This soft, chewy sugar cookie recipe has no fancy steps and only requires 1 hour of chilling. They have a crunchy sugared exterior and a perfectly chewy interior, making them the best sugar cookies!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
This is a brief summary of the recipe. Jump to the recipe to get the full details.
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Chill Time
1 hour
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Servings
24 cookies
Difficulty
Easy
Calories *
180 kcal per serving
Technique
Make cookie dough, chill the dough, roll in sugar, and bake!
Flavor Profile
Perfectly sweet sugar cookies.
* Based on nutrition panel
[…] these were a HIT! I love that I only had to chill the cookies for an hour before I got to bake them! I will be making these for Christmas and rolling them in festive sanding sugar. I’m super excited. Thank you for a great recipe! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lauren
Why You Will Love This
- The perfect texture. These sugar cookies spread just enough to have crunchy edges and chewy centers!
- A handful of simple ingredients! You can make these cookies with pantry staples you already have on hand.
- Only 1 hour of chilling. No need to wait too long to have perfectly sweet and chewy cookies! The cookie dough can also be frozen to bake when the sugar cookie craving strikes.
These easy, soft, and chewy sugar cookies are anything but plain. Perfectly crisp on the outside, chewy in the centers with the sweet flavor of vanilla throughout and a crunchy sugar topping—I dare you to eat just one.
While you’re baking, you should absolutely join me in a classic cookie marathon! Let’s bake gooey chocolate chip cookies and chewy peanut butter cookies, too! All perfectly chewy and fantastic in their own way. I also love these giant oatmeal-raisin cookies!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar creates the perfect sweetness and helps achieve that signature chewy texture. You can also try this recipe with half brown sugar, or you can make my brown sugar cookies!
- Whole Egg
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is the flavor here, so be sure to use one you like. You can also use different extracts, such as almond or peppermint.
Variations
- Add some zest! Zest a lemon, orange, lime, or key lime into the sugar and let it sit for at least an hour to add a citrus zing! You could also make my lemon cookies.
- Add sprinkles. You can mix in or just roll the sugar cookies in sprinkles! Use rainbow sprinkles like with my funfetti cookies or get festive with red & green for Christmas, pink and red for Valentine’s Day, or red, white & blue for July 4th! Add up to a ½ cup to the recipe as written.
- Top with a frosting or glaze. Top the baked and cooled cookies with cream cheese frosting, chocolate fudge frosting, or use the frosting from my frosted sugar cookies.
Professional Tips
- Don’t skip chilling. Chilling the dough is essential for structure and prevents excessive spreading.
- Don’t overbake. The cookies will continue cooking on the sheet once removed from the oven.
How to Make Chewy Sugar Cookies
Use these instructions to make the best sugar cookies recipe! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
Step 2: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate large bowl (using an electric mixer) or in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and 1 ½ cups of sugar on medium speed for 3–4 minutes until light and fluffy.
Step 3: Add the egg and vanilla; beat well to combine.
Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure there is no unmixed butter.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients gently. Reduce the mixer to low speed and gradually add the dry ingredients in three additions, waiting until almost all the flour has been incorporated before adding the next.
Step 5: Chill for structure. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 7: Portion and sugar coat. Roll the sugar cookie dough into 1 ½ tablespoon-sized balls. Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar to coat completely. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
You can also use a cookie scoop or scale the cookie dough balls.
Step 8: Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, the centers have puffed, and the surface looks matte, not shiny.
Don’t over-bake the cookies; they will continue cooking on the cookie sheet once removed from the oven.
Step 9: Remove cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle tops with sparkling sugar, if desired. Cool for 5 minutes on a baking sheet, then carefully transfer with a spatula to the cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe FAQs
Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days before baking or stored in the freezer for 2 months before baking.
Yes, they need to chill for at least 1 hour; otherwise, they will spread too much and won’t be chewy. Chilling the dough before baking will create thicker, chewier cookies.
I would not suggest using this cookie recipe for cut-out sugar cookies. The dough is too sticky and will spread too much when baked. Use this cut out sugar cookie recipe instead!
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If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!
Chewy Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, for rolling (plus sparkling sugar for topping, optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl (using an electric hand mixer) or in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and 1 ½ cups of sugar on medium speed 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla; beat well to combine.
- Reduce the mixer to low and gradually add the dry ingredients in three additions, waiting until almost all the flour has been incorporated before adding the next.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll dough into 1 ½ tablespoon-sized balls. Roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar to coat completely. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 9-11 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the centers have puffed and the surface looks matte, not shiny.
- Remove cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle tops with sparkling sugar, if desired. Cool for 5 minutes on a baking sheet, then carefully transfer with a spatula to the cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this classic cookie recipe. Check out our other delicious cookie recipes like these olive oil chocolate chip cookies or these peanut butter no bake cookies!
Made these cookies twice and both times everyone LOVED them. Several friends asked if I got them from a local bakery.
I followed the recipe exactly as well as read the suggestions in the comments. I rolled the dough into sugar and dropped onto the baking sheet. I double checked to make sure that these were meant to be made as drop cookies rather than to be rolled flat and cut. My cookies did NOT spread and flatten in the oven as shown in the pictures. They are just cooked dough balls, and the sprinkle sugar did NOT stick to the cookies once immediately removed from oven. I was supposed to bring these into work but I am too embarrassed to show these to anyone. Will not be making these again.
K, I’m sorry to hear that! I have never had that experience so I’m not sure what happened, but I know how frustrating it is to go through a recipe and have it not turn out like you’d hoped. I hope you can find a different recipe that works for you!
I also ended up with really dry cookies that didn’t spread. I might cut back on flour, or add more sugar/butter to get thinner chewier cookies.
I love this recipe! The only thing is that I wish it told me the yield. But overall this is a great recipe and I recommend it to those who haven’t baked before.
Ashley, Actually the yield is written right in the recipe: it makes 24 cookies! Thanks for your feedback!
Dough was way to sticky. You can’t do any fun shapes out of it. 0/10 would NOT reccomend one
N, Sorry to hear that! I would not recommend this sugar cookie dough for cutting out into shapes — it’s much softer, and definitely meant to be a drop cookie.
Stephanie, these are my go to cookies. Because I am horrible at baking. But I love these! Thank goodness ? can I use a cookie stamp!?!?
Tasha, I’m so glad — thank you! I haven’t tried these with a cookie stamp but it could be worth a try.
Can you use self rising flour
Melissa, I’ve never used it for any recipe so I can’t say for sure if it works!
I will have to say that I think I didn’t realize how big I had to make them to only make 24. But that was on me. These cookies were amazing. I made them for my office family and home family. And everyone loved them! ??
Tiffany, I’m so glad you all enjoyed them. 🙂
Made? them.? Loved.them!
Making.them again? tonight? for.the.Holidays!
Thank? you!!!
Might? add some? corn starch to? make? using? cookie.cutters easier.
Robert, Love it! Thank you!
These cookies look so delicious! I love sugar cookies – perfect with a cup of coffee. Can’t wait to try your recipe ?
Natalie, Thank you! They taste amazing with coffee, if I do say so myself. 🙂