The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies

This recipe is excellent for its purpose of rolling and cutting cookies...i tried another sugar cookie recipe and hated it...it didnt roll and cut as well and the cookies were flat and crispy... i always come back to this one... this year i made ghosts for my son's halloween party/parade and a friend of my daughter's birthday is on halloween so i made him a cookie bouquet using this recipe.... these cookies make GREAT cookie bouquets... I add an additional cup of sugar and tsp of vanilla and my family liked them a LOT better...it didnt seem to affect the way they cooked either so that was good...this is still the best sugar cookie recipe ever for cutting out shapes and making cookie bouquets!! NOTE: i live in south florida where the heat and humidity is high - i always add between 1/4 - 1/2 cup more flour to all my cookie recipes Another NOTE: ....the dough, as you're rolling this particular recipe out does tend to be sticky ....simply keep dusting it with powdered sugar and you can continue to work with it...while adding additional flavor... Thanks!

Delicious! I tried this method I learned from a different sugar cookie recipe. You make little balls with the dough, then dip a glass into sugar and flatten cookie with the bottom of the sugared glass. Keeps you from having to roll them. I also refrigerate the rest of the dough and only make as many as we will eat in one sitting. This way you have fresh baked cookies every time.

I have made this recipe too many times to count! I don't know what went wrong with those that didn't like it. My advice: FOLLOW the suggestions of others. I read through MANY reviews and this is what I got: 1.) Add in 1 more cup of sugar and 1 more tsp. vanilla. 2.) Let the dough chill overnight (saves you from frustrations) 3.) leave your bowl of dough in the fridge and just take out the portions you are working on. 4.) Use parchment paper when cutting out shapes. You will need confectioners sugar, or white sugar, or more flour when rolling out your dough. 5.) My NEW suggestion is, after cutting my cookies out, and removing the excess dough, I leave the cut outs on the parchment paper and place the whole thing in the freezer for a few minutes. When they are stiff enough to handle I place them in a air tight container and let them sit in the freezer overnight or at least a few hrs. Since it only takes a few minutes to stiffen I rotate between 2-3 pieces of paper (gotta conserve!) I cook them straight out of the freezer. It makes handling them a breeze and they keep their shape significantly better when done this way. Warning: you will obviously need to plan things out when making them. I guarantee the results are worth it!!!! As another viewer remarked: they come out as good (I think BETTER) than the cookies in the mall! I have had people trying to pay me to make them orders!!! Good Luck.....Cook-on!

These ARE the best! I didn't change the recipe at all, and I don't see the need to. I didn't have any problems at all with the dough being sticky. Matter of fact, I used only very little flour to roll them out. It was the smoothest, most cooperative cookie dough I've ever worked with. I only chilled mine for 1 hour and worked with a quarter of the dough at a time. I keep the remaining dough in the refrigerator until I was ready to use it. The cookies turned out soft and moist...WONDERFUL!!!!

There were tons of positive reviews, but I like to read the negative ones so I know what to watch out for. In this recipe, the negative reviews all said the cookies were too bland, to flour-y, and the dough was too sticky. So I chose to eliminate one of the eggs and one cup of the flour to see if I could produce a more sugary, buttery cookie. My results were as close to perfect as you could get. Even my 2.5 year-old was able to help me roll out the dough (his favorite part was flouring the rolling pin and the table!), and cut out the shapes. The dough kept its integrity through 3 rounds of re-rolling the scraps and cutting out new cookies--without having to be re-chilled. They baked perfectly (I used parchment paper on my cookie sheets) and were tender and lovely. I don't even think we'll frost them--they're that good. Though they baked so perfectly, frosting them would be easy. With my modifications, I'll never be tempted to even try another sugar cookie recipe.

Came out just as I hoped - the closest recipe to my grandma's I've found yet. Since some of the other reviews mentioned that they were perhaps a bit bland, I upped the vanilla a touch and threw in a dash or two of cinnamon and nutmeg. They came out very tasty and perfect for the holidays.

Awesome! I am a serious baker and have been searching for years for the Perfect sugar cookie recipe..Found it! I followed the reviews suggestions and added 1 c. powder sugar to receipe and an extra teaspoon of vanilla as well as the zest of one lemon, chilled in fridge overnight and rolled out with p. sugar not flour. They kept their cutout shapes, didn't puff up, tasted amazing. This is it, look no further. Thanks for posting!!!

We have yet again made this tender, delectable and easy recipe. And it is easy but as the saying goes, the devil is in the details. For great flavor, use salted butter, and 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons vanilla for the recipe. The type of flour can make a huge difference, for this recipe, use a national brand bleached all purpose flour. If your cookies made by this recipe, seem a little dry, maybe you are using a higher protein flour like an unbleached, or a King Arthur flour, in which case you would need to slightly decrease the flour. Brand of butter can really make a difference. For instance Costco salted butter seems to give better results for me than the typical national brand from the grocery store. European butter is extra rich and might require adjustments. Mix the dough just the minimum necessary after the flour is added, to keep them tender. Chill in 4 wrapped disks at least several hours before rolling. For the baking, bake only one sheet of cookies at a time, in the center of the oven, at 350, always on parchment and only on a light colored baking sheet, for even baking. Bake till shiny appearance disappears and then do a quick touch test while they are still in the oven. I pull them out when they are dull looking, firm-ish to the touch and yet no browning at all on edges. Keep them on the hot cookie sheet for about 5 more minutes and they will continue to cook a bit. Then just slide the whole parchment off and let finish cooling.

