This No Spread Sugar Cookies Recipe is the best sugar cookie recipe ever! You can make your sugar cookies and not have to worry about them spreading after baking! Not only do they keep their shape but they taste amazing too! They are the perfect sugar cookie recipe ever!
No Spread Sugar Cookies Recipe
There are so many different sugar cookie recipes that you can find online and spend all the time making them only to put them in the oven and have them spread out all over the place. Then you end up with a disaster because you can not decorate runnily, spread out cookies. This no spread sugar cookies recipe is the Best sugar cookie recipe!
Thankfully you are all in luck because I went to baking school. I learned all the tricks on how to make perfect sugar cookies and I am going to tell you every secret I know so you can make the most amazing sugar cookies.
I shared this recipe originally back in 2015 but thought it was time to add some better photos, so you will see a mix of our old photos and the new ones in this post.
I use this as the basic recipe for all our sugar cookie recipes. All the pretty decorated cookie recipes we share start with this perfect sugar cookie dough recipe.
This sugar cookie recipe works perfectly with cookie cutters. You can use any cookie cutters you want to and when you bake the sugar cookies they will come out of the oven exactly the same shape they went in!
Seriously, these no-spread sugar cookies are a total showstoppers, easy sugar cookie recipe that when you decorate them with royal icing you are totally going to WOW everyone! If you have never decorated cookies with royal icing before, check out how to decorate cookies with royal icing for all the tips and tricks!
Looking for Sugar cookie decorating ideas? Check these out!
- Minion Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
- Zombie Sugar Cookies
- Jack Skellington Cookies
Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
One of the biggest complaints I have gotten from friends who have used sugar cookie recipes they have found online was that if they didn’t spread they were rock hard. These no spread sugar cookies come out of the oven perfectly shaped while being soft and chewy. Soft and Chewy is important for a sugar cookie, you definitely do not want to have rock hard sugar cookies.
When you decorate these soft sugar cookies with royal frosting, they look and taste like they are professionally made bakery cookies. But you made them in your kitchen without having to spend a ton of money on the bakery sugar cookies.
The best no spread sugar cookie recipe that you will ever make! Soft and chewy sugar cookies that hold their shape without spreading while baking!
No Spread Christmas Sugar Cookies Ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- granulated sugar
- butter
- 1 egg
- vanilla extract
How to Make No Spread Sugar Cookies
In a large bowl or with your stand mixer cream the granulated sugar and butter until it is fluffy. If using the stand mixer it will take about 5 minutes.
Once the sugar and butter are creamed together, add in the egg and vanilla extract.
In a medium-sized bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt. Use a whisk to mix everything together thoroughly.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla extract mixture. Mix everything until well incorporated.
Put a handful of the freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll until you get your desired thickness and set aside still on the parchment paper.
Repeat with the rest of the sugar cookie dough.
Put the rolled dough including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. You can keep it in the fridge for longer if needed.
Once your dough is chilled completely it is ready to use cookie cutters to make the cookie shapes you are wanting to make.
Use your cookie cutters and cut out your cookies. Then reroll the scraps and continue cutting out cookies until all of the sugar cookie dough is used up.
Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake at 325° F for 10 -15 minutes. Keep an eye on them, you want them to be finished cooking but not brown. Depending on your oven heat power will depend if they need the full 15 minutes to bake.
Let cool completely before decorating with Royal Icing.
Easy Cookie Recipes
- Soft chocolate chip cookies
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Whoville Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Crackle Cookies
- Chewy Coconut Cookies
The best no spread sugar cookie recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cups butter 2 sticks
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl or with your stand mixer cream the granulated sugar and butter until it is fluffy. If using the stand mixer it will take about 5 minutes.
- Once the sugar and butter is creamed together, add in the egg and vanilla extract.
- In a medium sized bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt. Use a whisk to mix everything together thoroughly.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla extract mixture. Mix everything until well incorporated.
- Put a handful of the freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll until you get your desired thickness and set aside still on the parchment paper.
- Repeat with the rest of the sugar cookie dough.
- Put the rolled dough including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. You can keep it in the fridge for longer if needed.
- Once your dough is chilled completely it is ready to use cookie cutters to make the cookie shapes you are wanting to make.
- Use your cookie cutters and cut out your cookies. Then reroll the scraps and continue cutting out cookies until all of the sugar cookie dough is used up.
- Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake at 325° F for 10 -15 minutes. Keep an eye on them, you want them to be finished cooking but not brown. Depending on your ovens heat power will depend if they need the full 15 minutes to bake.
- Let cool completely before decorating with Royal Icing.
Notes
Nutrition
3 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per cookie, not including icing.
Rae Ramos says
thanks
Stella says
I don’t see any tips or tricks. I only see the recipe. What actually makes the cookies spread? More of this? Too little of that? The chilling process? What are your baking school tips and secrets?
Stephanie says
This is just a tried and true recipe that has been worked out to the point where the ingredients are at the right portions that the cookies don’t spread. If you just follow the recipe you will see the tips like rolling it out in between the parchment paper and the right about of chill time.
