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These soft, buttery no-roll sugar cookies come together in one bowl with no chilling or rolling required—just scoop, sprinkle, and bake. They bake up tender with lightly golden edges and a classic vanilla flavor that’s just right any time you need a reliable sugar cookie.
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Why You’ll Love These Sugar Cookies
Because simple is sometimes the best—no fancy steps, no extra equipment, just everyday ingredients turning into soft, sweet cookies.
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter (room temp): Creams beautifully with sugar for a soft texture.
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste: Essential for warm vanilla flavor.
- Flour: Spoon and level to keep cookies tender, not stiff.
- Sea salt: Necessary for flavor balance.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla; beat until just combined.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, and sea salt until just combined.
- Scoop and drop dough using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop onto prepared sheets; sprinkle tops with sugar or sprinkles, if you like.
- Bake about 10 minutes until edges are set and lightly golden.
- Let the cookies cool on sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Tip
Add the flour to the bowl first, then sprinkle the baking soda and salt into a small well before mixing. Use an electric mixer to blend until crumbly. Then finish mixing with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to avoid over-mixing the flour.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Don’t overmix once the flour goes in—that keeps the cookies soft.
- You’ll know the cookies are done when edges look set and pale gold. They’ll firm up as they cool.
- You can also frost these cookies. Skip the sprinkling of sugar on top and bake as directed. Once cool, top with homemade buttercream frosting.
Storage Recommendations
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3–5 days or freeze baked and cooled cookies for up to 3 months.
Are Sugar Cookies Your Thing? Check These Out Too
Easy No-Roll Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup flour (all-purpose, spooned and leveled)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium size bowl, cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar
- Beat in egg and vanilla extract and mix for an additional minute.1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and mix until just combined.1 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Using a 1.5 TBS cookie scoop, scoop dough onto lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart, and sprinkle the tops of each cookie with sugar (or sprinkles).
- Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even baking.
- Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in airtight container for 3-5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- If you need frosting too, this is the best homemade buttercream
- For the softest cookies, don’t over-mix once the flour goes in.
- Bake just until the edges are lightly golden—cookies will set as they cool.
- Add sprinkles or sanding sugar to the tops before baking for extra sparkle.
- Make-ahead tip: Freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months.
I love everything about this recipe. The simplicity. The manageable yield — not overkill. One bowl. Perfect.
Thank you so much Lisa! Sometimes the most simple recipes are the best, for oh…so many reasons!
I love sugar cookies. I’m not sure why I only make them in December! These look perfect! My dough can be a real pain to roll out!! Giving these a try, ASAP!
Me too, Beth! And the no-roll variety are perfect for enjoying all year long! I find these easier to whip up than chocolate chip even, haha!
This sounds like an easy, perfect cookie recipe! Your photos are gorgeous Kristine 🙂
Thank you so much Marie! You just made my day, girl! ☺️
I’m smitten! They look perfect and I’m sold on the idea of them being no roll and one bowl. I must try these soon!
They are so easy Shinta, you’ll love them! Thank you so much, happy weekend!
A simple, classic recipe. Love it! And that there’s such little clean up. Looks like I’ll be making these tonight!
Thank you so much, Nancy! They’re so easy; I hope you love them!
I loved these sugar cookies! So buttery, melt-in-your-mouth and so delicious. Can’t wait to make these again!
I’m so glad to hear it Natalie! Thank you so much for taking a minute to comment, I really appreciate it. Happy baking!
They look superb and sound so simple to make, you can’t beat a simple honest to goodness cookie without all the nonsense 🙂
Thank you so much Brian! I agree, no nonsense cookies are my jam!
These look like the perfect cookies. I might try making these with my daughter at the weekend.
Thank you Danielle, I hope you enjoy them!
This is such a simple recipe but sounds so easy and delicious, I love it!
Thanks Amy, super delicious and super easy, WINNER! ☺️
Perfect for school runs, planning to make those for the lunch box.They are so simple
They would be the perfect sweet treat to send to school, Laura! I hope you enjoy them!
Made these today. My husband loves sugar cookies. So EASY AND QUICK! Crisp and yummy!!!!! 5 Star! A keeper!
Hey Jan! WOOOHOOO!! I’m so glad to hear it. The crispy edges are hands down my favorite part too! Thanks so much for stopping by to comment. XOXO ?
Sugar cookies are universally loved, and a simple recipe makes them super fun to make! Thanks for sharing this yummy looking recipe. I’m all about less work and fewer dishes 😉
Thank you so much Colleen! I couldn’t agree with you more, less dishes is always a win! So glad you stopped by!
Hi, Kristine! Those cookies look so pretty and yummy. Do you happen to know if I can make them with cake flour? Thank you. Have a lovely day 🙂
Hi Romy! Thank you so much! I’ve never tried using cake flour in cookies, or in this recipe, but I’ve read that you can try substituting cake flour for all-purpose at 1 cup + 2 tsp per 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Keep in mind that cake flour is less dense, has lower protein, and has less gluten so the cookies will almost definitely be very delicate and may fall apart. If you try it, let me know how it goes and how that come out. 🙂
Thank-you for this recipe hunny! My six year old daughter and I made them together and we rolled some in sprinkles and some with sugar. Both my daughter and 2 year old son are very happy and it was super duper easy!
Hey Lo! You are SO welcome. I’m so glad you had a good time baking these cookies – they’re one of my weekly recipes to be honest, haha! Thanks so much for the review, I appreciate it. Happy baking!
BEST sugar cookie recipe EVER! My fiancée loves them and asks me to make them all the time! I have found that adding a little peanut butter in makes for the best peanut butter cookie I’ve ever had as well!!!
I love this Meagan! Thank you so much for the feedback on these cookies—they’re one of my favorites too! I’ll have to try adding peanut butter to them too, YUM!
I don’t normally make comments about the recipes I try but these cookies are absolutely fantastic. I did not do the last step and sprinkle sugar on top and they still turned out AMAZING. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. This will be my sugar cookie recipe from now on.
I was searching for a simple and delicious sugar cookie recipe. THIS was definitely it!!!
This was amazing and super easy!! LOVED the results and was not complicated at all. Would definietly make again AND reccomend.
I made these today with my granddaughter. They were easy make. I had her use a cup with a flat bottom to dip in sugar and flatten the dough a little and then she put sprinkles on top. I baked them for the 10 minutes like the recipe stated, but they didn’t seem like they were finished so I put them back in for another 2-3 minutes. My grandkids and my elderly mom loved them! I love that it makes a smaller batch. Will definitely make these again.
These are perfect! Super easy to make in just a few minutes! Needed some cookies for a dozen or so kids and these were perfect and delicious! Already saved to my favorites!
I stumbled on this recipe when my first recipe for sugar cookies were a flop. I looked it over and thought these look pretty good !! These are not only good !!! They are fantastic !!! Exactly what I wanted !! They are a donation for a Veteran’s Day celebration in my area. Thank you for an awesome recipe. They will be frosted with white buttercream and red, white and blue sprinkles !!!🇺🇲🇺🇸
These were so simple to make and delicious! Not overly sweet and perfectly soft in the middle. I whipped them up for my family tonight when they were craving something sweet. Easy to make, delicious and easy cleanup! Thank you for sharing.