Awesome recipe! I've never made sugar cookies before and this was the perfect recipe. Some notes: I added 1 extra cup of sugar to total 3 cups of sugar, 2 TBSP of vanilla, and an extra 1/2 cup of flour to the mix. The extra flour made it easier to handle and not quite so sticky. When rolling out the dough, I made sure I had a generously floured work surface and rolling pin... it made rolling out the dough very easy. Thinner dough makes the cookies crispier; thicker dough makes the cookies more cake-like. The cut-outs retained their shape (hooray!) and taste great! I frosted them with my own buttercream frosting recipe and they taste just like the cookies my mom makes. Thank you!!

Ok, so I learned a valuable lesson today.. when it says to stir in the flour, DO NOT use the lowest speed on your hand mixer and think it's the same thing. I made these cookies (with 3 cups sugar and 2 tsp vanilla as modifications) and made the above mistake. The dough was soooo sticky. I left in the fridge for over 24 hrs and still so unmanageable, but delicious, that I had to add ridiculous amounts of flour just to be able to roll out. Needless to say, they were not as tasty. I decided to scrap those and start again but only use the hand mixer to cream the butter and beat in the eggs. After that, I folded in the flour and WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The dough (with the same ingredients as before) was not sticky and light as a feather! I divided into 3 balls and wrapped in wax paper to let chill in the fridge. After 2 hours, the dough was quite firm.. nothing like the dough from before that I had chilling for a day and a half! Amazing what a difference something like that can make!

Here's the bottom line: If you chill this dough overnight and learn to master it, the recipe is a solid 4 (maybe 5 depending on your taste). I sectioned the dough off and after chilling for only 1 hour, took my first shot at it. Well, if I had rated the recipe after the first batch (I was smart enough to just make 3 cookies) I would have rated it a 2. It tasted kind of floury. The next day I took a second shot at it, this time I worked with small hunks of the dough and rolled it out on parchment paper and used flour as necessary. (Initially you can expect the dough to be quite sticky, but what dough isn't?) I also rolled the dough much thinner this time (1/4 inch thick) and cooked the cookies longer (until they appeared dark tan). I found the taste to be MUCH better (not floury, even though I used more flour with this batch when rolling). This recipe is good for those of us who like a semi-sweet, crispy cookie. If you want a very sweet, soft cookie, then you'd probably be better off with a different recipe as these will taste floury if the cookies are thick and cooked a shorter amount of time. My end product was a 5, but because I had to experiment a good deal to get it how I wanted it, I rate it a 4. **Note: I doubled the vanilla and used an extra 1/4 cup of granulated sugar by the time I got my "5" rating. I definitely recommend changing that part of the recipe**

THESE SUGAR COOKIES ARE GREAT!!! I highly recommend this recipe. I added 1 teaspoon of pure hazelnut extract (you can add any other flavor, such as lemon). I probably would add another teaspoon of the vanilla extract, because the flavor is imperceptible. I have a suggestion for those of you who have little counter space (since this recipe yields ALOT of dough). I would immediately roll out the dough in batches between sheets of waxed paper rather than chilling balls of dough overnight. I froze layers of rolled out dough, and it was so much easier to work with! If you only refrigerate the dough, it will soften very quickly (in minutes) and become impossible to work with because it is incredibly sticky. So... freezing this dough is the only way to go. Using wax paper cuts the mess. If you do try the wax paper, peel it quickly away from the dough, sprinkly confectioner's sugar over the top, place the wax paper back on, flip the dough over, and quickly remove the wax paper from the other side. Start cookie cutting the dough quickly! The cookie shape will "melt" and will become difficult to remove from the cookie cutter. If you freeze, "flour" with sugar (not flour), and cut as fast as you can, then these cookies will retain their shape and come out tasting great. As another suggest: I also baked them on parchment paper.

I have been making these cookies for the last two years. I have passed out the recipe a number of times. As others have posted, which I followed, for the sugar use half regular and half powdered. I also add lemon zest and lemon extract along with the vanilla. I leave them in the fridge over night wraped in plastic wrap. When I roll them out, I use powdered sugar to reduce the sticky factor instead of flour. I roll them between two sheets of plastic wrap and cook them on parchment paper. when I am not using the dough after the first round of cutting I place them in the freezer to stiffen the dough. USE A STAND MIXER this dough is very stiff and you may smoke a hand mixer.

Update: They changed the recipe since my first review and now I wouldn't give it 5 stars. If you are looking for the old recipe, make the following changes: use 3 cups of sugar (instead of 2) and 2 teaspoons of vanilla (instead of 1). Original Review: Wonderful recipe. I have cookie cutters that are supposed to put a design on the cookie. No other recipe ever worked with them because they puffed up and out too much. This one was perfect! The cookies held their shape and tasted delicious.

These were the best cookies ever. My son and I have Celiac Disease, which means that we can't have wheat, rye, oats, or barley. Converting recipes can sometimes give dissapointing results. No one guessed that these were made without wheat! All I did was to substitute 4 cups of a gf flour mixture, and 1 cup of almond meal. This gave it a slightly nutty flavour that was amazing!

Odd why there are so many great reviews on this one. It's the only reason I gave it a try. Boy, was I disappointed. Sure, the recipe itself is easy enough to follow. The dough is crumbly like others have noted. They bake well- I mean they retain their shape a rise just enough. BUT, cookies are all about taste, right? Let me put it this way... I'm glad I halved the recipe to try it. I tasted one cookie and the rest went straight into the dog's treat jar. This is not what a sugar cookie is supposed to be. Sugar cookie to me is a soft, extremely sweet, chewy cookie with hints of butter and vanilla. This was more like dry, stiff, shortbread that really had no tast. I even smothered it in homemade confectioner's frosting and it wasn't worth eating. I'm not giving up though- I plan to try the soft sugar cookie recipe that uses a little cream cheese in it.

