No-Chill Sugar Cookies
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
10 mins
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Total Time
40 mins
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Servings
30 2.5" cookies, see note
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Calories
127 kcal
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Course
Dessert, Baked Goods
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Cuisine
American
No-Chill Sugar Cookies
Description
The No-Chill Sugar Cookies recipe combines butter, sugar, vanilla, and optional almond extract with a flour blend including cornstarch for a soft, tender cookie. The butter is ideally slightly chilled but pliable to avoid an oily or melty dough. Mixing the dry ingredients slowly into the butter mixture prevents over-dryness and crumbly dough. The dough is formed into a disk and rolled with light dusting of flour to prevent sticking, then cut with cookie cutters.
The resulting cookies have a mildly sweet, buttery flavor with a soft texture that holds detailed shapes well. Decorating options include simple sugar cookie icing or royal icing topped with sanding sugar, all of which complement the cookie’s mild flavor. Baked and cooled cookies store well in airtight containers and can also be frozen.
This recipe is useful for those who want shaped sugar cookies without advance chilling. It allows for easy decorating for holidays or celebrations. Using unsalted butter lets you control the salt level, but if salted butter is used, reduce added salt in the dough.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter see note, unsalted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional
- 1 large egg
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- flour additional, for rolling cookies
- 1 batch sugar cookie icing or sanding sugar for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer (or stand mixer) to beat together butter and sugar until creamy and well-combined (about 1 minute on medium speed).
- Add egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat on medium-speed until completely combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- With mixer on low-speed, very gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture until completely combined. This is a fairly dry dough, the best way to keep it from being dry and crumbly is to add the flour slowly (in 4-5 parts) and make sure it's all been incorporated before adding the next bit of flour.
- Form the dough into a disk and transfer it to a clean, lightly floured surface and sprinkle the surface of the dough lightly with additional flour.
- Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll dough to be about ¼" (6.5mm) thick. As you roll, occasionally use a spatula to scrape beneath the dough to loosen it from the counter to ensure it isn't sticking to the surface. If your dough is sticky at all, simply sprinkle it with additional flour.
- Use cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the dough (keep your cookie cuts close and re-group and re-roll out any dough scraps!) and transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 1" apart.
- Transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) oven and bake for 8-10 minutes (this is the suggested time for 2.5-3"/7.5cm cookies; smaller cookies will need less time and larger cookies may need longer). When cookies are finished baking, edges will be beginning to turn very light golden brown.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before using a cookie spatula to carefully transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Once cooled, decorate with icing (if desired).
Notes
- Use butter slightly chilled but not melted for proper dough texture; 65°F (18°C) is ideal.
- If using salted butter, reduce salt to about ⅛ teaspoon to balance flavor.
- Cornstarch can be omitted by increasing flour by 3-4 tablespoons, but it aids tenderness.
- Cookie size and thickness affect the total yield; rolling to ¼ inch and 2.5" cutters were used here.
- Cookies can be decorated with sugar cookie or royal icing, or simply with colored sanding sugar before baking.
- Baked cookies store well at room temperature for up to two weeks or can be frozen for several months tightly wrapped.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 302.5" cookies, see note
Amount Per Serving
Calories 127 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1unfrosted cookie | |
| Calories | 127kcal | 6% |
| Carbohydrates | 16g | 5% |
| Protein | 1g | 2% |
| Fat | 6g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.3g | 2% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 0.2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 22mg | 7% |
| Sodium | 45mg | 2% |
| Potassium | 17mg | 0% |
| Fiber | 0.3g | 1% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 198IU | 4% |
| Calcium | 7mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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