These simple no-spread sugar cookies are perfect for cutouts and decorated sugar cookies. They are not too sweet, perfectly soft and chewy, and trouble-free when rolling out. Whether you are making them into linzer cookies, decorating them with royal icing, or eating them plain, I know you will love them as much as I do!
I seriously love making these no-spread sugar cookies. Obviously, since they are no-spread they are super reliable for intricate cookie shapes and just overall cookies.
There is honestly nothing worse than picking out a super fun Santa cookie cutter just to have the cookie spread into an indistinguishable blob after baking!
This recipe is super reliable and perfect for any of your cookie baking needs.
I honestly love to just eat them plain, especially a little underbaked so they stay REALLY soft. They are THAT good. I promise!
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no spread sugar cookie highlights
- Perfect for cut-out cookies
- Can be decorated with royal icing
- Soft, chewy, with just the right amount of sweetness
- Has the workable consistency of play day
- Trouble-free when rolling out!
ingredient notes
- Butter- Do not let the butter get too soft or the cookies will spread in the oven. See section below for a visual cue when your butter is perfect to use. You may substitute salted butter instead, just omit the ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Sugar- This recipe calls for cane or granulated white sugar and should not be substituted.
- Egg- Your egg should be room temperature before using. To warm it quickly, place the egg in mason jar or cup and fill it with hot tap water for 5-10 minutes before using!
- Vanilla extract- I highly recommend using real vanilla and not artificial. Real high quality vanilla will give your cookies the best flavor. For even more vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean paste!
- Flour- this recipe calls for all-purpose flour and should not be substituted. I highly recommend weighing it with a kitchen scale for accurate measurements!
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
helpful equipment & tools
- Kitchen aid stand mixer: I use a 5 quart mixing bowl for all my baking, although you can use any sized bowl you have!
- Parchment paper: You will need large full-sized sheets of parchment paper to roll the dough with.
- Rolling pin: I use a standard tapered rolling pin when I'm baking.
instructions
overview
- Make the cookie dough.
- Roll out the dough.
- Cut into shapes.
- Freeze the cookies.
- Bake the cookies.
step by step
Step 1: In a large stand mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter and sugar. Mix on low with the paddle attachment until JUST combined.
Step 2: Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula and then add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix on low until the egg is completely combined, then scrape down the bowl again.
TIP- Do not cream the butter and sugar together as this will cause your cookies to spread. You are just looking to combine the two ingredients.
Step 3: Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and corn starch to the bowl. Mix on low until JUST combined and there are no more pockets of dry flour. Do not over mix!
Step 4: Divide the dough in half. Press half of the dough together and place it in a mound on top of a large piece of parchment paper.
TIP- The final dough should be soft and malleable like play dough but not sticky. If it's sticky, add a few tablespoons of flour to the dough at a time until it feels like play-dough.
Step 5: Press the dough down into a flat disk with your hands, then place another large sheet of paper on top. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into desired thickness, then transfer the dough onto a baking tray and place it in the freezer to chill. Follow the same steps for the other half of the dough.
Step 6: Let the dough slabs chill in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, or until firm. Then remove one at a time and cut out your desired shapes. You can rework the dough scraps twice, but no more than that, or the cookies will shrink.
Once you have cut all the cookies, let them freeze until solid. Bake the cookies on a lined tray spaced 2 inches apart at 375 F/190 C for 10-12 minutes, depending on the thickness.
NOTE- The cookies should look matte, dry, and slightly wrinkled on top when done baking. The edges should not be brown, if they are, the cookies will be crisper once cooled.
expert baking tips
- If you don't have a scale, spoon measure your flour- This means using a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup. This will give the most accurate results when baking without a kitchen scale.
- Dark vs. light baking pans- Baking pans conduct heat differently depending on what color the pan is. If your pan is dark/black you should decrease the heat to 325 F/163 C.
- Only work with room temperature butter- The butter needs to be firm but still soft. Leaving the butter out longer than a few hours will result in REALLY soft butter that will make your cookies spread. The below images are examples of butter that is too soft and butter that is perfect.
- Scrape down the bowl frequently- This will ensure all the butter is combined. Not scraping it down can leave globs of butter on the sides of the bowl.
- Use a high-quality vanilla extract or paste- The high-quality vanilla makes a huge flavor difference since there are few ingredients.
