These no spread sugar cookies are the absolute BEST! With only a few simple ingredients, no chilling, and less than a 10 minute bake time, you can have incredible cutout sugar cookies in under 30 minutes. With crisp edges and a soft texture, these are the perfect cookies for Christmas, birthdays, or a sweet snack.
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I think that sugar cookies are probably one of my favorite cookies, and this is THE BEST no spread sugar cookie recipe out these! The cookies have a delicious vanilla flavor, are so soft and chewy, yet they still hold their crisp edges after being baked, and are ready in less than 30 minutes.
My favorite part about these cookies is how easy they are to make! They are made in one bowl, there's no stand mixer needed, the dough doesn't need to chill, and they hold their shape with NO spreading whatsoever. Additionally, the cookies are still super soft and chewy (thanks to a secret ingredient) even once they've been baked, because no one likes a crunchy sugar cookie.
This easy recipe is great for Christmas cookies, birthday parties, or even just to enjoy as a sweet snack during the week. You can decorate with royal icing, cream cheese frosting, or just leave them plain and they're still incredibly delicious. Happy baking!
Be sure to check out these eggless chocolate cookies for an egg-free cookie that you don't have to decorate!
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Only 6 ingredients
- Perfect for Christmas cutout cookies
- Easy, foolproof recipe
- Made in one bowl, no stand mixer needed
- Can easily be made vegan
- No chilling needed
INGREDIENTS FOR NO SPREAD SUGAR COOKIES
- Butter: You want room temperature butter that is soft to touch, but it shouldn't look greasy
- Sugar: I like to use this organic cane sugar, but any regular sugar will work
- Flax Egg: This may surprise you, but I use a flax egg instead of a regular egg!
- Flour: I find King Arthur's All Purpose Flour to be the best quality
- Cream of tartar: This prevents the sugar from crystalizing when baked and helps keep the cookies soft
- Vanilla Extract: The main flavor profile for these cookies!
HOW TO MAKE NO SPREAD SUGAR COOKIES
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a large bowl make the flax egg by mixing 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons warm water. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add the softened butter, sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to cream the wet ingredients until pale in color
- Next, add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until fully combined
- Now, lightly dust a piece of parchment paper with flour and dump your sugar cookie dough. Use a rolling pin to roll it out to ¼ inch thick
- Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out the rolled dough, making sure to reroll the scraps
- Place cut-out cookies onto your parchment lined baking sheet and bake cookies for 7-8 minutes until the edges are very lightly brown
- Pull the cookies out of the oven and let them cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS
Substitutions:
- Butter: Use vegan butter instead
- Vanilla extract: You could use vanilla bean paste
Variations:
- Add in ¼ teaspoon of almond extract
- Mix in ⅓ cup rainbow sprinkles
- Mix in ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
- Turn these into mini fruit pizzas
FAQs
If your cookies are spreading, there's a few reasons this could be happening.
1. Your butter was too soft. Room temperature butter is slightly cool to the touch. It should be soft, but not look greasy
2. Your flour could've been mismeasured. If you didn't use enough flour, the cookies will spread. Additionally, if you use too much flour, the dough will be dry, crumbly, and won't come together
3. If baking multiple batches, let the cookie sheet cool before baking the next batch
Yes, of course you can! I always use salted butter when I bake because I like the way it makes my baked goods taste. However, if you're using unsalted butter just be sure to add a pinch of salt to the dough!
It can! In fact, you can freeze it two ways.
First, you can freeze the sugar cookie dough. To do that, make the dough and flatten it into a disk. Then you're going to wrap it in plastic wrap, place into a freezer bag, and put it into the freezer. It stays good for up to three months, then defrost it, roll it out, and bake.
Second, you could freeze baked cookies. Let the cookies cool completely, then place them into a freezer bag and put in the freezer. They stay good up to 4 months.
I like to roll my no spread sugar cookie dough out to ¼ inch thickness because they hold up well when decorating and also stay soft longer. You could make the cookies thinner if you'd like, but I don't recommend making a thicker cookie because they won't bake right and you'll end up with raw dough in the middle.
WHAT DO I DECORATE NO SPREAD SUGAR COOKIES WITH?
You can really decorate these with any type of frosting, sprinkles, or glaze. Here's a few ideas!
HOW TO STORE AND FREEZE
You can store any leftover cookies in an airtight container for 4-5 days. If you decorated them with royal icing, I suggest placing a few sheets of parchment paper between each layer of cookies (if you're stacking them) to help prevent the icing from getting messed up.
These no-spread sugar cookies are also able to be frozen! Place cooled, undecorated cookies into a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 4 months. When you're ready to use them, just defrost at room temperature, decorate and enjoy!
You're also able to freeze the dough. Once made, dump the dough out onto a flat surface, shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, put in a freezer bag, and place in the freezer for up to three months.
EXPERT TIPS
- Make sure your butter isn't too soft
- Let the flax egg sit for 5 minutes until it has "jelled" before adding the other ingredients
- Don't overmix the dough or you'll end up with tough cookies
- Bake on parchment paper or a silicone mat to prevent sticking
- The bottom of the cookie should look very lightly golden brown or even still pale
- Let them cool completely before decorating with any sort of icing
Did you make my easy no spread sugar cookies recipe? If you did, I would greatly appreciate you leaving a comment and star rating down below. Additionally, you can follow me on Instagram and tag me if you make this or any other of my easy dessert recipes.
PrintThe Best No Spread Sugar Cookies
These no spread sugar cookies are the best! Only one bowl, no chilling, and sharp edges, you can have perfect cut-out cookies all year round!
- Prep Time: 8 Minutes
- Cook Time: 8 Minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 18 1x
- Category: cookies
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons warm water. Mix and let sit for 5 minutes)
- 1 stick softened salted butter
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a large bowl make the flax egg by mixing 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons warm water and letting it sit for 5 minutes until "jelled"
- After 5 minutes, add the softened butter, sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to cream the wet ingredients until pale in color
- Next, add the flour, cream of tartar and salt and mix on low speed just until fully combined
- Lightly dust a piece of parchment paper with flour and dump out your sugar cookie dough. Use a rolling pin to roll it out to ¼ inch thick
- Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out the rolled dough, making sure to reroll the scraps
- Place cut-out cookies onto your parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes until the edges are very lightly brown or even pale
- Carefully pull the baking sheet out of the oven and let the cookies cool on it for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely
- Decorate and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure your butter isn't too soft
- Let the flax egg sit for 5 minutes until it has "jelled" before adding the other ingredients
- Don't overmix the dough or you'll end up with tough cookies
- Bake on parchment paper or a silicone mat to prevent sticking
- The bottom of the cookie should look very lightly golden brown or even still pale
- Let them cool completely before decorating with any sort of icing
Keywords: cut out sugar cookies, the best no spread sugar cookies, sugar cookies for Christmas
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