips
It’s also important to use ingredients that are at room temperature, but not TOO warm in this recipe.
Room temperature ingredients mix together smoothly and completely.
If the butter is too warm though, the dough will be too soft and will spread some in the oven.
The ideal room temperature butter should still be firm, but when you press it, your finger leaves an imprint.
For this sugar cookie recipe no chill, bake cookies at 375°F.
This helps to prevent spreading and contributes to crisp edges with a soft center that is so deliciously good.
It also decreases the bake time so the cookies are ready even quicker!
How to Make this Sugar Cookie Recipe - No Chill
I already talked about dividing the dough above in “How to keep sugar cookies from spreading” before rolling and cutting out cookies, so I won’t ramble about that again.
Instead, here are random tips and tools to make this no chill sugar cookie recipe one of your new favorite recipes -
- If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment. I usually mix this sugar cookie dough by hand. Literally. Once the dough starts to form, I ditch the rubber spatula and finish combining the ingredients with my hands. No matter your method of mixing - hand, electric mixer, or stand mixer -, mix until just combined.
- The best part of sugar cookies (besides eating) is cutting out shapes! I recently bought a bunch of Ann Clark cookie cutters and they’re quickly becoming my favorite cookie cutters. There are so many fun designs!!
And they all can easily be decorated with buttercream frosting, which tastes waaay better than royal icing.
Dog lovers - check out these adorable pet cookie cutters. There’s also a 5-piece set of dog bones, which would be great for one of my dog treat recipes, like these Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats.
I used this Ann Clark Cookie Cutters Cupcake Cookie Cutter for this cupcake cookie. Wow, that's a tongue teaser. 😆
Kids going back to school? Check out this set of school designs. Planning a baby shower? Yep, there’s a Baby Shower Set too. And don’t forget the Christmas Cookie Cutters.
I’m clearly obsessed.
I recently made these cute carrot-shaped sugar cookies with this recipe to pair with these Carrot Cake Cookies.
- After baking, let the chewy, soft sugar cookies cool completely before decorating. I recently bought this Wilton 3-tier cooling rack and I love it. Before I would have cookies cooling ALL over my kitchen. This cooling rack frees up space so I can start to make the buttercream frosting for decorating!
Soft Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
I always enjoyed making sugar cookies, but I never liked the taste until this recipe. Especially when it’s topped with this Buttercream Frosting Recipe for Cookies.
When together, it’s the perfect sugar cookie recipe. Which I know I said earlier, but it’s true.
The buttercream frosting tastes AMAZING and hardens, which allows for easy stacking, storing, and transporting.
It can easily be piped with a piping bag and tip.
My favorite way to decorate these no chill sugar cookies is to pipe a pretty rose/rosette on top. This can easily be done with Wilton’s 1M tip - start piping directly in the middle of the cookie and go around what was previously piped until you can’t any more.
There are even All-In-One Disposable Decorating Bags with this tip attached for easier clean-up. They're available at Walmart.
This is what I used for the cookie below. I was decorating cookies with my 2-year old niece and she requested rainbow cookies.
Would you like a tutorial on how to make rainbow buttercream frosting?
How about a video or how-to on how to make flowers?
And here are some of the other cookies we made that day. Didn't she do a great job?! 😍 It really is a fun, fulfilling activity to do with kids (if you don't mind the sugar high later 😂).
How long do sugar cookies last?
These sugar cookies can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to a week.
If frosted, they taste the best within 4-5 days of frosting them. Store frosted sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature as well.
I don’t recommend storing sugar cookies in the fridge. They tend to dry out in there.
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Decorate these cookies with this easy, delicious Buttercream Frosting for Cookies. It tastes way better than royal icing and still hardens for easy storing or transporting.
Sugar Cookie Recipe No Chill
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Egg large
- 1 tsp Milk
- 3 cups Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
- Add an egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Mix.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. (I usually add half of the flour mixture then mix then add the other half.)
- Mix until just combined.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on your work area. Sprinkle with flour.
- Plop a third of the no chill sugar cookie dough on the prepared parchment paper.
- Sprinkle flour on your rolling pin to prevent sticking.
- Roll the dough about 1/4” inch thick.
- Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut shapes.
- Place each cut-out cookie on the prepared baking sheet about an inch and a half apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are set.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Decorate as you wish!
Notes
If you make these easy Sugar Cookies or any of my other recipes, please tag or mention @lovemischka on Pinterest, FB, or Insta. I’d love to see them!
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