Easy No-Chill Sugar Cookies

Welcome to the easiest sugar cookies you will ever bake! With a soft, tender texture and delightful vanilla flavor, these no-chill, no-roll sugar cookies topped with delicious buttercream frosting are a game-changer.

One of my biggest pet peeves is cookie dough that needs to be chilled. When I want cookies, I want them now, and frosted sugar cookies are no exception. I did a bit of research online, tested a few recipes, and eventually ended up here— with a sugar cookie recipe that not only requires no chilling in the fridge before baking, but also there’s no need for rolling and cutting!

Simply mix, scoop, bake, top with fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting (and sprinkles, duh) and enjoy!

I’ve now made dozens of batches over the years and can’t recommend them enough. You’ll love how quick, easy and delicious they are! These are the best sugar cookies for holidays, birthday celebrations, and all kinds of occasions big and small.

Table of Contents

• Why you don’t need to chill this sugar cookie dough
• No need for cookie cutters
• Ingredients you’ll need
• How to make these easy sugar cookies
• How to make cut-out cookies
• The best way to store sugar cookies
• More sugar cookie recipes

Why you don’t need to chill this sugar cookie dough

1. Cookie dough with a large amount of butter needs to be chilled so that it doesn’t cause the cookies to spread too much as they bake. This recipe has only 3/4 of the butter most sugar cookies call for.
2. Chilling cookie dough also gives the gluten in the dough time to relax creating a softer cookie, and allows the flour to absorb some of the moisture in dough which also prevents spreading. The powdered sugar in this recipe helps with both: it keeps the cookies soft, and powdered sugar contains cornstarch, which helps with excess moisture.

No need for cookie cutters

There’s also no need to roll out and cut the sugar cookie dough. It’s firm and holds its shape well, so if all you want are round sugar cookies you can just portion, roll into balls, place directly on your sheet pan, and bake immediately!

So let’s bake a batch, shall we?

Ingredients you’ll need

This recipe uses baking staples like butter, granulated sugar, powdered/confectioners sugar, an egg, vanilla and almond extracts, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and milk.

How to make these easy sugar cookies

1. Prepare cookie dough. This is a basic “drop cookie” recipe, meaning you first beat the butter and sugars, then add the egg and vanilla, and finally the dry ingredients. You can use either a stand mixer or hand mixer.
2. Portion and roll. Use a spoon or cookie scoop (I prefer a #20 medium cookie scoop) to portion the dough equally. Once portioned, roll them in your hands so the cookies bake up smooth.
3. Bake. Place cookie dough balls on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Bake in a 350°F oven just until the bottoms start to turn golden brown, 11-13 minutes. If you wait till the edges are browned the cookies will be crisp instead of soft, test a cookie or two to get the timing right. 
4. Prepare frosting. While the cookies are baking and cooling, make the frosting. Beat butter, powdered sugar, milk, salt and vanilla and almond extracts on low until combined, then increase speed and continue to whip for several minutes until light and fluffy.
5. Decorate. Top baked cookies with frosting however you like! Use a piping bag and decorating tips or an offset spatula. You can also color the frosting with gel food coloring. Sprinkles are optional, but highly recommended!

How to make cut-out cookies

Of course, you can turn these sugar cookies into any shape you want! If you want to use cookie cutters, check out my full recipe for frosted sugar cookie cutouts here. This is great for making Christmas cookies, or cookies for other holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter.

The best way to store sugar cookies

Store frosted sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Before stacking frosted cookies, let them sit out for about 30 minutes so the buttercream frosting forms a slight “crust”. This will keep the frosting from getting smashed. Then, layer the cookies with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

If you want to store sugar cookies longer (either frosted or unfrosted), you can freeze them in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

More sugar cookie recipes

Easy No-Chill Sugar Cookies

Servings: 18 cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 12 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

These no-chill, no-roll cookies are the easiest you’ll ever bake!

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Ingredients

 

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For the cookies:

• ▢ ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter , at room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup (112 grams) powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 ¼ cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cream of tartar

For the frosting:

• ▢ ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
• ▢ 2 cups (450 grams) powdered sugar , sifted
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ 1-3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
• ▢ Gel food coloring (optional)
• ▢ Sprinkles (optional)

Equipment

Electric mixer

Baking sheet pan

Parchment baking sheets

Instructions

 

To make the cookies:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar. Add to the mixer and mix on low until combined. Mixture will be crumbly at first, but will eventually come together into a thick dough.
• Portion into rounded tablespoons, roll into a ball, and place on the prepared sheet pan 2 inches apart. Use your hand or the bottom of glass to press the balls into thick disks.
• Bake until bottoms just turn golden brown, about 11-13 minutes (see Notes). Let cool on the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a sheet pan to cool completely.

To make the frosting:

• Beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of the milk/cream until smooth and creamy. Add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time until spreadable consistency is reached, pausing to scrape down the bowl as needed.
• Add food coloring, if using. Frost cookies and decorate as desired.
• Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Cookies also freeze very well for up to a month or more. Thaw before serving.

Video

Notes

• To roll and cut cookies into shapes: Do not chill. Roll out on a sheet of parchment paper to ¼-inch thick and cut out shapes as desired. Place on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake (if you’re worried about spreading, freeze cut out cookies on sheet pan for 15 minutes). Baking time will vary based on cookie size.
• To make Almond Sugar Cookies: Substitute 1 teaspoon almond extract for the vanilla extract in the cookies. Omit vanilla in frosting and increase almond extract to ½ teaspoon.
• If you wait for the edges of the cookies turn brown, they are already a little overdone. What I do when I try a new cookie recipe is I bake one test cookie, checking it often. And then I bake the rest when I determine the correct baking time. These cookies turned out with a barely golden bottom at exactly 12 minutes in my oven.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.

Calories: 262kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Sodium: 101mg, Potassium: 36mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 407IU, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 1mg

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Author: Annalise Sandberg

Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.

This recipe was originally published February 2014.