Easy Sugar Cookies
Updated
Updated
Quick and easy sugar cookies made with only 3 pantry ingredients and no egg! So simple and foolproof, you can whip up this sugar cookie recipe anytime. Sweet, buttery, and delicious!
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5 STAR REVIEW
What if I told you that you could have completely fantastic sugar cookies using only 3 ingredients and in less than an hour? Pretty exciting, right?! I’m so wild about this easy sugar cookie recipe, the only time I make my cut-out sugar cookies is for the holidays.
These sugar cookies are no fuss – no rolling, no dividing, no chilling, and barely any waiting – a great recipe for the novice baker to try out, or if you’ve got young kids at home and want to introduce them to baking. And the taste? Well, just like a crunchy sugar cookie, and similar to shortbread. Delish!
Tips for Success
- Use a cookie scoop. Using a small cookie scoop is best for ease and cookie uniformity, so they all cook at the same rate.
- Avoid them crumbling. After blending the dough, pinch off a bit and press it with your fingers. It should come together very easily and be soft, buttery, and smooth. If it feels crumbly at all, keep kneading them a little. And as you’re forming the dough into balls, knead them and roll in the palms of your hands. If it still feels crumbly, that means you used too much flour or not enough butter.
- The thickness matters. Once the raw dough balls are flattened, they should end up being between an 1/8-1/4 inch thick, so 3/16 to be exact. (They will look pretty small in circumference, but they will spread to a normal size cookie.)
- Bake at 325F. A lot (if not most?) cookies call for baking at 350F. These cookies bake at 325.
- Cool properly. After baking, these cookies need to remain on the cookie sheet for at least 10-15 minutes before moving them to cool completely, because they are fragile at first. Once cooled, though, they’re sturdy.
- Take them up a notch. While vanilla extract and sprinkles are not needed for this recipe to work, the addition of the two is recommended! If adding sprinkles or nonpareils, gently press some onto the cookies before baking them.
{3 Ingredient} Easy Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, (optional, but recommended)
- rainbow sprinkles or nonpareils, (optional, but recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat together the butter and 2/3 cup sugar until combined. (It might be a little gritty – that's ok.)
- Add in flour and blend well (then blend in the vanilla, if using.)
- After blending the dough, pinch off a bit and press it with your fingers. It should come together very easily and be soft, buttery, and smooth. If it feels crumbly at all, keep kneading it a little.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out 1-inch size balls, then knead and roll in the palms of your hands until they feel soft and smooth.
- Gently roll the balls in the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar until lightly coated; transfer to the baking sheets 2 inches apart.
- With the bottom of a measuring cup or glass, press down on the balls to flatten. Sprinkle with some nonpareils (if using) and lightly press down again just so they stick. (The dough should end up being between an 1/8-1/4 inch thick, so 3/16 to be exact. They will look pretty small in circumference, but they will spread a bit to a normal size cookie.)
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until just slightly golden around the edges and on the bottom.
- Remove form the oven and let rest on the baking sheets for at least 10-15 minutes (don't skip this step!) Then eat or transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
Can this sugar cookie recipe be used for cut-out cookies?
Unfortunately, no. Since the recipe doesn’t include any eggs, the dough doesn’t bind well enough and the cookies could end up crumbling when you use a cookie cutter. But we have a fabulous recipe for cut-out sugar cookies, too!
Can these sugar cookies be frosted?
Yes, you can definitely frost these with royal icing or drizzle with a simple icing. We LOVE our sugar cookie icing recipe. Drizzle and allow to set.
How to Store Sugar Cookies
- Counter. Let the cookies cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in single layers with parchment paper in between. They will last on the countertop for up to 5 days.
- Freezer. Instead of freezing the baked cookies, I recommend forming the dough balls and freezing those. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then roll in the sugar and bake as directed. The dough can be frozen up to 2 months.
More Easy Cookie Recipes:
- Jello Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- No Bake Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons
- Ritz Cracker Cookies
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube!
This was a easy and simple baking experience plus the cookies turned out amazing everyone at the potluck love it totally making this recipe for future events😍
I made half a batch today. Needed a few cookies to give to a friend. They turned out great. Didn’t expect them to, if I am honest, since there are only 3 main ingredients. Thanks for sharing your recipe Amy.
These cookies are heavenly! I rolled the cookies in the brand of sugar called Sugar in the Raw which added a crunch to them. Highly recommend!
I’ve made this recipe 4 times now, using salted Land O’Lakes butter and Irish butter. They are definitely 5 stars. I’ve added, vanilla, lemon zest another time. Next I’ll use a little of my huckleberry juice.
Your recipes are the best, foolproof! Sugar cookies turned out great! Hardest part was waiting to taste! Your easy, few ingredient peanut butter cookies, no flour, were great, too. Next, I’m going to try your fudgy brownies😊
Can I try this recipe as bars instead of cookies?
I’ve never tested this recipe as bars, but you could try it.
I only had unsalted butter. Will it bo ok? In oven now.
Yes, that will affect the taste of the cookies, but not the structure.
Not bad but do not roll in sugar and watch the video is a must.
How is this recipe the best sugar cookie recipe EVER without eggs? I love all Amy’s recipes but this cookie is exceptional ! Easy and delicious – I used red and green sugar to roll them in and they are beautiful holiday cookies. I mixed vanilla and almond extract . This will be a regular holiday cookie here :)
Paula hi question did they taste too sugary to you ? I didn’t watch video so made too small and finally found my cookie spoon which help alot. But next batches were way better I half rolled in sugar and last batch I did not roll in sugar.Glad yours came out so good. Hope your holidays are great 😁🎄
Just finished making these they are easy and very good thanks for the recipe. Merry Christmas to all 🎄🎅
I have made this sugar cookie recipe before but this time I stored the dough in the refrigerator overnight thinking I’ll roll and bake in the morning. It is taking a long time for the dough to feel soft enough to grab pieces to roll into balls. Any advise?
Hi Nancy – Not sure how cold your house is, but that could be a factor. If you chilled the dough overnight, it could take many hours for it to soften enough.
LOVE that there are NO EGGS and NO SODA in the recipe… I’m allergic to eggs, hubby’s allergic to soda.
JUST made these today, Dec 21st… THERE WONT BE ANY LEFT FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER… they are THAT good!!!!
My 13 yr old daughter made these on her own and they were amazing!
I cannot believe how easy and how delicious these cookies are!!! I wanted a crispy cookie, so after flattening and adding the sprinkles, I chilled them for about 45 minutes. Then, I cooked them for a much longer time than was called for (because they were cold). Towards the end, I kept checking them every 3 minutes, and as soon as I saw the edges getting brown, I pulled them out. They are so delicious! Thank you, Amy!!!
I made these cookies today. They are so tasty. The dough was a little crumbly, as you said it would be, but I followed your tips to form the balls and they came out perfect. What made them even more delicious was your Sugar Cookie Frosting. Oh my! I halved the cookie recipe; now I wish I had made the full recipe. Excellent!
I just made these cookies. OMG. 81 yrs old and these are the best & easiest cookies I’ve ever made. Melt in your mouth delicious. You have to make them. Thank you Amy.
This was a great success with my three young grandchildren! We had to make two batches. My daughter in law used gluten-free flour. The cookies are delicious.
Crazy how something so simple and easy can be so good. I made it with Krusteaz gluten-free flour. Thanks for the recipe.
This is the best cookie . So buttery . They were so easy and turned out perfect
I’m kind of shocked it came out so great. Made 1/2 a batch with this recipe and the family loved it!