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Soft Chewy Sugar Cookies

Soft Chewy Sugar Cookies. These buttery, vanilla scented, soft cookies demonstrate how utterly delicious the simple things can be.

Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies stacked on a grey patterned plate with a glass of milk in the background

Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies. So simple, so buttery, so delicious!

Originally published December 2009.

When updating this recipe for our 7th Anniversary, I was surprised to see the position of these Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies on our Top 25 List.

As of Rock Recipes 7th Anniversary Date, there have been over 1300 recipes posted in total. About 200 of those have been cookie recipes.

Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies fresh from the oven on a parchment pper lined cookie sheet

So Simple, so buttery, so delicious! These buttery, vanilla scented cookies demonstrate how utterly delicious the simple things can be.

Even up against all those competitors, this recipe is still our second post popular cookie recipe. It comes in at number 17 overall in our most popular recipes ever.Now if that is not a ringing endorsement for this scrumptiously simple cookie recipe, I don’t know what is.

Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies photo of cookies ready for the oven

 Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies ready for the oven.

It goes to prove, yet again, that the old adage that that “simple is always best.” These buttery cookies could not be more uncomplicated or more delicious.

That being said, two of these with a little chocolate ganache in the middle makes an excellent sandwich cookie.

butter photographed on a wooden cutting board.

Use only real dairy butter in this recipe. There is no substitute.

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out out collection of Favourite After School Cookies!

After School Cookies Collection

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Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies stacked on a grey patterned plate with a glass of milk in the background
Yield: 24 large cookies.

Soft Chewy Sugar Cookies

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies - These buttery, vanilla scented, Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies demonstrate how utterly delicious the simple things can be.

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies
  • 1 tsp finely minced lemon, lime or orange zest (if making a citrus version)

Instructions

  1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  2. Cream together the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until quite light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. (Add the citrus zest here if using it.)
  4. Fold in the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
  5. Refrigerate the dough for an hour or so, especially if you are working in a hot kitchen.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  7. Roll the dough into about 1 inch balls.Roll the balls into additional sugar before placing them on lightly greased, or preferably parchment paper lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. I like to press them down lightly with the flat bottom of a drinking glass.
  8. Bake for 8-10 minutes just until the bottom edges begin to turn brown. These should still be quite light in color when baked.
  9. Cool for just a few minutes the pan before transferring the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
  10. These freeze very well for weeks in airtight containers.

Notes

Prep time includes an hour for chilling the dough.

Nutrition Information

Yield

24

Serving Size

1 cookie

Amount Per Serving Calories 180Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 28mgSodium 171mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 0gSugar 15gProtein 2g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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Verna

Friday 25th of June 2021

Do you have to use real butter or does margarine work as well?

Lynn Parsons

Sunday 27th of June 2021

I never use margarine .Butter is best.

Nadine

Tuesday 24th of September 2019

Can I roll this dough out for cookie cutters?

Barry C. Parsons

Saturday 5th of October 2019

I think it may be too soft for that. There would likely not be defined edges.

Karen M

Tuesday 30th of April 2019

I need to make/bake 100 drop sugar cookies for a wedding on May 11th. Any special tips for freezing?

Barry C. Parsons

Thursday 9th of May 2019

A Couple of layers of paper towels when stacking. It's like cookie bubble wrap!

Kevin

Saturday 3rd of March 2018

How many cookies does this recipe make?

Barry C. Parsons

Monday 12th of March 2018

It's written in the recipe.

Joelie Hicks

Thursday 19th of October 2017

These are the best.

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