The Perfect Roll-Out Sugar Cookies That Hold Their Shape
I have been making sugar cookies a LONG time. I can remember baking and decorating them as thank you gifts to give to my buyers when I sold pigs in 4-H. Now, I don’t want to go far enough back in time to do that math, haha! Let’s just say as an adult, I have been baking them consistently for about 11 years now. After all of those years, no sugar cookie has baked up so perfectly and deliciously as these. I promise, if you follow all of the steps, they will not dissapoint!
My Idea of the Perfect Sugar Cookie
In the past, my recipes have come from books or have been found online, but while I would go through periods of having a “favorite recipe”, none of them checked all of the boxes. Some were easy to make but the cookies would lose their shape tremendously. Other’s tended to hold their shape better, but even with chilling, they still didn’t hold their shape the way I wished they would. Had I just been planning to cover them with egg wash or sprinkled sugar (which there is NOTHING wrong with) I suppose these would have sufficed, but wanting to decorate my cookies with great detail pushed me to figure out a solution.
Now, while shape holding is a priority for me, I feel just as strongly about producing a cookie that tastes delicious. I want it to stand out amongst any other sugar cookies you have ever eaten when you take a bite out of it. I put so much thought and care into making my cookies because I want the person who receives them to feel special. A yummy cookie is a good way to convey that. Plus, my kids are easier to bribe with cookies when they taste amazing! (Please, don’t judge me.)
With taste and structure in mind, I set out to come up with my own perfect recipe and through lots of trial and error… it happened!
These sugar cookies literally melt in your mouth. I credit that one to the addition of cornstarch. It sure does something magical to the consistency of the baked cookie. Trust me, you have to try this one out and you will totally see what I mean. The taste is not the only thing I solved, though. The shape holds up exactly! I mean NO SPREAD at all. Seeing is believing so I shot this little video to show you. While I can’t let you taste the cookie through your screen, I can show the shape holding perfection of these babies.
I combatted the dreaded spread out cookie issue a couple of ways. I stuck with a small amount of sugar. Don’t worry, there is still enough sugar to allow the cookie to taste good, but too much sugar can cause your dough to spread while it bakes. However, I do prefer these cookies topped with some icing or sprinkled sugar to enhance the flavor. I also chill the dough. I am always in a rush and was turned off by dough that needed chilling. The thing is, this dough only needs about two hours, so it’s not the end of the world. Plus, once I saw how great these baked up, I felt it was totally worth it.
Let’s Bake Some Cookies
You are going to want to start out by letting your butter sit out until it reaches room temperature.
Once it’s softened, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Next, add the egg and flavoring. I use vanilla, but almond would be good too. Mix everything in your mixer until all is fully combined… make sure you scrape the side of the bowl to get everything incorporated.
Finally, add your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. I want to make sure I point out to you that the dough may seem dry while you mix. Don’t quit on it! Trust me, if you follow my measurements it will come together. You will know your dough is ready when it looks like your typical cookie dough and is pulling away from the sides of your bowl. Because of the time and effort it takes for the dough to come together I strongly suggest using a stand mixer.
When I am ready to chill my dough, I like to break it up into two or three sealed bags patted down into nice little flat disks of dough. This way I can keep the dough I’m not rolling out yet in the fridge until I am ready for it. The dough will give you the best results if it’s nice and cold when you put it into the oven. Word of warning, though… If you leave the dough in the fridge for too long, you will have a very hard time rolling it out! Try to stick with just an hour or two of chill time. If you must leave it in longer than that, let it sit out for a little bit before you attempt to roll the dough.
When that chill time has passed, take out one of the bags of dough and prepare your surface. I always roll out my dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper. Since posting this, I have purchased a Joesph Joesph rolling pin and never looked back! Total game changer. I highly recommend it for evenly rolled dough! I roll this dough out to 1/4″ using the red disk on the rolling pin. You can certainly roll the dough thicker if you prefer, just adjust yout baking time.
I like to cut out the cookies far enough apart so that I don’t have to move them. Just remove the scraps around the cut-out cookie and slide the parchment paper onto your cookie sheet. You really are going to have great success with holding the shape of your cookie if you don’t have to move it. This method does take longer, though, because you can’t squeeze as many cookies into each “roll out”… is that a term? Hehe. So, feel free to just cram as many cookies into your rolled out dough and transfer them onto a lined cookie sheet. They will still hold up just fine. Be sure to place them a few inches apart on the sheet.
I let the baked cookies cool on the sheet for only about a minute or two. Then, I transfer them over to cooling racks where they stay for a long time. I’d leave them out for a couple of hours if you can.
Here’s the important part… If you are going to decorate these cookies, let them rest! I store them in a sealed container or bag until the next day. Longer would be fine too. By doing this you are letting the cookie set. If you decorate the sugar cookie too soon you could end up with grease spots in your royal icing called butter bleed.
