My Homemade Chewy Sugar Cookies are one of my favorite things to bake. Though it’s a basic sugar cookie, it has the perfect balance of flavor. My cookies are buttery and sweet, but not overly sweet. They are soft on the inside yet still chewy, and you can eat them plain or frosted. A gift bag of these cookies makes the perfect gift for any holiday.

The granulated sugar makes these sugar cookies super chewy. The secret is the sugar-to-butter ratio, which yields a buttery and chewy sugar cookie. Adding baking soda and baking powder play an important role in keeping the cookies soft inside.

My next post will be my recipe for Royal Icing. Stay tuned! I’m not a professional decorator by any means, so I keep my designs simple LOL!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yields: 24 cookies
Equipment: rolling pin, 2 cookie wire racks, 3 rimmed baking sheet pans, parchment paper, stand mixer with paddle attachment (or hand-held electric mixer), wax paper, 3-inch scalloped cookie cutter, 2 dowels between 1/8″ and 1/4″ in diameter, 4 small bowls, 1 set of measuring spoons, 1 set of dry measuring cups, cookie spatula

Ingredients:
1 cup of butter (2 sticks), Unsalted and softened
1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar
1 egg, large
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of kosher salt

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line 2 rimmed baking sheet pans with parchment paper (or coat with baking spray).

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg, vanilla extract (and almond extract if you choose); beat until combined.

Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Mix until just combined; be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl now and again.

Lay down a sheet of wax paper and place the dough in the center. Lay another sheet of wax paper on top. Roll out the dough until it’s between 1/8″ and 1/4″ in thickness. Cut the cookie dough as close as possible using a round 3″ cookie cutter. This should yield you 16 cookies.

Take the excess cookie dough and form it into a ball. Place that dough back between another 2 sheets of wax paper. Roll the dough out again to 1/8″ to 1/4″ in thickness. and repeat the process, yielding you another 8 cookies.

Arrange them onto three baking sheet pans lined with parchment paper about 2″ apart.

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are set and light golden brown.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes on wire racks. Then they will be ready to frost.

There you have it, my Homemade Chewy Sugar Cookies.

Notes:
1) Sugar cookies are perfectly baked when the edges are set and light golden brown, while the center looks dry and has lost its raw, shiny sheen. The edges should feel firm to a light touch, and the cookie should not look doughy in the middle, even if it still appears slightly underbaked. Use a cookie spatula to check gently; the edges should be set, not soft or gooey.

2) This recipe is a no-chill first sugar cookie recipe, which means you can bake these cookies right away.

3) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2026/03/23/royal-icing/