Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I can’t believe it’s time to start thinking about the holidays and my favorite part of the holiday season… baking! These Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies are the first in my 2024 Holiday Cookie Series and you guys… You are going to LOVE these!
I wanted this recipe to be the ultimate, classic sugar cookie, which for me means soft and chewy! This recipe is pretty straightforward, and I love that it uses ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
My favorite part? I roll the dough in granulated sugar before baking to give the cookies that sparkly, sugary, slight crunch on the outside before biting into the soft, chewy center. Yum yum yum!
These Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies are great year-round, but they’re especially PERFECT for your holiday baking and cookie exchanges. Looking for other cookies to round out your holiday tray? Check out my Almond Butter Blossoms with the chocolate kiss center, Gingerbread Snickerdoodles that combine the best of two worlds (gingerbread + snickerdoodle), or my fun and festive Hot Cocoa Cookies topped with holiday sprinkles!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Simple & Straightforward: This recipe has less than 10 ingredients, and all of them are pretty standard for baking, so you won’t have to go to specialty stores to get everything you need to make these delicious cookies!
- No rolling pin required! We’ll roll the dough into small balls and then bake. No for rolling out a slab of dough and checking the thickness – we don’t have time for that!
- Soft & Chewy: These cookies have the ultimate soft and chewy texture, thanks to the splash of milk and perfect ratio of dry ingredients.
- Tasty & Classic: From the sweet, buttery flavor to the soft and chewy texture and the extra crunch of sugar on the outside, these cookies are OH SO tasty and are just an absolute classic.
Ingredient Notes
For the ingredient measurements and the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of the blog post.
- Granulated Sugar: The star ingredient of these delicious chewy sugar cookies! You’ll need some for the dough itself and extra for rolling the cookie dough balls in before baking.
- Unsalted Butter: Make sure the butter is at room temperature for easier creaming with sugar, which helps create a tender and chewy texture. I use unsalted butter, but if you must use salted butter, simply omit the extra salt listed later in the ingredients.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour; I have not tested this recipe with other flour varieties. Measure it correctly using the spoon-and-level method to avoid dense cookies.
- Eggs: Eggs add moisture and act as a binding agent, contributing to the cookie’s structure. The extra egg yolk adds richness and tenderness to the cookie, and it also binds the dough all together.
- Whole Milk: Adding milk to the cookie dough batter helps keep these cookies moist and hydrates the starches in the flour.
- Other ingredients needed: vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, salt
Step by Step Directions
(For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below)
Cream the butter & sugar!
Use a stand mixer and paddle attachment to beat the softened butter and sugar together until creamed or light and fluffy.
Add in the wet ingredients
Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of whole milk. (The milk helps hydrate the cookie dough and keeps these cookies ultra soft & yummy!) Mix until combined.
Whisk together dry ingredients.
Using another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Add dry ingredients to mixer
Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Chill the dough, then scoop!
After letting the dough chill for 30 minutes (or overnight), scoop the cookie dough into 1 ½ tablespoon sized chunks, and then roll them into balls.
Roll in sugar, then BAKE!
Roll each of the dough balls in the extra granulated sugar. Then bake on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet at 325°F for ~8-10 minutes being careful not to over-bake!
ENJOY!!!
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Garnish with a sprinkle of granulated sugar – then ENJOY!
- Measure ingredients properly: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife instead of scooping the flour with your measuring cup. Too much flour will make take away from the soft & chewy-goodness of these sugar cookies.
- Don’t over-bake: These cookies look very soft and slightly under baked when you take them out of the oven.
- To get cookies perfectly circular: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven, place a circular cookie cutter or a circular drinking glass around one of the cookies (it should be larger than the cookie so you don’t cut off any edges) and give the cookies a spin. Swirling the cookie should help.
- Cool on the sheet: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them set and prevents breakage.
Storage & Freezing
- Make Ahead: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. Allow to come to room temperature, roll in the granulated sugar, then continue to bake as directed.
- Freeze the Dough: Scoop the dough into the 1 ½ tbsp balls and freeze in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To bake, allow the dough to come to room temperature, roll in the granulated sugar, then continue to bake as directed.
- Storage: You can store these baked cookies on the counter in an airtight container for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
shop this post
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp. whole milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¾ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- granulated sugar, for rolling and garnishing
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar for about 3 minutes (or until creamed/light & fluffy), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 12 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- Add in the egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Scrape down sides again as needed.1 large egg, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 1 Tbsp. whole milk, 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 ½ tsp. baking powder, ¾ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. baking soda
- Gradually add them in at a slow speed just until combined.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes or overnight. If you feel the cookie dough is dry, see recipe notes below.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F. And line baking sheets with parchment.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. If very cold, allow to sit on the counter for ~10 minutes so it's easier to scoop and roll.
- Add about ¼ cup granulated sugar into a bowl for rolling.granulated sugar, for rolling and garnishing
- Scoop and roll the cookie dough into about 1 ½ tbsp.-sized balls.
- Roll the cookie dough balls in the granulated sugar. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Bake for ~8-10 minutes, being very careful not to over bake.
- Cool on the cookie sheet just for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Garnish with a sprinkle of granulated sugar. Enjoy!
- Store on the counter in an airtight container for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
- Store on the counter in an airtight container for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Be sure to spoon and level your flour. Too much flour will make these cookies dry. If you feel the cookie dough is dry, add a splash of milk to hydrate the dough. Just 1-2 tbsp. is plenty.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Perfectly soft and chewy. Melt in your mouth.
Sooo happy to hear you loved them, Tracy!! 🫶🏻
The perfect sugar cookie, my husband said they are the best cookie ever!! 😋😋
What an amazing compliment! thank you! 🙂
Hi! Can you use self-rising flour? 😉 they look delicious!
This post might be helpful for you: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2015/09/09/substitute-self-rising-flour-purpose-flour
We used this recipe for our Christmas cut-outs, this year. Instead of rolling them into balls then rolling into the sugar, we just rolled out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick then used our cookie cutters. No flour needed for rolling out dough. Perfect sugar cut-outs. This recipe will become a permanent staple in our house! Thank you!
So glad they worked well as cut outs! I have this recipe as well, just for reference: https://krollskorner.com/recipes/desserts/cookies/cutout-sugar-cookies/
These cooking are amazing came out perfect best sugar cookies I’ve ever made.
awww I am so glad! thank you:)
Can you add milk to re-moisten after it’s been chilling?
I would just let it sit to room temp, if you feel it really needs it you can add a splash:)
I give this recipe 10 stars, they are exactly how I expected, soft, chewy and buttery, absolutely delicious, I have a big family so when I make these, I triple the recipe My grandkids helped me and they enjoyed decorating them for the month of October. I will definitely make these cookies again.
incredible! thank you soo much!
These turned out so well! 10 minutes was perfect – so chewy and yummy hours later. My tip – if you chill the dough overnight, let it warm up 30+ mins before baking!
thanks so much Rachel for making!! good tip;)
Cookies look wonderful. Could this recipe be used with a cookie stamp?
I haven’t tried with this recipe, but I have some cut out style sugar cookie recipes coming soon 🙂