These soft sugar cookies melt in your mouth with a perfectly tender texture that’s softer, chewier, and even better than what you’d find at a bakery. Buttery and classic, they deliver everything you crave in a homemade sugar cookie!
I’ve spent a lot of time in bakeries, so I’ve tasted firsthand what makes a sugar cookie recipe truly exceptional. For me, it’s that perfect combination of softness, chewiness, and buttery goodness!
These soft baked sugar cookies bring bakery-level magic to your kitchen—they’re gooey, chewy, and so easy to make! Perfect for holiday cookie boxes and gift-giving.
If you’re looking for a more classic rolled recipe, try my cut out sugar cookies instead!
Table of Contents
Pantry Staples You’ll Need
Vanilla: I always use vanilla bean paste for a more elevated flavor, but you can always use vanilla extract as a substitute.
Heavy cream: Its higher fat content compared to whole milk keeps these sugar cookies moist for days! I don’t recommend substituting it!
Butter: Unsalted American butter is my go-to for this recipe. If you’re craving a super buttery flavor, use a cultured European butter like Kerrygold!
Cream of tartar: This ingredient is acidic, and is needed to activate the baking soda (which makes the cookies spread). Without it, your cookies won’t spread as much!
How to Make Them
1
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This is essential because it incorporates air into the dough, creating a soft, tender texture.
2
Mix in the wet ingredients. Using room-temperature eggs and heavy cream helps them blend seamlessly with the butter and sugar, creating a smooth, evenly mixed dough.
3
Mix in the dry ingredients. Mix the flour mixture until combined to avoid overworking the dough, which keeps the cookies tender and prevents them from becoming tough.
4
Scoop the cookie dough. Chill it for 30 minutes to firm it up and make it easier to scoop and shape. Then, use a spring-loaded cookie scoop for perfect portions!
5
Chill overnight. For the softest texture and gooey centers, I recommend chilling the dough for at least 3-4 hours, with overnight chill yielding the best results!
6
Roll in sugar before baking. Rolling the sugar cookie balls in sugar before baking adds a subtle crunch and a sweet, sparkly bakery-quality finish!
3 Tips for Soft, Chewy Centers
Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is my #1 baking tip! Using a scale helps you measure the ingredients just right so your cookies turn out soft and chewy every time, without any guesswork.
Chill the dough before baking. This helps it stay firm, so your cookies bake thicker with gooey centers instead of spreading too thin.
Underbake to perfection. The centers should look soft and a little puffy, ensuring they stay soft with irresistible chewiness.
Customizing with Sprinkles
This sugar cookie dough is the perfect base for festive sprinkles! You’ll want to add them with the dry ingredients (step 3 above). I recommend using jimmy sprinkles. We added some red, green, and white sprinkles for Christmas, but you could use shades of pink for Valentine’s Day or red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July!
Storage and Freezing
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet and transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Simply thaw before enjoying!
FAQs
This could be due to using warm butter or not chilling it long enough. Make sure to use cool, room-temperature butter and chill the dough for at least 3-4 hours before baking.
Check that you’re using the right amount of flour—too much flour can prevent cookies from spreading!
Yes! I recommend a three-tablepoon scoop. You will need to add 1-2 minutes to the bake time.
More Sugar Cookie Recipes
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments; I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Soft Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, *See notes below for measuring*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cool room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1/2 cup sprinkles, if using
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar. Set aside.2 2/3 cups (325 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- In a stand mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.14 tablespoons (196 g) unsalted butter, 1 1/4 cup (250 g) granulated sugar
- Scrape down the bowl, then mix in the egg, egg yolk, heavy cream, and vanilla.1 (50 g) large egg, 1 (18 g) large egg yolk, 2 tablespoons (23 g) heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
- Scrape down the bowl again and mix in the flour mixture and sprinkles, if using.1/2 cup sprinkles
- Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, scoop the mixture into two tablespoon-sized balls, roll each between your palms, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap and chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours, preferably overnight for thicker centers.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Bake the cold cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8-9 minutes or until the centers look puffy and no longer wet.
- Let the pan cool on a wire rack, and then enjoy!
Notes
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @cambreabakes on social!
These were very good however we needed a significantly longer cook time. At 10 minutes they were so underdone they fell through a cooling rack. We needed a 14 minute cook time.
Hi Chelsea, glad you liked them! Your oven may run cooler than the set temp, I would try increasing the heat slightly!
Hi, one thing I noticed is you mention a 2tbsp sized balls, did you mean 1? I think the 8-9 min cook time would be perfect for 1 tbsp
Hi Chelsea, no the 2 tablespoon portion is correct!