This recipe cut nicely and retained it's shape as long as the dough was chilled. I floured and rolled it between wax paper so as not to reflour and over flour. I reused the leftover dough but placed it in the freezer for a few minutes before rolling it out again. I used vanilla extract as suggested but may try lemon and/or almond extract next time. This cookie was good but not amazing tasting. Not real sweet. It made a thick and soft cookie and was easy to make ... for that I'll give it a 5. I decorated this cookie with the Sugar Cookie Icing submitted by Janice Brubaker. This made a very professional looking cookie.

I've been using this excellent recipe for years and wanted to pass on a few secrets. All butter is NOT created equal! For this recipe the quality of your butter makes a big difference. If on the side of the butter box it reads "meets specifications for grade declared",you can count on a low butter quality. Use only the best butter you can afford. Also, for this recipe I use extra large eggs. This helps the texture and consistency of the dough. I add an extra teapsoon of vanilla for better flavor. If the dough is still too soft after trying these suggestions, I have found that using half butter half shortening works every time.

what a bit globby mess. certainly not worth the hype! i followed the recipe exactly but im very disappointed - the cookies didnt keep the shape of the cutters - what were supposed to be xmas angels turned into obese angels.

I thought these were wonderful cookies! I did let the dough chill overnight and it rolled out beautiful! I used a football shaped cookie cutter and decorated them with brown icing. After that dried, I piped on the laces with white. The boys loved them. I have a part time catering business and this will be my sugar cookie recipe from now on!

This is a delicious recipe. You should add an extra 1/2 cup of sugar and an extra teaspoon of vanilla. I froze the dough for an hour, rolled it out 1/2 inch thick and baked the cookies for 6 minutes. Professional Bakery quality. I iced them with butter cream frosting: 1/3 cup butter softened, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 2 tsp of vanilla. Delish! I ate 6 while I was baking them!

Followed this to the "t" and it's terrible. Bland and it tastes like flour and egg. I picked it based on the high ratings, but boy, hundreds of people on the internet CAN be wrong. Save yourself the ingredients: pass on this one.

These are awesome. I found the dough very easy to handle. I divided it into 3 balls, placed it in plastic wrap and patted it to about 2" thickenss before I refrigerated it. I let them chill a good 3 hrs. I also used plenty of flour when rolling. And a thin metal spatula to lift them onto the cookie sheet. I had no problem with them holding their shape. Perhaps some people aren't allowing their cookie sheets to cool completely before putting on the next batch. At any rate I had great success with these. Everyone at my house loved them even before I frosted them. Thanks Jill for a great recipe! 2/9/04....My first review was a year ago...I have made these sooo many times since then...I can't rave on these enough.

I thought this recipe was awful, if taste and texture are important to you. The cookies leave a bitter taste in your mouth. I don't remember who said they are great for cutters because they don't rise and loose their shape-- but they are WRONG! I have just wasted three sticks of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 4 eggs, 5 cups flour, ect....

*TERRIFIC!* This recipe is far most the best sugar cookie recipe I have ever tried!! I've tried recipes in the past and the cookies always end up hardening like a rock. But this one was truly different! I made this recipe 6 times this Christmas and it was a really big hit! This cookie dough is awesome! It wasn't sticky and it rolled out perfect. Make sure the dough is chilled over night for good cut outs. I also added a little more vanilla essence and I also added a bit of cinnimon for more flavour. For flavourful decorations, I added sprinkles & coloured candies before baking. When cookies were cooled, I still added some icing to give my cookies some brightness. To all you sugar cookie lovers...this is a real keeper! Instead of 5 stars, I give it a definite 10 stars!!!

Great cookies! For people having problems with keeping the shapes you cut out, refridgerate your dough after cutting out your shapes for about 8-10 minutes then bake.

Don't worry-no one will ask for this recipe. It is is absolutly average. What is the big deal? The dough was bland and difficult to work with. After adding tons of lemon zest and vanilla the flavor was still average. Don't bother with this recipe. Any old standby would be better.

I've made cookie bouquets many times before, but moving cross country I lost my tried and true cookie bouquet recipe. I looked this one up and gave it a try. Big mistake. The overall flavor is OK, a bit bland, but certainly still pretty enjoyable. My main issue was the cake like texture. I followed the recipe to the letter and my cookies nearly doubled in size, rendering the cut out shapes pretty off from their original shape (I was cutting out apple shapes that were not intricate. Some puffing and spreading would have been just fine, but these suckers exploded.) I rolled out my dough to 1/2" and had let it chilly, but it was still quite sticky and spongey. The problem in this recipe is most certainly the number of eggs. I eventually found my tried and true cookie bouquet recipe that I've used before, and that particular recipe calls for 2 c. butter, 6 c. flour, and only 2 eggs. It makes for a much more compact but still airy cookie that holds its shape and is sturdy enough to be used in a bouquet. I did try this recipe twice to ensure I hadn't made a mistake and got the same results. I think this version would make a nice general rolled cookie, but the rave reviews for a cookie bouquet purpose seem quite off and I would recommend you steer clear or at least play with increasing the flour and certainly cutting the number of eggs.

This was such a sticky mess. I tried adding flour and more flour, but it wasn't working for me. Maybe I had it in the fridge too long? I made a few anyway, but then they tasted too dry and floury.

