No chill sugar cookies are the easiest sugar cookies to make! This quick, one bowl sugar cookie recipe can be made from scratch in just 20 minutes.
I'm a huge fan of simple, easy cookie recipes. And these quick no-chill sugar cookies don't disappoint!
The cookies are made in one-bowl (fewer dishes!) and take just a few minutes to stir up. The cookies hold their shape beautifully and are the perfect base for fun and festive decorations.
Since they are so quick and easy, these sugar cookies are perfect for those times when you want to make homemade sugar cookies and don't want to wait for hours for the dough to chill.
How to make no chill sugar cookies
Step 1: Begin by creaming the butter and sugar together until well-combined.
Step 2: Mix in the egg and vanilla until well-combined.
Step 3: Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Step 4: Roll out the dough to ¼-inch thick on a powdered sugared surface.
Step 5: Cut the dough into desired shapes.
Step 6: Place the cut dough onto the prepared baking sheets and bake!
Tips
- Butter: The butter needs to be at the correct temperature to avoid the cookies baking out. Check out the section on the butter temperature above for more information.
- Powdered sugar: The powdered sugar helps to make the cookies tender. I also use powdered sugar in place of flour for rolling the sugar cookies.
- Vanilla: If you like a stronger vanilla flavor, feel free to increase the amount of vanilla to 1 tablespoon. You can also substitute in other flavors of extracts. Almond can be particularly good in sugar cookies.
- Flour: The key to making great sugar cookies is measuring the flour correctly. Packing in the flour will give you dry, crumbly cookies. I highly recommend weighing the ingredients to avoid this.
What is cool room temperature butter?
Cool room temperature butter is butter that's about 65 F. The butter should dent when pressed but otherwise hold its shape.
Making sure that butter is the correct temperature will help the cookies to hold their shape. Warm butter can cause the cookies to spread as they bake.
Do I need to chill sugar cookies?
Not with this recipe! This sugar cookie recipe doesn't require any chilling before the cookies can be baked.
Storage
Store any leftover unfrosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. The cookies will keep for 3-4 days when properly stored.
I recommend storing frosted cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
More Christmas cookie recipes!
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No Chill Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter at cool room temperature1
- 1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour2
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until well-combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until combined.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Sprinkle extra powdered sugar onto a surface.
- Roll out the cookie dough to ¼-inch thick on the powdered sugar surface.
- Use cookie cutters to cut desired shapes.
- Place cut dough on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for about 7-9 minutes. Don't overbake the cookies. The cookies should not brown.
- Let stand for 5 minutes on baking sheet.
- Remove to a wire rack to finish cooling before decorating.
Video
Notes
- Cool room temperature means the butter should be about 65F. The butter should dent when pressed but shouldn't be warm or smooshy.
- Measuring the flour correctly is key for this recipe! The flour is given in grams because it's so important. If you don't weigh ingredients, the approximate measurement in cups is given. To measure the flour in cups, sift the flour, lightly spoon into the measuring cup, and then level. If you pack in the flour, the cookies will be dry and crumbly.
- The number of cookies you get from this recipe will vary depending on the size of the cookie cutter used.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Amy
I make these at least 3 times a year and they are a family favorite ❤
Kate
Thank you! I love to hear that!
Kayeann
This sugar cookie recipe was quick to mix up, rolled out great, and was delicious! We had a sugar cookie recipe that we've used for cutout Christmas cookies for decades--we now have a new one!! Thanks!!!
Kate
Thank you! I'm so glad that you liked it!
Corrie
Thanks for sharing the recipe and all of your notes! I have made your recipe at least a dozen times and it works perfectly for cutout cookies every time.
Kate
Thank you so much! I'm so glad to hear that!
Christie
Hi! You mentioned to measure the flour in grams, but the recipe calls for cups. Can you please let me know how many grams? Thanks!
Kate
Hi! There's an orange button directly underneath the ingredients that says "metric". If you click that button, it will change the measurements so that they are shown in grams.
judith
Great easy recipe! I needed to make roll out cookies and was not in the mood to bother with chilling the dough then put the rolled cookies in the fridge to chill more before baking. I did weigh the flour first as recommended. The cookies were tender and did not lose their shape. I used 1 tbsp vanilla and the cookies had a nice buttery flavor. I did overbake the cookies a little bit since they bake up fast! Thanks for a great recipe
Kate
I'm so glad that you liked the cookies! Thanks for sharing your notes!