Happy baking!
xoxo, Katie
Here are some of this items used to make these cookies.
These sugar cookies melt in your mouth, and completely keep their shape while baking!
- 1 cup butter unsalted
- 1 cup sugar granulated
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
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Cream the room temperature butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
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Add the egg and vanilla. Occasionally scrape down the sides while mixing. Mix until fully incorporated.
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Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt until the dough comes together. (Don't over mix.)
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Break the dough up into 2-3 sections and refrigerate for 2 hours.
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Preheat oven to 375.
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Roll out dough to about 1/4" on a lightly floured surface (I use parchment paper), and cut out cookies.
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Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 9-11 minutes depending on the size of the cookies and your oven.
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Allow the cookies to cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to wire rack for a couple of hours to completely cool.
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If you are going to decorate your cookies with royal icing, place them in a sealed container or bag and let them set until the next day.
Crystal says
June 11, 2018 at 11:23 amWow! These look amazing. I’m going to save the recipe and try it out soon. My husband prefers sugar cookies over any other kind.
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
June 12, 2018 at 12:49 amThank you so much, Crystal! I hope your husband enjoys them 🙂
Christa says
June 11, 2018 at 2:43 pmThese look delicious! I can’t wait to try them. Great post and I love your pictures. 😀
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
June 12, 2018 at 12:48 amI’m excited for you to give them a try, Christa 🙂 Thank you so much… I love taking pictures! xoxo
Cecil says
June 11, 2018 at 4:03 pmThese are by far the best and most thought out tips I have ever found on sugar cookies. Thank you for taking the time to perfect and share your method. I honestly shopped online for a mixer in the middle of reading your post. I have been trying every year just for the fun of it to make ornaments for a tabletop Christmas Tree, but could not get my cookies to hold a nice enough shape. Thanks again!!!
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
June 12, 2018 at 12:47 amThank you so much, Cecil! That means a lot. I hope you have fun baking them 🙂
Kaylin says
June 12, 2018 at 2:02 amTotally giving these a try!! Love the pictures and the look of your blog!!! Great job, girl!
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
June 14, 2018 at 1:41 amThank you so much, Kaylin! That means a lot! xo
Valerie says
January 5, 2021 at 9:29 pmKatie – thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is the perfect balance of soft and sturdy (for decorating) with no spread. I have tried several recipes to find “the one” and have found it in yours. IMO it is the perfect cookie!
Christa says
June 12, 2018 at 2:18 amI’ll have to try this recipe. Sugar Cookies have always been hit or miss for me. One time my dough will roll out perfectly, and the next time it will be a total flop. Maybe I’ve been using the wrong recipe.
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
June 14, 2018 at 1:43 amSugar cookie dough can be tricky! I am excited for you to try my recipe! I wish you lots of success with them. 🙂
Vaishali says
June 12, 2018 at 2:49 amWe love sugar cookies in our house. I also have a few recipes of rolled out sugar cookies on my blog. But I love how thin you were able to get them rolled out> I will your recipe soon..:)
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
June 14, 2018 at 1:46 amSugar cookies are a wonderful thing 😉 Yup, these are pretty flexible. I will totally have to check your blog out!
Katie Kelly says
June 12, 2018 at 2:56 pmI am always looking for good sugar cookie recipes! They’re so fun to make for any occasion.
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
June 14, 2018 at 1:48 amThey really are 🙂
Lindsey Godby says
June 12, 2018 at 10:09 pmI love these tips and tricks and cannot wait to try these out! Thank you for sharing!! They look delicious!
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
June 14, 2018 at 1:51 amI’m excited for you to give them a try! Thank you, Lindsey! 🙂
Erika says
June 21, 2018 at 3:09 amHow many cookies does this recipe make? thank you!
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
June 21, 2018 at 7:47 pmHi Erika, The size and shape of your cookie cutter will affect the number of cookies one batch yields. I average about two dozen cookies from per batch of dough. I hope that helps! xo, Katie
Laura Kennedy says
December 24, 2018 at 10:21 pmYup, I made 6 different batches of sugar cookies this holiday season to find the one that was going to actually be the ONE. So many different recipes were tough, hard to roll, spread in the oven, were too hard, too soft, all over the board.
This recipe? This recipe is truly the best one. I made the most amazing sugar cookies with this recipe. SO good, SO perfect. Thank you so much for this one, this one is a real winner.
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
January 3, 2019 at 6:32 pmLaura, You just made my day! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! xoxo
Arlette Pace says
February 2, 2019 at 4:29 pmDear Katie, I have previously tried your american pumking pie cookies and they were amazing. I am going round in circles trying to find a vanilla cookie which does not loose its shape and from the reviews yours seems to be the real deal. I need to roll it out pretty thick as I am making a wedding cake stack. Do you think this will still work and hold its shape? I am looking for perfect rounds. Thanks.
