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Cut-Out Sugar Cookies That Don't Spread
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There's nothing more disappointing than cutting out perfect stars and trees and pulling blobs out of the oven. The good news: sugar cookies that hold their shape just take a few small changes - no baking powder, cool butter, and cold dough going into a hot oven. A set of holiday cookie cutters and a rolling pin with thickness rings (both on Amazon) make the rest easy.
Short answer: use a dough without baking powder, beat the butter and sugar only until combined, measure flour by spooning and leveling, roll the dough to 1/4 inch between parchment before chilling it, cut shapes from the cold dough, freeze them for 10 minutes, and bake at 350 °F for 9 to 11 minutes. Decorate with royal icing made from meringue powder.
No-Spread Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Total time includes 1 hour chilling the rolled dough and 10 minutes freezing the cut shapes.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 2 3/4 cups (345 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Royal icing (made with meringue powder)
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 3 to 4 tablespoons water
- Gel food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, just until smooth and combined. Don't beat it light and fluffy - extra air makes the cookies puff and spread.
- Beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extract.
- Whisk the flour and salt together, add them to the bowl and mix on low just until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the dough in half. Roll each half between two sheets of parchment to an even 1/4 inch thick. Stack the sheets on a tray and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days, well wrapped).
- Heat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line baking sheets with parchment.
- Peel off the top parchment, cut shapes, and move them to the baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Re-roll scraps between parchment and chill again if they get soft.
- Freeze the cut shapes on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are just set and barely golden. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then move to a rack to cool completely.
- For the icing, beat the powdered sugar and meringue powder with 3 tablespoons water until thick and glossy, then add water a few drops at a time: thicker for outlines, thinner for flooding. Tint, decorate, and let the icing set until hard.
Why sugar cookies spread
- Baking powder or soda. Leavening makes cookies rise and spread. Cut-outs don't need it.
- Over-creamed butter. Beating butter and sugar until fluffy whips in air that expands in the oven.
- Warm dough. Soft butter melts before the flour sets.
- Too little flour. Usually from measuring the other way around - or too much butter for the flour.
- Thin or uneven rolling. Thin spots spread and brown first.
The no-spread method
- Roll before you chill. Soft dough rolls easily between parchment; once it's cold you just cut and lift.
- Cut from cold dough. Clean cuts, sharp corners.
- Freeze the cut shapes for 10 minutes. Cold butter sets the shape before it can melt.
- Bake on cool pans. Let pans cool between batches - a warm pan starts the spreading early.
- Pull them while pale. Edges just set, barely golden.
How thick to roll
A quarter inch is the sweet spot for most cut-outs: sturdy enough to decorate and pack, soft in the middle. Roll thinner (about 1/8 inch) for crisp cookies, but they'll brown faster and break more easily - start checking a couple of minutes early. Thicker, softer cookies need a minute or two longer.
Measuring flour the right way
Scooping the measuring cup straight into the bag packs the flour down, so you can end up with a lot more than the recipe expects - or, if your flour is fluffy and you shake the cup, less. For this recipe, stir the flour, spoon it into the cup until it heaps, and level it with a knife. Better yet, weigh it: 345 grams.
Decorating with safe royal icing
Traditional royal icing uses raw egg whites. Iowa State University Extension points out that eggs may carry Salmonella, and recommends safer options such as meringue powder, pasteurized liquid egg whites or lightly cooked whites. This recipe uses meringue powder. Keep it thick for outlines and thin it for flooding; let the icing dry completely - several hours or overnight - before stacking.
Storing and freezing
- Baked cookies: once any icing is fully hard, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They're typically best within about a week.
- Freeze plain baked cookies in a sealed container with parchment between layers, and thaw them before decorating.
- Freeze the dough already rolled between parchment - then you can thaw it briefly in the fridge and cut.
Food safety: skip the raw dough
As tempting as it is, don't eat raw sugar cookie dough. Michigan State University Extension, citing FDA and CDC warnings, explains that raw flour isn't treated to kill germs like E. coli, and raw eggs can carry Salmonella. Baking makes the cookies safe. Wash hands and surfaces after rolling, especially with kids helping.
Making a holiday cookie tray? Pair these with our gingerbread cookies that hold their shape.
Sources and further reading
- Michigan State University Extension: raw cookie dough and raw flour can cause foodborne illness - raw flour and raw eggs; FDA/CDC
- Iowa State University Extension AnswerLine: royal icing made safe - meringue powder or pasteurized whites instead of raw
- Google search data on Christmas cookies (news coverage) - sugar cookies among the most-searched holiday cookies
Questions and answers
Why do my sugar cookies spread when I bake them?
Usually the dough has baking powder or soda, the butter was over-creamed or too warm, or the flour was under-measured. Use a no-leavening dough, beat the butter and sugar only until combined, and freeze the cut shapes for 10 minutes before baking.
How thick should cut-out sugar cookies be?
About 1/4 inch for sturdy, soft cookies that are easy to decorate. Roll to about 1/8 inch for crisp cookies and check them a couple of minutes early.
Do you have to chill sugar cookie dough?
For cut-outs, yes. Roll the dough between parchment first, then chill it at least an hour so it cuts cleanly, and freeze the cut shapes for 10 minutes before baking.
How long do decorated sugar cookies last?
Once the icing is completely hard, they are typically best within about a week stored airtight at room temperature. Plain baked cookies also freeze well.
Is it safe to eat raw sugar cookie dough?
No. FDA and CDC warn against eating raw dough because raw flour can carry E. coli and raw eggs can carry Salmonella. Bake it first.
How this was written: A classic no-leavening cut-out sugar cookie. Spreading tips are standard baking practice; food-safety guidance on raw dough comes from Michigan State University Extension (citing FDA and CDC) and on royal icing from Iowa State University Extension. Storage times are typical home-baking practice. No nutrition numbers.