YUMMY!! These cookies are fabulous! They are the perfect texture. Mine came out not too cakey and fluffy but still thick and soft. I doubled the vanilla but other than that I followed the recipe exactly. These were the best I have ever had. I think people that are complaining about the cookies being too bland dont understand that sugar cookies are ment to be eaten with icing or frosting on them so the cookie isnt ment to be this super sweet cookie full of sugar because once the icing is on the cookie it evens the sweetness out. If you add extra sugar to the cookie dough and icing on top of that the cookie is gross because it is way too sweet. So I would suggest only adding extra sugar to dough if you are not eating with icing or frosting. Hope this all makes since. Happy holidays everyone!

Fabulous recipe! My trick for "clean" cookie shapes is to press the cookie dough into a jelly roll pan (I put a silpat on the bottom) and bake it until lightly browned. After it has cooled, I cut out the cookies. You get a much better looking cookie that way - no spreading!

The cookies taste good. The problem I had with this recipe is that I wanted my cookies to be flat. I did some research and found that 400F is too high of a temperature and make the cookies puffy. If you want nice flat cookies to decorate decrease the oven temperature to 350F and bake until the edges are golden brown. That way the butter has time to melt and spread the cookie out a little and it make a nice flat surface to decorate. It also holds the shape of the cookie cutter better making nice points where there were points instead of rounded puffy edges. I used a combination of flour and powdered sugar to roll out the cookies because they were just too sticky without a little more flour. Be careful not to use too much flour or you will get a tough cookie. I also made the dough, shaped it into flattened squares and put it in the fridge overnight. I took one square out at a time to roll and cut. I took the excess and put it back in the fridge to cool and then took it out and used it later.

I made these cookies last night and they came out great! I halved the recipe, used 3 capfuls of lemon extract in place of the vanilla, and baked the cookies at 375 for 7 minutes. They tasted good without icing, but I also decorated the cookies using the "Sugar Cookie Icing" by Janice Brubaker. Yum!

These are perfect, simple sugar cookies to roll and cut out. I did a half batch just fine for a smaller function. Remember to roll them thick enough (at least 1/4", if not 1/2"), as I tend to roll too thin and always have trouble moving the shapes. I'd recommend dusting your surface with powdered sugar as well, since it won't dry out your dough as you work it, and extra sugar won't hurt! My final tip: trust in the barely-turning-golden along the edges to pull out the cookies, they will firm up just nicely and not be overdone, and look pretty this way.

I made these with a friend (who knows a little more about cookies than I do) and my daughter yesterday. We only let the dough chill a few hours and although reviewers have mentioned "sticky dough" being main problem with the recipe, we sprinkled flour on both our surface and on the roller and had NO problem at all. No cracking, no expanding no nothing...just great cookies. My daughter loved cutting these out and even more fun decorating. Easy cookies that everyone we shared them with loved. We had so much fun (with such great results) we will be making them again very soon for the upcoming holidays. Thanks Jill.

hi im in the uk and have been looking for a sugar cookie mix for halloween just gone and thought i would try this one ! after a little panic at first as the dough was very sticky so added more flour and when i got into oven this seemed to " flop and spread" which i evenually sorted out by decreasing the oven time and basicially keeping an eye on but once i sorted this one they were perfect makes so many as well think i have nearly 70 cookies in the end and they held there shape and they tasted amazing i am making some more from christmas and i will post some photos! just for reference all purpose flour in the uk is plain flour .thank you for youe recipe xx

This recipe was not good. First of all, the dough was really sticky. Then, when they were "done" they tasted like floured cardboard. We tried adding sugar to the tops and then they tasted like sugared floured cardboard. They aren't even edible!

They came out perfect! I used confectioners sugar mixed with milk and food coloring for the icing... nothing could have made this recipe better. YUM!

I make alot of rolled cookies, and this was one of the STICKIEST, SOFTEST doughs I had ever worked with. Refrigerated overnight, and froze for an hours. Was able to make the cutouts alright. Without a word to my kids, when they tasted them, they said they tasted like PANCAKES!! Because of the 4 eggs, they are very cakey. They are mildly sweet and nice to nosh on when you don't want something too rich. Didn't bother with the icings and the frosting. Wouldn't go through the hassle to make again, cause there are equally good doughs that are much easier to cut out. Could add more flour I suppose to make a stiffer dough....

This is a solid sugar cookie recipe. As far as people altering to their taste is concerned - that's the point of this kind of basic cookie recipe. It's a canvas. I personally like the fact that they're a little "bland", or under sweetened. After topping them with icing I usually find sugar cookies overly sweet, this evens it out a lot. Chilling/firming the dough may take more than an hour, depending where you live and on the weather. Even depends on whether or not you have the dishwasher running. This could explain why people are finding it sticky. It is an essential step. If you're not sure, chill it overnight. cardamom, cinnamon, lemon/orange/lime zest, or pumpkin pie spice are all delicious additives if you're feeling adventurous.

Best????????? Not hardly! This dough was so sticky I had to add almost a cup more flour to be able to touch it. Then my son said it tasted like a biscuit after baked. Guess I will keep looking for the perfect recipe. The dough was tasty; but everywhere.

I really like this sugar cookie recipe. I have been searching for a long time for the perfect sugar cookie, and this comes really close. I like to roll them a bit thicker than in the recipe.

I followed the directions to a T and this turned out to be the worst cookies recipe ever. It was nothing but a big, gluey, sticky mess. I even left it in the refrigerator covered for two days. I added more flour to try to tame this dough, but nothing helped. I wasted money and ingredients. I was very upset. I threw it all out and used the sugar cookie recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. I will stick with that recipe. Theirs was delicious!

I've tried many sugar cookie recipes with frustration, but this one really is good! The cookies were easy to make and came out very tender. This one's going in my permanent recipe collection!

I made this over a month ago and I will NEVER make them again. I had to add a bunch more stuff. I did though add cream cheese also. That made the recipe a hit. Lucky for me, I know how to fix recipes like these. If you are a beginner, don't try this one. It will not turn out right.

