The Best Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe (No Chill)

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Is there anything better at Christmas time than the smell of fresh baked sugar cookies in the oven while listening to Christmas carols, and sharing laughs with your loved ones? This classic sugar cookie recipe is sure to bring all the perfect warm, cozy smells into your home. And best of all it only takes a few simple ingredients and there’s not wasting time chilling the dough!

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This recipe is so simple and easy! And it’s a great way to get your little ones involved in the kitchen. Make those memories!
• There is no wait time to chill the dough like most sugar cookie recipes! You can whip these up and have them ready to take to your Christmas party or get together in no time!
• The ingredients are simple and can all be found at your local grocery store! No running around trying to find ingredients at several different places.
• We love icing on our cookies, but they’re tasty without icing too!

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Helpful Kitchen Accessories

These are not necessary for this recipe, but if you have them they help make this classic sugar cookie process easier.

• Food Processor– My hand-me-down food processor recently broke and this one is looking good with a current sale price! I love how many uses this appliance has!
• Stand Mixer– I found one on Marketplace for a decent price that had barely been used! It’s for sure not a necessity for any kitchen, but it makes baking easier and quicker!
• Hand Electric Mixer– We received one of these for our wedding…12 years ago! And it’s still going strong!
• Stainless Steel Baking Sheets– Great nontoxic option to have in every kitchen!
• Baking Stone– I was gifted the pizza stone and it works just as well for cookies.
• Parchment Paper– My favorite unbleached parchment paper for baking.

Ingredients for The Best Classic Sugar Cookie

• Flour – The base of this recipe is all purpose flour. I love using King Arthur’s Organic All Purpose flour, but any all purpose flour will do.
• Baking Soda – Love that nice chewy texture of a cookie? It’s the baking soda working!
• Salted Butter – This gives a nice buttery flavor to the cookies. Be sure to freeze it before making. This allows for the no chill time of the dough.
• Sugar – Can’t have a sugar cookie without sugar!
• Egg – The eggs bring all the ingredients together.
• Vanilla Extract – This brings out the best flavor for these classic cookies.

Ingredients for Optional Vanilla Icing

• Powdered Sugar – This adds to the sweetness of these sugar cookies.
• Vanilla Extract – You can do different flavorings, but for this classic recipe vanilla is a winner!
• Milk – Depending on the amount of milk used will determine how thin or thick the icing will be.
• Optional Food Coloring – Add festive colors like red and green for these holiday cookies!

How to Make These Classic Sugar Cookies (No Chill)

1. Place non-stick baking sheet(s) into the freezer. Prepare a work area with a rolling pin, cookie cutters, and extra flour for rolling. Prepare a cooling rack for when the cookies come out of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Combine the flour and baking soda and mix with a fork or whisk.
3. Dice the frozen butter and place it in a food processor, stand mixer or large mixing bowl with the sugar. Cream until well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract then process for an additional 15-30 seconds. Move the butter mixture to a large mixing bowl if needed.
4. Working in three batches add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. By the third addition, the dough will be fairly thick. Continue to stir as well as possible, then turn the dough out onto the work area. Fold any flour that was not fully combined in the bowl into the dough.
5. Immediately roll the dough out to a rectangle about ¼” thick. Cut using any shape of cookie cutter; be sure to place the cutters as close together as possible. Place the cut cookies onto the chilled baking sheet. Reroll extra dough as needed until it is all used.
6. Bake the cookies for 8-9 minutes. The cookies will look blonde when pulled, this is okay. Leave completed cookies on the sheet for 1-2 minutes before removing them to the prepared cooling area. Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing.
7. Hold the cookies by the edges and dip them face-first into a bowl of icing or apply with a butter knife. Allow this to set, then enjoy!

How to Make Vanilla Icing

1. Mix the ingredients until smooth, but thick. Add a little extra liquid or powdered sugar as needed until the desired texture is reached.

Variations of this Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe

• Peppermint– Replace the vanilla extract with peppermint extract. For extra fun, after icing, top with crushed candy canes.
• Sprinkles– My kids love adding sprinkles to literally everything when they get a chance to. My favorite sprinkles to use are from Supernatural. Just add your favorite sprinkles on after icing.
• Cookie Cutters– Use any cookie cutters you want for any occasion!
• Food Coloring– Add fun colors to your cookies for anytime of the year. My favorite food colorings to use without artificial dyes are from Color Garden and also from Watkins.

Tips for Making Classic Sugar Cookies

• If not using a non-stick sheet, line the sheet with parchment paper or a silpat after chilling, but before adding the cookies.
• The blades of the food processor are the most effective way to cut through the frozen butter, but any electric mixer or stand mixer works well.
• These cookies will look blonde when removed from the oven, that is okay. Be sure to leave them on the baking sheet to cool for at least 2 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.
• Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.