Theseare myfavorite sugar cookiesbecause they are moist and soft but keep their shape well. Just make the dough, chill, roll, shape, and bake it! These are the perfect cookies for decorating!

holiday decorated sugar cookies iced next to a glass jug of milk.

My wonderful neighbor Heather shared this recipe with me. They aremoist, stable cookies that keep their shape very well.I don’t love making cookies, especially sugar cookies. It’s too tedious for me! But the results were well worth the time with this recipe! And truly, compared to many baking projects,this isn’t as complicated as so many are.

This is a perfect recipe toget the kids in the kitchen to help with.They’ll love mixing the dough with you, and making their little creations whendecorating the cookies.It’s such a fantastic holiday season activity. You’ll get into the holiday spirit, and you’ll get some tastycookies to fill up cookie trays with!Win-win!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Sugar cookies are a classicfor a reason—they aresuper easy to make and give you so many options for decorating!
Frosting the cookies isa craft project for the holidays with the kiddos.Here ismy favorite frosting for sugar cookiesif you need a recipe to go with this one.
The cookie dough can be madeup to two days in advance so they will be readyto bake and decorate!

Recipe Ingredients

Shortening –I use butter-flavored
Sugar
Eggs
Sour cream
Vanilla
Baking soda and powder
Flour

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

holiday decorated sugar cookies iced with green icing in the shape of a tree.

How to Make the Best Sugar Cookies

Step 1:Cream together the wet ingredients.

Step 2:Next mix in dry ingredients.

Christmas cut outs in sugar cookie dough.

Sugar cookies in the shape of trees and stars.

Step 3:Refrigerate dough, roll it out, and use cookie cutters to make shapes.

Step 4:Bake and decorate cooled cookies with icing and sprinkles!

Recipe FAQs

How long do I chill sugar cookie dough?

I recommend chilling sugar cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days. Sometimes you just lose track of time, you know?!

Are sugar cookies supposed to be soft?

This depends on the recipe and your preference. I like a cookie with a little bite, but not completely crumbly. These are firm, yet soft, and they keep their shape well. It’s my favorite sugar cookie consistency ever!

How do I decorate sugar cookies for Christmas?

The most fun part! Get you some fun cookie cutters in the shapes of Christmas trees, wreaths, candy canes, and anything else festive. Then, make my famous sugar cookie icing (you can dye some of it using a couple of drops of food coloring) and add it to the cookies with bright sprinkles after the cookies have cooled. Voila! Christmas cookies!

Iced sugar cookies in the shape of trees, wreaths, and candy canes on a white plate.

Expert Tips

Adry and chalky sugar cookie with a strong flour flavor means you probably used too much flour!Be careful with your measurements and you should be just fine!
Just be sure you let the dough chill in the refrigerator so the cookies keep their shape!
If you are looking for other fun cookie recipes, try thesesoft gingerbread cookiesor thesebuttery spritz cookies. Both aregreat recipes for gift-giving!