I make a lot of cookies and share them with neighbors and friends. This is, without question, my very most requested cookie. I do have a few tips of advice: First, the dough seems really sticky when you are just through making it, don't add any extra flour. Put it in the refrigerator for the suggested time and it will be fine. Second: Don't mess with the dought too much. I plop it right onto a floured counter top and pat it gently with my hands, roll it out quickly and cut it. It has been my experience that the less I touch the dough, the better the cookies turn out. Third: I always use butter flavored shortening in my cookies. Don't forget to add the 6 tsp. of water per cup of shortening, as suggested on the back of the Crisco tub. Fourth: Frost with Butter Cream Frosting II. I really think this makes the cookies the best that they can be. Enjoy!

I've been making this recipe for about a year now and I can't believe I haven't rated it yet! This is an AMAZING recipe for sugar cookies! They have made me famous everywhere I take them. Thank you for posting! I make with just a couple of modifications: Add 1/2 cup extra sugar and an extra teaspoon of vanilla.

I made these cookies,the dough was easy to work with. Everyone @work loved them & wanted the recipe.

This was the worst cookies recipe I have ever tried. It was very sticky and had no flavor at all. I will never use it again.

Add my voice to the Greek chorus praising this excellent recipe! Reading past reviews, I can understand why some find this recipe "bland." There really isn't a whole lot of flavor, but that's just the nature of sugar cookies. Their flavor is appropriate for the type. The flavor can be pumped up for those who want a more assertive flavor by using lemon, almond or orange extract. For a plain cookie, adding a dash of maple extract to the vanilla makes the flavor sparkle. No one will know what the something special is, but it adds a bit of dimension to the plain vanilla. The dough is so easy to work with after an overnight chilling. Only take out of the fridge the portion you can roll, cutting each piece as you go before retrieving the next chilled piece. These don't puff up much during baking and are sturdy, once baked. I accidentally dropped one, and was amazed, since my floor is ceramic tile, that it didn't break. One hint for those who don't have parchment and don't want to spring for it; use foil, shiny side DOWN. The cookies release easily, just like with parchment, no greasing whatsoever needed, plus no cleanup. I rolled to 1/8" so I could sandwich them, cut into 2-1/2" hearts, then cut a smaller heart out of the centers of half of them. Painted the solid ones with colored glaze, then set the cut-outs on top of the glazed cookies. (See picture) My friends said they were (almost) too pretty to eat. Superb recipe!

I found these cookies to be good (better than Martha Stewart's sugar cookies) but not amazing. The dough is very sticky and it is best to keep it chilled while rolling. The cookies got very puffy in the oven and the shapes were no longer well-defined. Also, the cookies are very cake-like.

I didnt read the reviews before making this recipe, but I took a chance anyway, and I HATE to roll out any kind of dough. There are a lot of reviewers that state that the dough was too sticky to work with, I can see where this would be a problem for sure as this dough is very soft before chilling. I halved the recipe and used exactly every ingredient that the recipe calls for no substitutions! If you used margarine in place of real butter-there is problem number 1! Never substitute margarine for butter in a cookie recipe unless the recipe calls for it, margarine IS NOT firm to the touch when well chilled like butter is, there for will not be firm in a cookie dough and after chilling over night-even after adding more flour. Even though I did not make changes to the ingredients, I did however make changes to the procedures as follows: halved recipe, did not over mix, covered dough w plastic wrap tightly, chilled over night, divided dough in quarters before rolling out, lightly flour surface, dough and rolling pin, used 2 1/2 in. round cookie cutters, preheated oven to 350-not 400 and baked for 6-7 min til edges were very light brown. The dough is soft even after chilling overnight and I think that cookie cutters w even a few nooks and crannies would be a pain to work with. I love this recipe and will only use it from now on, and when I do, I will only use round cutters. This is a KEEPER!

Incredible! This is THE Christmas sugar cookie recipe I've been looking for for years... you know, the one you melt over at Christmas parties. Easy and rolled out well on a floured surface. Ready after just 5 minutes in the oven. Her frosting recipe in the notes: just milk and confectioners sugar, was perfect. For years I've been making various attempts at this frosting, adding butter or cream or vanilla. It never occured to me to go so simple. But this was right on. I'll never have to try another sugar cookie recipe again.

yeah i had trouble with my cookies, i followed the recipe but when i baked them they puffed up like buisqets. what did i do wrong?

this dough was very hard to roll out as it was very sticky and I did not find that it had that much taste! I would not recommend making this if you are in a hurry to get the job done!

I am giving this recipe 4 stars, even though when I made them last year, I thought they were NOTHING SPECIAL. Here is why I rated them as highly as I did....my mother called to ask me to make them again this year, she said they were the BEST sugar cookies she had ever eaten. (Apparently others agreed) I remember the dough being very very sticky, I had to place it in the freezer several times during the rolling and cutting process. But that was OK, since it gave my kids and I time to clean up a bit between batches. These cookies are soooo cheap to make, it is worth giving them a whirl. The way the cookie will "distort" after being baked makes it very easy for young kids to decorate, without having to worry about breaking off any well defined edges or a frosting slip up. SO, my preschool-aged kids loved this recipe, my mother did....what more can ya ask for? More vanilla, a touch of cinnamon, I say!

