Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe (2024)

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Cut out sugar cookies are one of the best Christmas sugar cookies recipe to make.Requiring just simple ingredients, these soft and chewy cookies are so much fun to make with the whole family!

Christmas sugar cookies are part of our family holiday season traditions. This Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie recipe is often the first thing I pull out of my recipe box to make. In fact, my kids think it’s the best sugar cookie recipe of all. The first time I made it with my boys’ help was when they were 2 and 4 years old!

Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe (1)

Why you’ll love these Christmas sugar cookies

This cut out out sugar cookie recipe is a great recipe that makes a soft sugar cookies that can be easily frozen if desired.

The tender dough mixes up quickly and doesn’t need to be chilled before rolling.

I usually bake the whole batch, let them cool, and then freeze them between layers of waxed paper in airtight containers.

Once it’s time to serve them, I thaw out the baked rolled sugar cookies and mix up a small batch of icing for the amount I want to serve. It’s easy and so delicious.

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How to Make Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookies

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Supplies Needed for Soft & Tasty Cut Out Sugar Cookies:

Large Bowl
Medium Bowl
Mixing Spoons
Pastry blender
Pastry cloth & rolling pin cover set (optional)
Rolling Pin
Cookie Cutters (whatever designs you choose) (I like Christmas trees, hearts, & mittens)
Cookie Sheet
Wire Cooling Racks

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Rolled Sugar Cookies Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Butter
2 large Eggs, beaten
1/3 cup Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda

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How to Make this Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe

(A printable recipe card is located at the end of this post for your convenience.)

You’ll mix up this simple recipe in 2 seperate bowls.

1. In the first large bowl, mix together:

4 cups flour,
1 tsp. baking powder, and
1/2 tsp. salt,
Cut in 1 cup butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives.

2. In another bowl, mix together:

2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup milk,
1 teaspoon vanilla extract,
1 1/2 cup sugar, and
1 teaspoon baking soda

4. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir gently.

5. Flip the dough onto a lightly floured pastry mat, and knead it gently ~ just so it sticks together.

6. Divide dough into 2 portions. Start with the first portion and roll dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness.

I use my Grandmother’s antique dough rolling pastry set (pictured above), but I’ve rounded up a whole list of top tools for dough rolling here.

Here is a video on tips for rolling out this sugar cookie dough:

7. Using your favorite cookie cutters, cut out whatever shapes you’d like. We have stars and trees at our house…

8. Place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. (Placing parchement paper on the baking sheets makes for easy clean up.)

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9. Bake cookies at 375 degrees for 5 minutes – or until very lightly golden brown.

Top Tip: The secret to soft and chewy old fashioned sugar cookies is to take them out before they start to brown. If they are too browned, they will turn crunchy!

10. Cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

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Once completely cooled, ice with your favorite homemade frosting.

Here is my quick and easy homemade frosting for sugar cookies. Or, you could try a fun idea using marbled icing.

Yield: About 4 dozen

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How should I store these cut out sugar cookies?

Store these sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. However, I feel better always refrigerating or freezing mine until I’m ready to use them.

To freeze sugar cookies, place them in an airtight container or heavy duty freezer bag, being careful to seperate each layer with wax paper or parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together. Store in the freezer for up to six months.

For Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies:

You can use this same sugar cookie recipe for all seasons! Just use whatever shaped cookie cutter matches the holiday. Heart shaped cookie cutters with pink icing make darling Valentine’s Day cookies. Another option is to make marbled heart sugar cookies. They’re so pretty!

Need more help with Christmas cookie making?

I’ve put together a recipe collection of Christmas cookie recipes to help you save time & stress. Click the button below for all the details!

SAVE TIME & STRESS!

CHRISTMAS COOKIES RECIPES COLLECTION

With a mix of traditional & trendy Christmas cookies, this recipe collection with pictures can help bring back the fun (& simple) traditions of Christmas baking.

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For more Merry Christmas Season Recipes, you may want to check out these posts:

Christmas cookie recipes with pictures
Christmas Dipped Chocolates,
Swedish Tea Ring,
Overnight Buns,
Christmas Breakfast Recipes

More Christmas Cookies Recipes:

Never Fail Fudge
Make this condensed milk fudge recipe in the microwave in 5 minutes!
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Cranberry Lemon Bars
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75+ Christmas cookie recipes with pictures
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Gluten-free cut out cookies

Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe

Yield: 4 dozen

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This old fashioned rolled sugar cookie recipe is the best cut out cookie recipe! The dough is easy to work & the cookies are soft & YUMMY!

Ingredients

4 cups Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 cup Butter
2 Eggs, beaten
1/3 cup Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Instructions

Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender
In another bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, and baking so
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir gently
Flip the dough onto a lightly floured pastry mat, and knead it gently ~ just so it sticks together
Divide into 2 portions and roll each portion out to about 1/2 inch thick.
Using cookie cutters, cut out whatever shapes you’d like. We have stars and trees at our house…
Place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 5 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 375 degrees.The secret to soft and chewy old fashioned sugar cookies is to take them out before they start to brown. If they are lightly browned, they will turn crunchy!
Cool completely on wire racks before icing.Step 10: Once completely cool, ice with buttercream icing with food coloring.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 48Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 100Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 95mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g

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Old Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best thickness to roll sugar cookies? ›

With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.

Why are my rolled sugar cookies spreading? ›

Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn't enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.

Keep Reading ›

Do you need to chill sugar cookie dough before baking? ›

Chilling the dough is a key step in making sugar cookies, especially when you're making cut-outs. Even if you're tight on time, make sure to get the dough in the fridge, or even the freezer, even if it's only for a little while. Skip this step, and the dough will be sticky, and much harder to work with.

How long should sugar cookie dough sit out before rolling? ›

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

What happens if you don t refrigerate sugar cookie dough before baking? ›

Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.

Get More Info Here ›

What happens if I don't chill my sugar cookie dough? ›

That over-expanded dough loses its perfect texture. In the case of pie, the crust won't be light and flaky. For cookies, they'll spread out too quickly, tasting doughy and soft instead of full-bodied and chewy.

What happens if you chill sugar cookie dough too long? ›

After 72 hours, the dough will begin to dry out and you risk it going bad, especially if chilling pre-portioned balls of dough instead of the entire mass of dough. If you want to store longer than 72 hours, see the freezing tips below.

Why is my cookie dough too hard to roll out? ›

Tough – For rolled cookies, your dough can become “tough” by adding too much flour to your pin or counter before rolling it out. To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough.

Keep Reading ›

Can you roll out store bought sugar cookie dough? ›

Just roll the dough into one inch balls and then coat them in equal parts cinnamon and sugar. Then I press them gently with a glass before baking them according to the directions on the package. That's it!

Learn More Now ›

How do you roll cookie dough into balls without sticking to your hands? ›

Sprinkle a small amount of cornstarch on your hands or work surface before handling the dough. Alternatively, add a tablespoon or two of cornstarch to the dough while mixing.