Sugar cookie
A simple cookie made from butter, sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla, made soft and chewy or firm for cutting out and decorating.
- Cakes, cookies, pastries and baked goods
Cut-out sugar cookies use a firmer dough with less leavening so the shapes keep sharp edges; chilling the dough before and after cutting limits spread. Drop sugar cookies have more leavening and are often rolled in sugar for a crackly top.
Decorated sugar cookies are usually iced with royal icing, which dries hard.
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Tools for this
Ann Clark Every Season Cookie Cutters (11)A cutter for every holiday and season, made in the USA, for cut-out cookies that keep their shape.See it on Amazon
J.K. Adams French Tapered Rolling PinA long tapered pin that rolls pastry thin and even.See it on Amazon
Silicone Baking MatNothing sticks, bottoms bake evenly, and no parchment to buy.See it on Amazon
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Related entries
Sources
Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.
- Food Judging Guidelines (Baked Goods, Candy & Honey), Colorado State University Extension / Colorado State Fair
- How Ingredients Affect "How the Cookie Crumbles", Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (AnswerLine)
- Royal Icing Made Safe, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (AnswerLine)
- Sugar cookie (Q3301328), Wikidata