I have had better sugar cookies, but not often. I have always been missing the cookie makers gene, so for any cookie recipe to be successful in my kitchen is a bit of a miracle. I'm glad I took everyone's advice. I bagged and flattened the dough and refrigerated it for a little over 36 hours. It was pliable but a bit on the sticky side at first. On the second rolling, after an extremely liberable flour dusting on both rolling surface and pin, it came out fine and my daughter and I had a delightful time using all our Halloween cookie cutters. I have a feeling that the people who complained of a lack of taste to these cookies have either killed their taste buds off with fast food and chemical coated snacks or are just using poor quality vanilla or butter. I doubled the vanilla, because I am a freak for it, and they had a marvelous, nutty, buttery vanilla taste, especially when rolled thin and slightly browned on the edges. The texture was very crisp when rolled thin and tender when rolled a bit thicker. They never got the horrible cakey texture that dooms so many of my cookie projects. I've got to say that overall I'm quite pleased and will make them again.

the dough was too sticky to roll out so i just dropped them from a teaspoon. the dough tasted good,but the cookies were just so-so. i've had better

1) This is a CUT-OUT sugar cookie recipe...I've never once in my LIFE seen someone serve these without frosting. Please don't add extra sugar...they'll be sweet enough when you ice them. 2) DON'T soften butter in the microwave; use butter softened at room temp. I actually like to use 2 sticks of butter and 1/2 c. (refrigerated)shortening...produces a more stable cookie (but the high butter content still keeps them from being crunchy) 3) Cream butter and sugar very well. Mix eggs in until mixture is light and fluffy!!! 3) Mix the flour in by hand. It's not that hard and the dough won't be nearly as sticky. 4) Do chill the dough. 5) Do use plenty of flour to roll out. 6) For extra ease, definitely roll the dough onto parchment! This is the exact recipe that we used in my house growing up, though ours was all shortening (I prefer 2:1 butter:shortening) and I can't say that we ever had problems when done with my tips above. Always lots of compliments. Who knew that we were already using The Best Rolled Sugar Cookie recipe?!

Thanks for sharing the recipe for the very best thick, tender, tasty & dependable rolled sugar cookies I have made in my nearly 40 years of baking experience.

Bland, nothing special. I've tasted better sugar cookies from a tube from the market.

This is a wonderful rolled sugar cookie recipe. I just dip my baked cokies in the Icing and it dries beautifully and has a gloss. My recipe for the icing is different from the one you usually see. 1 cup confectioners' sugar 2 teaspoons milk 2 teaspoons light corn syrup 1/4 teaspoon almond extract assorted food coloring In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush. You will love the way your cookies turn out by dipping. If you want to use sprinkles do immediately after dpping before they dry to get a nicely finished cookie.

I could never get the rolled sugar cookie thing down, until this great recipe. The dough was either too sticky or difficult to deal with. This one is perfect. I don't have to alter it for it turn out. For my taste, I add almond extract. Everyone loves them. Add some royal icing with a pastry bag and have a beautiful, tasty cookie! You can't mess this one up. Oh, make the whole batch even though it sounds like alot. I halved it the first time or two and learned my lesson. With the size of todays cookie cutters (like Wilton), you will need all of the dough if you want more than 1 1/2 dozen or two. I make them ahead and freeze them. Then the day before I need them, I ice them. Hope you love it as much as I do!

No wonder this recipe has 200 reviews. It is the perfect rolled sugar cookie for any occasion, in our case, Christmas. The taste and texture are perfect, just what I was looking for (for years I have been looking), and the dough handles well. Good thing it is a large batch. You might even want to make a bigger batch if you give away cookies as gifts or have a large family with an extended holiday get-together season--we ran out before our all our family could get together because we gave away some as gifts. It makes about two big tins.

Excellent cookie. Consistent results. I usually bake and freeze batches prior to needing them, as they freeze very well. This way I have them on hand when I need them and have time to decorate them nicely after they have thawed. I use "Sugar Cookie Icing" found on this website to decorate with.

The dough is hard to work with, and the flavor is not that great either. All the effort to do the homemade cookies and it doesn't pay.It is better to save your time and get something better at the groceries!

If you follow the instructions EXACTLY, you will get lots (60+) great sugar cookies. I made no substitutions at all and was a bit dubious when I saw how sticky the dough is when it's first mixed. But as it was already 8pm when I finished, I just covered the bowl and placed it in the fridge overnight. Next morning, the dough was HARD when I took it out of the fridge and, again, I was a bit dubious. But after 10 minutes or so it began to come to room temperature and then it was perfect. I dusted with powdered sugar before rolling out and it rolled out perfectly. Made 62 variously-sized Christmas cookies with no fuss. I just rolled to between 1/4 -1/2 inch thick and cut them out, popped them in the oven for 6-8 minutes and voila! My family and I will decorate them tonight but I sneaked one to check the taste and they're delicious. Not too sweet, but sweet enough. Excellent recipe.

I've used this recipe to make sugar cookies for Christmas for the past 3 years. We give them out to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc, and it has turned into an expected tradition. Each year I end up baking more as there are new people in our lives to bake for and all of the past ones begin requesting these cookies at Thanksgiving. So far I have made almost 600 in the last week! Trust me, if it weren't an easy recipe I would NOT be making that many cookies! I make the recipe exactly as it calls for, I don't even double/triple the recipe, just make it over and over and put into separate containers to chill. I have used after chilling for 1 hour (which is manageable but is a tad sticky) and I have used after chilling overnight (stays colder longer = holds shapes better). I use parchment paper for easy transfer and ease of cleaning up. My #1 tip, is after you put in the initial 5 cups of sifted flour, PUT YOUR FLOUR AWAY! If you need anything to thicken the dough, or to roll out the dough with, use confectioners sugar! The flour will make your cookies bland and dry them out while the sugar just adds to the taste. I go through many bags of the confectioners sugar between this and the icing and this is the best tip I can give. I bake in large batches, usually about 3-5 batches at a time and ice with the "Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe" and any embellishments that I feel like I have enough energy left to stick on there. They are always a hit and I get rave reviews!

