The Best Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe

This soft sugar cookie recipe is a must-bake for the holidays! The cookies are light and fluffy, making them perfect for homemade buttercream frosting!

I don’t know about you, but mom always made thin cut-out sugar cookies with frosting for our holiday cookies. And while I love cut-out cookies as much as the next girl; I have a deep appreciation for a thick and soft sugar cookie too! There’s just something about a cookie you can really sink your teeth into, am I right?

Well friends, this is thaaaaaaat cookie! And guess what? They’re so simple to make, you’ll want to add them to your list of holiday baking this year and for years to come.

To make this soft sugar cookie recipe, you start by creaming the butter and white sugar together until smooth. Then you add the egg and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Then you toss in the sea salt and baking soda and give it a good stir.

Once that’s all blended in, you fold the flour in, half at a time, and mix the dough until it’s all just combined. The dough will be pretty soft, but not uber sticky and should pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Then, using a 3 tablespoon size cookie scoop, you scoop the dough onto prepared baking sheets and bake them for 10 short minutes. When they come out of the oven, it’s soft sugar cookie perfection! You’ll want to let them cool completely before topping with frosting and sprinkles, of course.

And also, if you find yourself searching for the perfect sugar cookie frosting to top this soft sugar cookie recipe, THIS IS IT RIGHT HERE!

Things to remember when baking this soft sugar cookie recipe:

• This recipe only makes about 14 cookies, but you can easily double it to make 28.
• The cookies need to be baked on parchment paper or they will likely run and become REALLY LARGE.
• And along those same lines, please let the cookies sit on the cookie sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
• Because these cookies are light and soft, they dry out quickly. The cookies should be eaten within 2-3 days or you can pop them in the freezer (with or without frosting is just fine!).

Aside from the fact that these cookies are soft and mouthwateringly delicious; my favorite thing about this soft sugar cookie recipe is that it can literally become your go-to “drop sugar cookie” recipe for any occasion.

Just by changing the color of the frosting or the theme of the sprinkles, you could have a thick, chewy, soft sugar cookie for any event or celebration! #winning

Perfect for holiday baking or even everyday festivities, this soft sugar cookie recipe will win you over! The cookies are soft and lightly sweet, perfect for topping with your favorite homemade buttercream frosting and sprinkles!

The Best Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe

An easy one-bowl recipe for the best soft sugar cookies. The cookies are soft and fluffy Lofthouse style cookies.

4.88 from 8 votes

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Course: Sweets & Dessert

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 14 cookies

Calories: 160kcal

Author: Kristine

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 TBS milk
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups flour

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar together until smooth and light colored.
• Add egg, milk, and extracts and mix until smooth.
• Stir in sea salt and baking soda.
• Add flour, half and a time, stirring until fully combined.
• Using a 3 TBS cookie scoop, scoop dough onto cookie sheets at least 2 inches apart. 
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through.
• Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes prior to transferring to a wire rack.
• When cookies are completely cool, frost with buttercream frosting (optional).
• Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days or freeze.

Notes

*I only get 6 cookies per half-sheet baking pan.

**You can also use a 1.5 TBS cookie sheet to make 24 cookies or double the recipe to make 28 large cookies.

***Cookies may be frozen with or without frosting.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.6g | Protein: 2.1g | Fat: 6.2g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 183mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 12.7g | Iron: 0.7mg

Did you make this recipe? We want to see!Mention @kristineinbetween or tag #kinbetween!

Don’t miss these other sugar cookie recipes too, the best cut-out sugar cookies and these maple glazed sugar cookies!