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
February 3, 2019 at 4:19 pmHi Arlette! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pumpkin spice cookies… they are a favorite in my house! These sugar cookies never me down yet so I think you’ll love them. I have never rolled them out thicker than 3/8″ or 10mm. I wouldn’t recommend rolling thicker than that and having it hold it’s shape well. To be safe, you can place the cut-out dough in the freezer for a little bit and then bake. Good luck with your cookies, the idea sounds adorable! xo
Stacia Livingston says
March 29, 2019 at 9:42 pmHi Katie!
I make a similar recipe to yours but I only add 1 TBSP cornstarch. I’m going to try 3 as you suggest as I’d like the cookie to be softer. I have 2 questions for you. 1) I don’t add the baking powder, am I missing something not using it? 2) I need to make these for an order but will be making the dough ahead of time and cutting shapes and freezing until I get back from a quick trip. Do these with the cornstarch freeze well? I am assuming they would but wanted to ask.
Thanks for sharing your tips and recipe. I am hoping by making the changes my cookies will be better than ever.
Stacia
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
April 11, 2019 at 5:10 pmHi Stacia! I’m sorry for not getting back to you sooner! So for your first question, baking powder makes the cookies thicker. I go by the rule of thumb that baking soda= spread wider and baking powder= spread up. You certainly can leave it out, but some people think it causes the cookies to lose shape and that’s not the case. I have had lots of success freezing this dough both before and after the cookies are baked so you are safe to go for it! Have fun!! xoxo Katie
Jodi Conover says
April 11, 2020 at 4:10 pmGoing to try these for Easter this year.
Diana Massino says
July 13, 2020 at 12:48 pmThank you so much for your recipe!!! I purchased a custome cookie cutter that had the imprint of my daughter and her fiance’s face. Wow! Your recipe is not only delicious but the detail of the cookie was perfect. These will be perfect wedding favors! Thank you so much. May God Bless you abundantly for your generosity!!
Michelle says
July 19, 2020 at 7:58 pmAll I can say is “Thank you so much”. They turned out perfect. And just as promised, kept their shape. Wish I found your recipe before my other 2 flops.
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
July 18, 2021 at 4:50 pmI’m so sorry to answer this ONE YEAR later… sheesh! Covid changed our lives pretty significantly and I am finally getting back to work. Unfortunately, I had no access to a kitchen and my computer was packed away for waaaay too long. Seeing all the wonderful comments I have missed really means so much to me! Thank you for your positive feedback and I hope you are doing well. <3
Steve says
October 4, 2020 at 10:54 pmThese tips look great! Going to give your recipe a try… thanks!
Josie says
January 10, 2021 at 1:39 amThis is the best sugar cookie recipe ever. I follow it exactly (except I do half vanilla and half almond extract), and the cookies turn out perfectly every time. I even bought the rolling pin that’s recommended because of how often I make these things! 10/10.
Cindy says
May 14, 2021 at 3:59 amSo my dough never made it through the “dry” stage to the point where it pulled away from the sides. The dough tastes amazing, but I can’t figure out what I did wrong. Would it hurt for me to add an additional egg?
Cindy says
May 14, 2021 at 4:17 amI actually went ahead and added an egg and it worked beautifully. These are amazing!
TheFarmersDaughterBakes says
July 18, 2021 at 5:00 pmHi Cindy! I’m so sorry I took so long to respond! We have moved and been living through major renovations (that we did ourselves) so I had to step away from my website for a little while. I’m so happy that you were able to yield yummy results! A little egg or a little water is always a good idea to pull your dough together if it’s being difficult… way to go! I’m so happy you like them and hope you are well! <3
Sheila Docherty says
October 30, 2021 at 1:58 pmI’ve been trying for months to find a cookie that keeps it’s shape, tastes great and is easy to make. Finally, I found the one that I will use forever! Thanks so much. How long will these cookies keep in an air tight container please?
judy says
December 13, 2021 at 1:45 amMy go to SC recipe failed this year and no sure why. Found your recipe and I will stick with it. Not too sweet, no spreading and great texture. Fyi during holidays I make labrador retriever shaped cookies for lab loving friends. My old recipe spread into the shape of a St. Bernard! This recipe was perfect. Thanks.
Anonymous says
December 24, 2021 at 5:53 amThese were delicious I made them for a Christmas party and every single on was eaten! Thank you!
Tammy says
January 17, 2022 at 4:33 amThis recipe was wonderful in the aspect of great taste and keeping its shape. However, no matter which shape cookie cutter I use, the cookies keep burning a little on the edge. Any thoughts/tips?