I added extra vanilla and 1 tsp. almond and 1 cup of powdered sugar to this recipe . I also decreased the baking powder by 1/2 tsp. and popped them in the freezer between cutting out and baking so they would be thin and keep their shape. They turned out great and are a truly exceptional tasting cookie! I usually think sugar cookies are just okay, but seriously, these were delicious!!!

Yum! These are really good! However, two words of advice: PARCHMENT PAPER. It could've just been me, but the dough was VERY sticky, even after chilling overnight. I added a little bit of extra flour, rolled it between parchment and used a sheet of it to bake on top of as well, which really made things a lot easier.

I was very disappointed with this recipe. I followed it to the letter, and the cookies came out tasteless, and like cardboard. I will have to continue my search for the perfect sugar cookie.

I made this recipe as is the first time around and I have to agree with others that it was very bland. Written as is I would only give this 3 stars. With a few simple additions this can be a 5 star recipe. I added another cup of white sugar and used 1 tbsp vanilla instead of the 1tsp. I prefer thicker cookies so I rolled my dough about 1/2inch thick and 8 minutes was the perfect amount of cooking time. NOTE* remove these from the oven AS SOON as the edges are golden, even if they look under cooked- they will burn very fast if you are not careful!! These hold their shape very well and went quickly!

I have finally found the perfect sugar cookie recipe. I have made these several times and they always turn out great!! I've also discovered that if you add a TBL of corn syrup to the icing (powdered sugar, almond extract, and milk) that the icing will harden with a beautiful shine to it!

If I could of gave this recipe a negative 10 stars I would!!! I wasted so much time and effort, not to mention the $ I wasted on the ingredients. I am very frustrated over this recipe. This is my second attempt at rolled cookies in my lifetime. After the first time I said "Never again!!", but all of the good reviews convinced me to try this recipe. WRONG!! The dough was tooooooo sticky, I used what I thought was an appropriate amount of flour, I was patient and used cutters that weren't real intricate. I don't know what went wrong, but I won't EVER attempt cut out cookies again. Next year I will gladly pay someone to make them for me. Sorry everyone, and I am truly disappointed, I was really looking forward to making cut out sugar cookies this year.

THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT COOKIE.I GOT SIXTY OF THEM FROSTED THEM AND TOOK THEM TO MY WIFES DAY CARE AND THEY WERE A BIG HIT.ALL 60 WERE GONE IN ONE DAY AND HER CLASS ONLY HAS 12 STUDENTS. ME AND MY KIDS ENJOYED THE REST.i WOULD RECCOMEND THIS RECIPE TO ANYONE LOOKING FOR A GREAT SUGAR COOKIE.

This is THE best sugar cookie recipe that I have ever used. And I have used a lot. I have already had to give this out a lot. Kudos to you!!!!!!!!!!

If you are thinking about making this recipe, do it! It is by far the best, soft sugar cookie recipe I have ever had. Perfect with Butter Frosting for Cookies (recipe on this site)! I think they are better when rolled out to 1/2 inch or so because they stay soft. Very easy to roll out, but be sure to flour generously. The extra flour does not hurt to flavor at all. These will be a staple in our home for the holidays. Enjoy!

I've made this recipe twice and it turned out great both times. I'm not an expert, only made rolled cookies a few times, but I had no problems with the consistency or texture of the dough. I made them exactly according to the recipe. A few others have said they puffed up too much and lost their shape, but this was not the case for me. My Christmas stars were perfectly pointy and my unicorns looked perfectly unicorny. The end result was a nice soft cookie that worked great with buttercream frosting.

I have been baking since I was 10 (43 now) and have a culinary degree. This is by far the absolute best sugar cookie recipe I have used. Sugar cookies should not be overly sweet and these are just perfect. My 14 and 17 year old have made them alone and they were fantastic. If you have a problem with it becoming sticky, split or quarter the dough before you start rolling and keep the rest refrigerated until you need it. Above all take your time.

Perfect! Not too soft, not too vanilla-tasting, or too sweet (which to me tastes like commercial dough mixes). We didn't change a thing. I thought the dough was a bit stiff after 8 hours in the fridge, but a couple rolls of the pin and it was very workable. Thank you!

AMAZING! I'm a busy nanny and I made these with my little man- everybody loved them! We're making them again in a few weeks to leave out for Santa! Mess-reduction tip: Sprinkle the sprinkles on BEFORE you lift up the cookie cutter. They stay in place better and don't go flying all over the place- less mess and less waste!

this cookie didn't turned out all that great.....I've tried much better sugar cookie recipes.......

I was very pleased with this recipe. I added the extra sugar and vanilla. I also rolled out with powdered sugar- and lots of it!!! I was fairly pleased. I gave 4 stars because of the changes. Be patient with this recipe. If you have it chilled and work in small quantities it will work. I also used my kitchenad for the sugar and butter but stirred in by hand the flour because i think the mixer messes with the consistency of the dough if you use it to mix the flour...will try next time but i've found in the past the dough stays fairly wet if you use the mixer. I struggled at first but I got the hang of it. I made sugar cookies for the superbowl with colored frosting and they went like hotcakes!!! I think this is one of those recipes that you will get better with the more you work with it...and the thicker the cookies the better the shape will stay when using cutters!!!!

