These Small-batch Sugar Cookies are perfect sugar cookies. Buttery, with slightly crisp edges and chewy centers, they’re fast and easy to make, require no chilling time, and can be made in just one bowl. Plus tips and tricks for making *your* perfect sugar cookie.
Hey, friend. What’s your perfect sugar cookie?
Is it a cut-out sugar cookie, a little crunchy, a tiny bit chewy, one that you can spend an hour decorating and thirty seconds eating? Then you’ll probably like these Small-batch Cut-out Sugar Cookies.
Is it fluffy, soft, and absolutely smothered with buttercream and sprinkles? Sounds like you should try these Small-batch Frosted Sugar Cookies.
But if your perfect sugar cookie is simple and buttery with slightly crisp edges and chewy centers, stay right here. I have the cookie you’re looking for.
These cute (not-so)-little Small-batch Sugar Cookies I’m sharing today are *my* perfect sugar cookie, and you’re going to LOVE them.
They’re superb plain or dusted with powdered sugar.
They’re fabulous rolled in crunchy sugar or sprinkles before baking.
And they’re amazing drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze. (I’ve included instructions for all three ways in the recipe, so you can make the cookie your heart desires.)
And best of all, they’re small-batch, no-chill, and easy peasy to make so any time you’re craving a sugar cookie, this recipe has your back.
How to Make Soft and Chewy Small-batch Sugar Cookies
Like my Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies, this is another one-bowl cookie recipe that comes together fast and easy.
You start with butter, melted if you’re in a hurry, softened if you remember to plan ahead (we’ll talk more about butter in a moment), and whisk it together with sugar.
Add an egg yolk and vanilla or almond extract (my favorite).
And stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
That’s it.
Then you can use a cookie scoop to transfer the dough to a baking sheet or scoop into balls and roll in sugar or sprinkles. Give them a little press so they spread nicely while baking and cook for 9 to 12 minutes.
Finally, add quick glaze or enjoy them as soon as your cookies are cool enough to eat. It’s up to you.
Your Perfect Sugar Cookie
Okay, so that was how to make my perfect sugar cookie, but I want you to make *your* perfect sugar cookie.
And creating that cookie is really easy to do with this recipe. It’s very flexible, and by slightly changing the way you treat your ingredients and dough, you can get drastically different sugar cookie results.
If you like a cookie that’s fluffier/crunchier/softer/chewier, than my base model, one of these changes might be for you.
The Perfect Base Cookie: Softened Butter + Flattened Before Baking
This is the cookie you see in the photos. Creaming butter and sugar together before adding the rest of the ingredients beats air into the dough so the cookies come out a little lighter and softer than cookies made with melted butter. Flattening before baking means that they really spread in the oven so you get nice big cookies with crispy edges while the centers stay soft and chewy.
Puffier, Soft and Chewy Cookies: Softened Butter + Not Flattened Before Baking
These cookies come out slightly domed, with wrinkled tops, a soft, chewy texture, and very little crunchiness (unless overbaked).
Denser, Chewiest Cookie: Melted Butter
If you like a very chewy cookie, this is the method you want to use. However, using melted butter makes a wetter, slightly greasy dough, that is a little more difficult to work with. If coating with sprinkles or sugar, I recommend scooping the dough into your bowl of sprinkles and coating before rolling into a ball. It will make the dough easier to work with.
Soft Cookie, Underbaked Center: Not Flattened + Cooled Off Tray
When left on a hot tray after baking, cookies will continue to cook, so if you’re one of those people who like a slightly under-baked cookie (you know who you are), don’t flatten your cookies before baking and remove them from the tray after just a minute or two out of the oven so they stop cooking and stay soft and underdone.
Crispy Crunchy Sugar Cookie: Flattened + Baked Max Time + Cooled on Tray
On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you like a cookie that’s crunchy nearly all the way through, cook your cookies closer to the max time (or over if necessary), until the edges are turning gold, and allow them to cool on the hot baking sheet so they keep getting crunchier even as they cool.
Small-batch Sugar Cookies Recipe Notes
- Correct flour measurement is very important in this recipe. Too much flour can result in cakey cookies, cookies that don’t spread, or dough that doesn’t come together. I recommend measuring your ingredients by weight (kitchen scales are inexpensive and worth their weight in gold) or using the scoop and sweep method for measuring (stir you flour to fluff it up, scoop it into your measuring cup, and sweep off the excess with the flat of a knife.
- These are the rainbow sprinkles I used in this recipe (I LOVE them), but I’ve also tested these cookies with Jimmies and Nonpareils, and they both work great too.
- If you’d like to add a frosting instead of glaze to the cookies, try this Small-batch Vanilla Frosting, Chocolate Buttercream or any of my other small-batch frostings on the site.
- Looking for more small-batch desserts? Try these Small-batch Peanut Butter Cookies, Small-batch Shortbread, and Small-batch Vanilla Cupcakes.
Small-batch Sugar Cookies (3 Ways)
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- Handheld electric mixer optional but helpful
Small-batch Sugar Cookies
- 1/3 cup (76g) salted butter softened
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (80g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (98g) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar, granulated sugar or sprinkles for rolling (optional)
Optional Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon milk + more to reach desired consistency
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup *
- 2 to 4 teaspoons food coloring optional
Instructions
Small-batch Sugar Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and a line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolk and vanilla (or almond extract) and beat until well-combined.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until there is no dry flour left at the bottom of the bowl and the dough begins to clump.
- Divide dough into six parts and roll into balls. If rolling in sprinkles or sugar, do so now.
- Place dough on the prepared cookie sheet, well-spaced, and use the palm of your hand to press cookies out to 1/2-inch thick (no thinner).
- Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, until you see just a hint of golden color around the bottom edges of the cookies. Cool completely on the cookie sheet.
Optional Glaze
- Once cookies are cooled, in a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Stir until well-combined.
- Add corn syrup and stir until smooth. Add about 2 to 4 drops of food coloring if desired and stir until uniform in color. Add more milk if necessary to get a drizzling consistency.
- Spoon over cookies and allow 10 to 15 minutes for the glaze to set. Enjoy!
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Maritza Morales says
I’ve made tried several sugar cookie recipes through out the years and I have to say, this is my FAVORITE recipe to date! Soft and crunchy when freshly out of the oven and crispy the next day. AMAZING! Thank you for sharing.
Chelsey says
Loved this recipe! Made half with sprinkles and half without and they all turned out perfectly.
Cassy says
can this recipe be doubled ?
Tracy says
Not a problem. You should also be able to use one whole egg instead of two yolks if you double the recipe.
Cassy says
okay thank you!
Victoria says
My son and I were craving sugar cookies but I didn’t want to end up with enough mix for 4 dozen cookies. This recipe made the perfect amount of cookies for the two of us and they were delicious.
Tracy says
So glad you both enjoyed them!!
Jenni says
OMG! These cookies were amazing! Simply delicious and the perfect amount ! I love that this recipe is so great for 2 people. I have bookmarked this recipe in my phone for future reference! What happy late night baking this was 🙂 Thank you Tracy !!
Tracy says
Thanks, Jenni! So glad you enjoyed them!
Saralyn says
Oh my gosh! I made these today for #NationalSugarCookieDay and they are delicious! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. 🙂
Tracy says
Thank you, Saralyn!! So glad you enjoyed them!!
Rachael says
Best sugar cookies ever! Thank you! We loved them!
Tracy says
Thanks, Rachael!!
Sue says
Very good. I used softened butter and pressed them down with a sugared glass. They turned out great. I made six and baked for 14 minutes.
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed them, Sue!!
nisha S rhodes says
Taste very good just the batter but there in the fridge because not even dough like sadly and I did everything you said but batter taste great so hope they will become dough like in the fridge
nikki says
these cookies were super good and chewy! i doubled the recipe and threw in a little bit of cocoa powder so the cookies had a slight marble effect and a little bit of chocolate flavour. i was considering sprinkling some icing sugar on top, but i thought they were good as is. i’ll definitely be saving this recipe!
Tracy says
Ooo, I love that idea! So glad you enjoyed them, Nikki!
yessenia chacon says
i know this is kinda late but can u refrigirate these cookies becuase i need them for thursday which is valentines day but making them on a saturday
Tracy says
Hi, Yessenia, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll actually dry out quicker stored in the fridge. Or, wrap them tightly and freeze them and then defrost them on a couple of paper towels so they don’t get soggy. This will work better with the plain or sprinkle variety. I’m not sure what prolonged storage will do to the glaze. Hope that helps!
Jennie Stites says
Hi, I am enjoying your “small batch desserts” immensely! Thanks for the sharing this yummy recipe. i will try it today for sure. Hope so my hubby love it.
Tracy says
Thank you, Jennie! Hope you both enjoy the recipe!
'Becca Ashley says
These are so good! And that’s saying a lot, because it comes from a person who isn’t typically a fan of sugar cookies. The texture is perfect–I used the creamed butter method and baked for 10 minutes–and for the flavoring, I used both the 1/2 t vanilla and the 1/8 t almond. Super yum! I pressed some nonpariels on the tops–I love the crunch and color they add. I really like that it only makes 6 cookies. Call me crazy, but I only like cookies on the day they’re made. . .so I give a lot of cookies away, which makes me popular, sure, but I’m not running for class president, so that’s not high on my list of concerns in life. Also, it’s a lot quicker to make up dough for 6 cookies and run them through the oven than it is to do the same for a couple dozen. I’m way more of an ‘eatie’ than a ‘foodie’, so for me, the less time spent laboring to get the good stuff, the better. Thanks for sharing so many recipes for things I really enjoy, in quantities that encourage me to enjoy them more often!
Tracy says
Thanks, Becca!! Sorry that these cookies won’t be contributing to your popularity, but very happy the hear you enjoyed them! 😉
Joanne in Tokyo says
I am enjoying your “small batch desserts” immensely! Not only are they delicious, but easy to make. I have also used them with cooking activities at the school I work at, with a lot of success! Thank you!
Today I tried the sugar cookies – they look great! (Not sure how to post a photo for you…..) And they tasted wonderful! Crunchier and chewy, just as you described!
Tracy says
Thank you, Joanne! I just saw the photo you sent me on FB, and I am SO, SO happy you enjoyed them!
Barbara Karr says
Young Lady! You are a bad influence on this old lady. An old lady with good intentions and no willpower! I got thoroughly sidetracked by these cookies and to rub salt in the wound I get to the comments and a reader suggest putting ice cream in between them. SO! I surrender, it’s cookie baking this afternoon. It is probably going to take 10 or 11 minutes to forgive you. I’ll work on it while baking. Best wishes. Barb
Tracy says
LOL, always happy to be a bad influence! 😉 Hope you enjoyed the cookies!!
JoAnn C. says
I’ll bet these would be great with ice cream sandwiched in between two cookies. I’m going to try these this weekend in my toaster oven since the temp is going to be in the 90’s here in the Detroit area and I don’t want to heat the house. I’m thinking plain cookies with homemade strawberry ice cream. I just found your blog and have been enjoying it for a few weeks now; you do some great work here. Thanks for the recipe. Happy weekend, Tracy
Tracy says
Thank you, JoAnn! LOVE the idea of making these into ice cream sandwiches. Now I kind of want to do that this weekend too. 😉