Kathy says
Could you please clarify, it says “1 eggs” then “add eggs” but it says one egg in ingredients list…. Is this a mistake and its meant to be two eggs?
MidgetMomma says
opps sorry its a typo its 1 egg
Rebecca says
Truly enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing it.
Christine Stevens says
Your recipe for no spread sugar cookies it says 1 eggs is that one egg?
Tom says
Yes. (Tom)
Christine says
hi there,
Is it only one cup of butter? The recipe says 1 cups? Just want to make sure I have it right!
Tom says
Sorry and yes its only one cup 🙂
Amber says
What temp should the butter be? Softened, room temp, chilled?
Thanks I look forward to making these!
MidgetMomma says
works best with room temp since you will then be putting the cookies in the fridge too 🙂
Stephanie says
I normally take my butter out about an hour or two before I start making them.
Natalie says
Do you know if there would be any changes to the recipe if I am at a higher elevation?
MidgetMomma says
how high are you? I have tried it at a few different elevations with success every time 🙂
lindsey says
Did these spread? Ive tried so many. Was hoping to see a review on if they kept their shape or not
stacy says
I’m trying it 2marro I will let you know.
MidgetMomma says
No they don’t spread, I got sick of ones that do so this is my go to recipe 🙂 then the kids can decorate them and you dont have to worry about your start looking like a circle after baking 🙂
Aricelia Lopez says
Hello, does the recipe call for regular butter or unsalted? Thanks!
Stephanie says
When you are baking you should always used unsalted butter.
Meghan says
Just made these cookies last night. They didn’t spread and came out beautiful. I also baked them at a high elevation of 7,300 ft. so cookies are always hard for me to get right but I didn’t need to adjust this recipe at all. Thank you!
MidgetMomma says
I am glad you loved them and its good to know that higher elevation you didn’t have to change anything 🙂 These are my FAV cookies to make for the kids to decorate 🙂 I use the same recipe for all our cookies 🙂
Theresa says
So what is the secret to keeping them from spreading?
MidgetMomma says
Following the directions 🙂 These ones don’t spread at all when you bake them 🙂
Bev says
What is the frosting recipe? How do you apply it?
MidgetMomma says
the frosting recipe is here http://www.midgetmomma.com/2013/12/11/royal-icing-recipe/
The best way to decorate with it i have found is using squeeze bottles 🙂
Jenn says
I really love this recipe. So , thank you for sharing. Every time I make it I add a little water and then I can just roll it out and cut out my cookies. I completely skip the chill in the refrigerator part. This way my toddler stays occupied as well. 🙂
Tonight Infingee says
Thank you so much for this delicious cookie recipe. I made them today with my grandchildren. As soon as the icing went they had to taste one. And they loved them. We attempted to take some to my father at the nursing home. And one of my twin grandsons ate the cookies. I felt bad. But I got home told my husband and then I tried one myself. Wow everything you said. Made wonderful cut outs. Awesome. Thanks again.
Oneika says
I’ve used this recipe for the past two Christmases. It’s our favorite!
Josie says
Did you use All Purpose flour? If not, what kind?
Stephanie says
yes all purpose flour
Elizabeth says
How thick would you recommend the cookies be rolled out? I’m thinking a quarter of an inch would be nice? What say you? Thanks for this recipe. I can’t wait to try it out, and the royal icing too!
Robin says
I really wanted to like this recipe, especially since I used two sticks of premium butter in it. I am always looking for a great no spread sugar cookie recipe that holds its shape. And while these cookies did not spread when baked, I found the dough dry and difficult to work with. It did not have a nice texture when rolling it out. I suspect the problem is not enough eggs. Most recipes I have seen call for 2 eggs, this one calls for 1. There is not enough moisture in the dough to hold it together. The first batch just came out of the oven, but I am afraid that once I begin to decorate them, they will break. I bake cookies with intricate designs so a dough that is strong and holds its shape is imperative.
Trina says
Hi can you use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar
Stephanie says
no
Lucille says
Perfect!
Diana says
I guess I misunderstood..I thought you you did low carb recipes
Lauren says
Hello, we share all types of recipes on this site! If you are looking for only low carb and keto recipes, check out our sister site LowCarbNomad.com
Rachel says
Hey there. Can you make dough, keep in the bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to roll out and make cookies? I dont have room to put cookie sheets in there. And, is it imperative to roll it out on parchment paper to make them? Or can I just take out of fridge roll on counter and cut?
Stephanie says
I honestly haven’t tried just rolling out this dough chilled it will be harder for you to get it thin. If you try it let us know how it turns out.
Grammacat says
Excellent sugar cookie recipe. Easy too. Only thing I did different was I used 2 teaspoons of vanilla. (Mom did that).After rolling out the dough and cutting the shapes, I put them on a cookie sheet with Parchment paper. Then I put the baking pan in the freezer for 10 minutes.Baked in the pre heated oven Perfect!!
Nancy Varnadoe says
Tried this mine spread. Not as much as others but it still spread. Also had problems sticking to paper and cutters so I used powder sugar to cut out with.
Stephanie says
It sounds like they were not chilled long enough.