- Use a room temperature egg- Using a cold egg will re-solidify the butter.
storage & freezing
- Fridge: The cookie dough can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days after it's made. Wrap it tightly in plastic before storing.
- Freezer: To freeze the dough, wrap it a few times in plastic and freeze it for 2-3 weeks. To freeze the cookies, let them freeze solid then transfer them to a container lined with parchment in between layers for 2-3 weeks.
- Room temperature: Store the baked cookies in a baggie or container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
- Make-ahead: You can pre-make the dough and keep it in the fridge, or you can store the cut out cookies in the freezer and pull them when you want to bake some!
recipe notes
- Yield: The yield for this recipe depends on how thick the dough is rolled and how big the cookie cutter is. For the photos, the cookies were rolled ¼ inch thick and I used a 2 ½ cookie cutter. I got about 20 cookies from a batch.
- Baking notes: The cookies will look underbaked when they are ready. They should not be browning at all but should look matte and dry on top.
variations
- Substitute the vanilla with lemon, peppermint, cherry, or almond extract.
faq's
Mix the butter and sugar together until just combined. Creaming them too much will cause them to spread in the oven. Also, make sure the cookies are completely frozen before baking as this will help them not spread.
You can decorate them with royal icing, frosting, or just eat them plain!
Rolling the dough between parchment as shown above in the instructions is the best trick. You can keep the dough in the freezer or fridge in between not using it to keep it firm so it doesn't stick.
Yes! In this case, I would omit the ¼ teaspoon of salt.
The answer depends on how thick you roll the dough and the size of the cookie cutter! I've found if you roll them to a ¼ inch thickness, this batch makes about 20-22 large cut cookies.
More Sugar Cookie Recipes
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Recipe 📖
No Spread Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, corn starch and baking powder and set aside.3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoon corn starch, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- In a stand mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter and sugar. Mix with the paddle attachment on low until JUST combined. Don't cream them together or the cookies will spread!1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix on low until combined.1 large egg, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Add the bowl of dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough starts to come together. When there are no more large pockets of flour, stop mixing.
- Grab half of the dough from the bowl and place it on top of a piece of parchment paper. Place a second sheet of parchment paper on top and press the dough down into a flat disk. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into your desired thickness and then transfer the slab to a baking pan. Place the pan in the freezer while you roll out the other half of the dough the same way.
- Leave both slabs of dough in the freezer for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is cold and firm. Remove the top sheet of parchment and use your desired cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. You can rework the dough twice, but no more than that or the cookies will shrink and be tough.
- Place the cut out cookies on a lined baking tray and place them in the freezer until frozen solid, anywhere from 10-20 minutes.
- Bake the cookies on a lined tray space 2 inches apart for 10-13 minutes depending on the size and thickness, or until the tops look matte, dry, and slightly wrinkled. Do not let the cookies brown on the edges or they will be crisp and not chewy!
- Allow the tray to cool completely on a wire rack before removing and decorating them.
Notes
Tips for Making These Cookies
- If you don't have a scale, spoon measure your flour- This means using a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup. This will give the most accurate results when baking without a kitchen scale.
- Dark vs. light baking pans- baking pans conduct heat differently depending on what color the pan is. If your pan is dark/black you should decrease the heat to 325 F/163 C.
- Only work with room temperature butter- the butter needs to be firm but still soft. Leaving the butter out longer than a few hours will result in REALLY soft butter that will make your cookies spread. The below images are examples of butter that is too soft and butter that is perfect.
- Scrape down the bowl frequently- this will ensure all the butter is combined. Not scraping it down can leave globs of butter on the sides of the bowl that when baked will spread!
- Use a high quality vanilla extract or paste- the high quality vanilla makes a huge flavor difference since there are few ingredients.
- Use a room temperature egg- using a cold egg will re-solidify the butter that will form into clumps and cause the cookies to spread in random spots.
Storage and Freezing
To freeze just the dough, wrap it a few times in plastic wrap and freeze it for 2-3 weeks. Allow it to come to a soft texture in the fridge before rolling out. To freeze the cookie cut outs, place them on a lined baking tray and freeze until solid. Then transfer the cookies to an airtight container with parchment lined between stacks of them to prevent them from sticking together.Nutrition
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Carsen says
Such a great recipe. The dough was easy to make and they were perfect for some birthday cookies I made! They are also soooo good to eat on their own.