These were very, very yummy. When you roll them thicker and don't overcook them, they have the perfect chewy texture in the middle and taste very rich. The only thing I'd complain about was how hard it was to stir when I got to the 4th cup of flour. I found I couldn't stir all 5 cups in, and wound up with about 4.5. That was okay, though, since I used some flour to pat the top of the dough and rolled them out. One tip: use painters tape for delicate surfaces to tape down a nice big piece of parchment paper to your counter or table. There will be no more sticking to the counter when you roll out the dough! Also bake on top of parchment paper for easy removal and no burning on the bottom! I'm still trying to find the perfect icing recipe...

I was skeptical...I've tried so many sugar cookie recipes before, and this is The Final Answer in sugar cookies. Not only do they cut well, they are tasty, too! We made the suggested frosting using lots of different colors. This is the first time I have enjoyed making sugar cookies. Thanks,JS!

I made this recipe exactly--and totally hated it. The cookies came out too puffy-making the shape of them all distorted. I rolled out the dough between wax paper as others suggested, but it was still sticky. I'll just stick to my old stand by.

I just had to pass on to you that these cookies were a huge hit with my family. I made a batch for a funeral reception this past weekend, and decorated them with my grandmother's name, and favorite colors. I had atleast 6 different requests to send the recipie to various people. Also a rather funny, but neat tip: I did not have a rolling pin, so I've been using an old empty Skyy vodka bottle. Per my mother's suggestion, I filled it with ice cubes and water and let chill in the freezer. It works amazingly well at keeping the dough nice and chilled while working with it :) Thanks again!

Every year, I attempt sugar cookies at the request of my children and every year, I get frustrated because no matter what I do, the dough sticks, I can't get the "figures" off the countertop, and the entire dough recipes gets thrown out. NOT THIS YEAR!!! This recipes was awesome for rolling out, and thanks to the reviews of others, I tried something different: rolled it out on parchment paper dusted with icing sugar and sugared the top of the dough as well as the rolling pin...it rolled and cut like a breeze! When it came time to take the cookies off the parchment, I simply peeled away the uncut dough and peeled back the parchment a little, and the cookie came right off, unbroken, unstretched and perfect. Thank You for posting this Jill..you are my hero!!

Oh my, perfection! These are irrestable. Soft, the perfect amount of chewy, but firm enough to not crumble. My young girls highly approve!

Oh my god! These cookies are to die for! They live up to their name and expecations - try Jill's version of mixing milk and icing sugar together for a frost or dipping half in melted chocolate wafers or sprinkle frosted sugar in different colours! Works with everything and tastes good too! It's not too sweet so for those of you with sweet tooths I would add an extra cup of sugar but the blend in my opinion is perfect. I would use this recipe again, it will probably become a timeless classic for me.

If I could give this recipe ten stars I would. The only change I made was to add 1/4 cup of white sugar to sweeten them slightly. Also, these are meant to be frosted, I wouldn't serve them without it. One recipe makes about 20 - 2 1/2 oz cookies. I made about 120 cookies in all in the two times I made them as party favors and for Easter and everyone raved about them. I weighed the dough and placed it directly on a sheet of parchment paper then gently rolled them and cut them with the cookie cutter and pulled away the excess, then when I was done with all of them, just slid the parchment paper onto the cookie sheet, fool proof! I baked them until they were just finished and the edges were getting to very light golden brown. They were soft to the bite and perfect. I would suggest using the "sugar cookie icing" recipe found in here, perfection! Good luck!

OH MY GOODNESS!!! These are IT! I did add the zest of one lemon and used 1 cup white sugar and one cup powdered sugar like someone suggested and these cookies arent even making it to decorations in my house...I'm about to make a second batch for Christmas eve/day. Rolls out nicely (leave them on the thick side, around 1/8-1/4 inch) and is easy to not waste any when rolled out in powdered sugar because you just knead it right into the next batch to be rolled out! (I find when rolling the dough out in flour, it gets dried out and become inedible.) Oh yes...roll the dough out in batches, refrigerate what you arent using. This is the last rolled sugar cookie recipe I will ever need!

This recipe lives up to its name! I have used it for a couple of years now. I have four children and I bake professionally. These are definitely the best sugar cookies I have ever baked or eaten!

FANTASTIC SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE! Sweet, but not to sweet! I didnt change a thing! My husband (who every year insists that he hates sugar cookies then gobbles them all down when he realizes I bake them like shortbread cookies not cakes) loved them! The batter is enough for over 100 cookies, next time I might cut it in half.

I have been selling these for charity and cannot keep up with the demand. I follow the recipe exactly. I have also made a chocolate version in which I replace 1 cup of flour with 1 1/2 c. of cocoa powder. They are a big hit. ROLLING TIP!!! Before chilling dough, place it into a 2 gallon Ziploc bag. Remove air, and roll dough flat. Seal and chill. Cut bag off and slightly roll to desired thickness. This saves a LOT of rolling time since most of the work has already been done while dough was soft.

I've been using this recipe for years! Friends comment that the cookies not only look pretty----they taste good, too! The only change I make is to add an additional teaspoon of vanilla for more flavor.

The taste is great. Not too sweet like other sugar cookies. This one turned out soft. You have to put it in the fridge for it to be easily rolled out. I attempted rolling it out instantly out of the KA and it was a sticky mess. Be patient, unlike me.

WARNING: REMEMBER THIS RECIPE YIELDS 60 COOKIES!!! You'll have to add 7 cups of dry ingredients to 1 1/2 lb of butter. I came to realize about this until my poor mixer was about to explode. So, I had to split in half the butter + sugar, and add to each portion, half of the rest of ingredients. I had to add more flour to the first half and ended up adding 1 more egg to the second half. Another great recipe ruined by me! :'( They still tasted great though!!

This recipe was horrible. The dough was so sticky I couldn't make anything out of it. And they puffed up too much and lost thier shape. Plus they were very bland