Melissa Hand
I've been making sugar cookies for over 30years and tried all kinds of recipes but now I can stop looking .Yours is The best and easiest cookies I've ever baked and eaten everyone loved them even days later their still soft . congratulations on your recipe the best
Kate
Thank you so much! I'm glad that you liked them!
Marilyn
Hi. Do these cookies or the dough freeze well?
Kate
Yes, you can freeze the shaped dough or the baked cookies. If you freeze baked cookies, I would just recommend waiting to frost the cookies until after they've been thawed.
Connie Liccione
These look great! I can’t wait to make them but can you tell me where I can find the icing recipe that you used to decorate the cookies? Thank you.
Kate
Hi! Currently, I don't have a cookie icing recipe. I used store-bought bagged cookie icing.
Corinne Dawson
Super quick, easy and tasty! I didn’t have room temp butter so I softened it in the microwave at 30% and still turned out awesome.
Kate
Yay!! I'm so glad to hear that!
Steph
Awesome! Halved the recipe and it was perfect for what we needed. Incidentally, I had to throw it in the fridge and come back to it later. Once it settled to room temperature it rolled out great, and better with each sprinkling of powdered sugar. Definitely keeping this recipe! Thank you!
Kate
I'm so glad that you liked the cookies! =)
Diane Lucchetto
Did you use salted or unsalted butter
Benjamin
I know this is a no-chill recipe, and I love it for that (it makes awesome cookies as a no-chill recipe). But should you want/need to chill it, do you have any suggestions for making sure the dough stays the way it should (i.e. doesn't dry out or something)? Thank you for this recipe!
Kate
Thank you! When I chill cookie dough, I put the dough in an resealable container (like a tupperware container) and press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface. This helps to keep the dough softer. Also, I let the dough come up a bit in temperature by setting the dough out before I begin working with it. I hope that helps!!
Sadie
Thank you, awesome recipe and makes a lot. Made great Christmas memories with my 3 little boys and their dad!
Kate
Thank you so much!! So glad that you liked them! Merry Christmas!!
Donna
I was skeptical about trying this recipe because of the "no chill" needed. I have tried other no chill sugar cookie recipes in the past and they always had to be chilled before I could roll out the dough, but after reading the reviews I decided to give it a try They turned out great. I made the dough and rolled them out immediately and they didn't stick or fall apart. And they taste great. Thanks for a great recipe.
Kate
Thank you so much! I'm so glad that they turned out well!
Melinda
Your recipe is by far one of the best....if not the absolute best...our family enjoyed these cookies.... decadent...rich..crisp... amazing. Thank you so much for your recipe my daughter enjoyed and I made practice cookies for Christmas..and we'll these need no practice...came out perfectly the first time...Bravo!!!
Kate
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad that they worked out well for you!
Maureen Bailey
It says to weigh the flour for better results but I don't see what the weight should be?? I'm having a hard time viewing everything on my phone so maybe I'm missing it. Thanks!
Kate
Hi! Sorry about that! Immediately under the ingredients there is a "US Customary" and a "Metric" button. If you click "Metric", it will show you the weights.
Tiffany
These were so fast and easy and my kids were delighted to turn them into shapes. The advice to use powdered sugar instead of flour For rolling was great!
Kate
Thank you so much!
Sharon
Just made these today with my 6 year old daughter . We cut out Easter shapes and decorated after with icing and sprinkles. They came out great! Great texture and flavor, reminded me of Panera shortbread cookies. Thank you for the recipe! Can't wait to try more of your recipes!
Kate
Yay!! Thank you so much! I'm so glad that they came out well for you and your daughter! =) Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Deanna
When I want to bake cookies I hate waiting for the dough to chill. Could not tell this step was omitted in this recipe. Yummy, yummy, yummy.
Kate
Thank you! I hate to wait, too. Glad that you liked the cookies! =)
Nancy S
The recipe came just at the right time. I had the grands over and they didn't want to wait to make cookies with nana. The grands loved the cookies. Thank you for the recipes!
Kate
Yay!! That's fantastic! Thanks for commenting! =)
Zsuzsi
Hi, thanks for the recipe, it's awesome :) One question: my dad has really sweet theeth, and said the cookies could be sweeter. Is it possible to increase the amount of sugar and if yes, to what amount? Thank you!!
Kate
Thank you! If you use more sugar, you may find that you end up with a drier dough unless you make other adjustments. What about adding frosting, glaze, or coarse sugar to the top of the cookies?