Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe (2024)

This easy chewy sugar cookie recipe makes the softest, perfect, and melt-in-your-mouth cookies you will ever try.

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Table of Contents

Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe Ingredients
How to Make This Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe
How To Serve
Storage
More Recipes You’ll Love
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You are going to love sinking your teeth into the soft center and crispy edges that come from making this chewy sugar cookie recipe. Made with simple ingredients, you’ll be rewarded with the delicious flavor and perfect texture of these irresistible cookies.

Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need:

2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1¾ cups granulated sugar, divided
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

PRO TIP:

Make sure you use good-quality ingredients for these chewy sugar cookies. They are very straightforward and easy cookies to make, but the final results will taste best when using good quality ingredients.

SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS

VANILLA: You can substitute vanilla bean paste, in equal measurements, for the vanilla bean extract if you want those lovely little vanilla bean specks in your delicious sugar cookies.

SUGAR: You can substitute the ¼ reserved granulated sugar (step 2) for your favorite color of sanding sugar to roll your cookie dough balls in. This will add some fun to your sugar cookies. You can coordinate the colors of sanding sugar for holidays, birthday parties, baby showers, or sporting events to celebrate your favorite team. Adjust your ingredients list to only use 1½ cups granulated sugar in your cookie dough recipe. The other ¼ cup will be your colored sugar.

How to Make This Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe

STEP ONE: In a medium bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

STEP TWO: In a small bowl, add ¼ cup granulated sugar. Set aside.

STEP THREE: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat together, on medium-low speed, the room temperature butter, and the remaining 1½ cups of granulated sugar for 1 minute. Add the large egg and vanilla extract and continue to beat for an additional 1 minute or until light and fluffy.

STEP FOUR: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture on low speed, just until all the flour has been incorporated. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

STEP FIVE: Scoop out the chewy sugar cookie dough using a 1½-tablespoon (1½-inch) cookie scoop and roll each ball of dough into the reserved bowl of granulated sugar. Place the sugar-coated dough balls onto a tray. Repeat until all the cookies are scooped and coated in granulated sugar.

STEP SIX: Cover the tray of sugar cookie balls of dough with a piece of plastic wrap and chill dough for 1 hour. This allows the butter to firm up, so your cookies do not spread too much.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

You can skip the chilling step, but your cookies will be a bit flatter when baked.

STEP SEVEN: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

STEP EIGHT: Place 8 chilled cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking tray and bake cookies in the preheated oven for 11 to 12 minutes or just until lightly golden at the edges.

PRO TIP:

Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cookies at the lower end of the recommended bake time.

STEP NINE: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely on the counter.

STEP TEN: Repeat steps 7 & 8 until all the chewy sugar cookies have been baked.

How To Serve

These delightfully soft sugar cookies are the perfect afternoon snack, no matter what time of year it is. Enjoy them along with a warm mug of homemade hot chocolate, a pumpkin spice latte, or a Wendy’s Frosty.

We have plenty more cookie recipes to satisfy any type of craving you may have. Check out our blueberry cookies or gingersnap cookies for two of our favorites.

MORE COOKIE RECIPES

Cookie Recipes

No Spread Sugar Cookies

Cookie Recipes

Swig Cookies

Storage

ON THE COUNTER: You can store your chewy cookies in an airtight container, on the counter, for up to 4 days.

IN THE FREEZER: You can make this sugar cookie dough in advance and freeze your cookie dough balls until you are ready to bake them. Prepare your cookie dough up through step 6. You can scoop all the dough into balls and place them onto one large parchment-lined baking tray. Place the tray into the freezer for 1 hour to flash freeze; then, you can remove the frozen cookie dough balls and store them in a large freezer-safe zip-top bag in the freezer until you are ready to bake them. Label your zip-top bag with the type of cookie and the baking time and temperature for future reference.

If baking your chewy sugar cookies from frozen, place them onto a parchment-lined baking tray and set them out on the counter while your oven preheats. You may need to add an extra 1 to 2 minutes to your baking time if your cookies are still frozen. If you choose this method, you can bake as few or as many cookies as you want and keep the rest in the freezer for up to 2 months.

These are the best chewy sugar cookies you’ll ever taste. They have the perfect texture and are so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you didn’t try them sooner. Make them to share, gift, or keep all to yourself anytime the craving strikes.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I use cookie cutters with this chewy sugar cookies recipe?

These cookies are slightly too soft to be the best choice for cutting out shapes. Our no-spread sugar cookies would be the ideal choice.

Do I have to chill the dough for these cookies?

While chilling is optional, this great recipe will spread less during baking if the dough is chilled first.

How do you make sugar cookies keep their shape?

Giving your cookie dough time to chill in the refrigerator will help the cookies to keep their shape.

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Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe

5 from 22 votes

This easy chewy sugar cookie recipe makes the softest, perfect, and melt-in-your-mouth cookies you will ever try.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 22 minutes minutes

Servings 26

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Ingredients

2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1¾ cups granulated sugar, divided
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, add ¼ cup granulated sugar. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together, on medium-low speed, the unsalted butter, and the remaining 1½ cups of granulated sugar for 1 minute. Add the large egg and vanilla extract and continue to beat for an additional 1 minute or until light and fluffy.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, on low speed, just until all the flour has been incorporated. Make sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl as needed.
Scoop out the chewy sugar cookie dough using a 1 ½ tablespoon (1 ½ inch) cookie scoop and roll each dough ball into the reserved bowl of granulated sugar. Place the sugar-coated dough balls onto a tray. Repeat until all the cookies are scooped and coated in granulated sugar.
Cover the tray of chewy sugar cookie dough balls with a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate your dough for 1 hour. This allows the butter to firm up, so your cookies do not spread too much. You can skip the chilling step, but your cookies will be a bit flatter when baked.
Preheat oven to 350* F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
Place 8 chilled cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking tray and bake for 11 to 12 minutes or just until lightly golden at the edges.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely on the counter.
Repeat steps 7 & 8 until all the chewy sugar cookies have been baked.

Notes

Make sure you use good-quality ingredients for these chewy sugar cookies. They are very straightforward and easy cookies to make, but the final results will taste best when using good quality ingredients.
You can skip the chilling step, but your cookies will be a bit flatter when baked.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cookies at the lower end of the recommended bake time.

Nutrition

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This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie KeepingPublisher
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Rhadonda SedgwickCreative Director
Lexus MonroeEditorial Assistant
Angela SessionsRecipe Developer