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A plate of homemade sugar cookies with soft centers and lightly golden edges, baked from a quick no-chill sugar cookie recipe.

Sugar Cookie

Olivia Carter
No-fuss, no-chill sugar cookies that come out soft and chewy in under 30 minutes. A holiday hero or lazy dessert win—pantry stuff only!
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20 minutes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
COST About $3.50
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword sugar cookie
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 120 kcal

Equipment

  • Mixer or food processor for the cold butter hack handheld is fine
  • 2 baking sheets
  • Parchment paper
  • Cookie cutters
  • Cooling rack
  • Measuring tools or scale
  • Spatula or wooden spoon

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Unsalted butter
  • 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp Almond extract
  • 2 tsp Baking powder
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 3 cups All-purpose flour

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Beat butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes until fluffy (or use a food processor with cold butter for speed).
    Butter and sugar being mixed together until light and fluffy, the first step in making sugar cookie dough.
  • Add egg and extracts; mix on low speed.
    An egg and vanilla extract being incorporated into sugar cookie dough for moisture and flavor.
  • Whisk together baking powder, salt, and flour. Add gradually (in ½-cup chunks) until the dough forms—do not overmix.
    Flour and baking powder being mixed into sugar cookie dough to form a soft, uniform texture.
  • Roll dough between parchment sheets to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out 24 shapes.
    Unbaked sugar cookies arranged on a baking sheet, spaced evenly for proper baking.
  • Place 2 inches apart on sheets. Bake for 10 minutes (edges set, centers soft).
  • Let it cool on the sheet for five minutes before transferring to a rack. Store airtight.

Notes

  • No mixer? Wooden spoon arm workout—beat 3-4 minutes hard.
  • Spreading too much? Add an extra 2-4 tablespoons of flour or chill for 5 minutes.
  • Freeze dough balls or baked cookies—up to 6 months easily.
  • For crisp cookies, bake 9 minutes. For chewy, 6 minutes.
  • Use exactly 375g flour—scale is key to success.
  • Glaze hack: powdered sugar + milk or lemon juice = 2-minute fancy finish

Nutrition (per cookie):

 

  • 120 calories
  • 6g fat (4g saturated)
  • 20mg cholesterol
  • 60mg sodium
  • 16g carbs (8g sugar, 0g fiber)
  • 1g protein