Soft Sugar Cookies

These drop-style sugar cookies couldn't be easier. Have fun with different colors of sugar to roll the cookies in before you bake them. Just scoop the dough, roll in sugar, and drop them on a baking sheet. You don't need to refrigerate the dough unless you want them to spread less.

4.75 from 4 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 9

Total Time: 19

Servings: cookies

Calories: 106kcal

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup powdered sugar
2 eggs room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract optional
3 cups all-purpose flour 375 grams
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Topping for the cookies

⅓ cup granulated sugar or colored sugar sprinkles

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Add the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until light, fluffy and pale in color. Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract if using. Scrape the bowl down and beat until creamy.
Sift the flour and baking soda over the batter and stir until well combined.
Use a medium-sized cookie scoop (or 2 tablespoons) to scoop balls of dough.
Roll the balls of dough in granulated sugar or fancy colored sugar. Place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until the edges just look set. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a flat spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Notes

Measure the flour correctly. Either lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups or weigh it on a scale. Too much flour will make the dough and the cookies dry. The dough should be fairly soft but it should not be sticky.
Keep an eye on the bake time. For the softest cookies, don't let the bottoms get too brown. The edges of the cookies should have a slight hint of a light golden brown.
Store the cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread. The bread will help keep the cookies soft and chewy longer.
If you don’t have a sifter, you can combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them well to combine them before adding them to the butter mixture.
If you want the cookies to spread less you can refrigerate them for an hour before you bake them. The cookies in the photo were not refrigerated and they were 2-1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, soft and tender.
For smaller cookies, use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop and reduce the baking time by about 1 minute.