How to Bake (Easy! and Delicious!) Cutout Cookies with Neat Edges
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Learn the secrets to baking cutout cookies with neat edges that won't spread as they bake! You'll fall in love with baking and decorating cutout sugar cookies.
*Original published date: 12/15/2012. Updated: 12/4/2016.*
Jump to RecipeWith less than a few weeks left 'til the most cookie-centric holiday on the calendar, I'm sure all my baking peeps are knee-deep in flour, sugar, and butter right about now!
So in the spirit of giving, I'm spilling all the secrets for my best cut-out sugar cookies recipe!
Almost every baking blog I visit has a post or a FAQ devoted to the subject, "How do you bake cutout cookies that don't spread all over the place in the oven, hold their pretty shape, and have nice, neat edges???"
I searched for the answer to this age-old question not too long ago.
And when I want something, I do not rest until I've nailed it!
After much research and experimentation, I've decided to put everything I've learned on this subject into one comprehensive post.
This easy recipe produces cutout cookies that are soft but a little crunchier around the edges, with a mouthfeel somewhere between a sugar cookie and a shortbread.
They're perfect for decorating!
Why you'll love this cutout cookie recipe
Precise shapes: You can create intricate and precise shapes with this no-spread cutout cookie recipe. Whether you're making holiday cookies, special occasion treats, or just fun designs, these cookies will maintain their intended shape during baking with crisp, clean edges.
Beautiful presentation: Cookies that hold their shape offer a visually appealing presentation. This is especially important when decorating with icing, sprinkles, or other embellishments, as the designs stay clear and distinct.
Great for cookie decorating: These cookies are perfect for decorating with royal icing, fondant, or edible markers. Their flat surface is a blank canvas for your creative designs, making them great for cookie decorating parties or edible art projects.
Ideal for gifting: When you're giving cookies as gifts, you want them to look as good as they taste. These cookies retain their shape, making them an excellent choice for packaging and sharing with loved ones.
Balanced flavor: These cookies bake up just sweet enough, with the aromatic fragrance of rich vanilla. They are intentionally a little less sweet, to balance the sugary taste of the royal icing or sparkling sugar they're decorated with.
Ingredients and notes
Butter: I like to use unsalted butter because it lets me control the amount of salt in the dish. Different brands of butter can contain different amounts of salt, so this way you get a more consistent result. Use cubed cold butter to make the dough. This allows you to skip the step of chilling the dough before baking. For a vegan or dairy-free cutout sugar cookie recipe, use a plant-based butter that can substitute for dairy butter 1:1.
Sugar: Sugar adds sweetness (obvs!) but it also aids in browning and keeps things moist, since it's hydrophilic (this means it loves water, in other words, it draws moisture in). Regular white sugar is fine, or sub for another type of sweetener if you like. As long as it swaps 1:1 for granulated sugar it should work.
Eggs: Use large eggs. It's best if they're at room temperature, but I don't find this to be critical. For a vegan cutout sugar cookie recipe, swap in your favorite plant-based egg substitute. As long as it can sub 1:1 for chicken eggs, it should work just fine.
Flour: This is the primary dry ingredient that provides structure to the cookies. All-purpose flour is my go-to, but you can swap it out for any kind of whole-grain option if you like. You may need slightly less if you go that route. A gluten-free flour blend that can sub 1:1 for regular flour should also work just fine, if you'd like to make gluten-free sugar cookies.
Cornstarch: The secret ingredient to achieving cutout cookies that don't spread! It is what creates a really workable cookie dough, and the edges turn out perfectly! Cornstarch is a colorless, odorless, and flavorless starch. Make sure you're using cornstarch, which is white and powdery, and not cornmeal, which is yellow and gritty and tastes like corn chips.
Salt: Salt carries the flavors and intensifies them. The end result won't taste salty, but it will make everything so much more flavorful! I like kosher salt best because it doesn't have any additives (table salt usually contains iodine which can leave a bitter taste), so the flavor is pure. It's also inexpensive and easy to find in a regular grocery store.
Vanilla: Vanilla extract adds a subtly sweet flavor without being at all sugary. For a more pronounced flavor, try using vanilla bean paste. You could also split a vanilla bean down the center lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add those.
Or you could try this with an altogether different type of extract or flavoring, such as:
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact measurements.
Variations and substitutions
Different flavoring: You can also use almond extract or citrus zest if desired.
Spices: Add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger for different flavor variations.
Food coloring: If you want to color your cookies, food coloring can be added to the dough. I recommend using gel paste color, since you only need a tiny bit to get a vibrant color. But liquid can work in a pinch too.
Tools and equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons: For measuring ingredients accurately. Follow this guide: How to Measure Ingredients for Baking.
- Mixing bowl: In which to mix up the dough.
- Electric mixer: This recipe creates a very stiff dough, so you'll need either a stand mixer or a powerful hand mixer.
- Parchment paper sheets: You are going to roll the sugar cookie dough out between two sheets of parchment.
- Rolling pin: For rolling the sugar cookies out flat.
- Baking sheets: On which to bake the sugar cookies.
- Cookie cutters: For cutting out your cute shapes.
How to make cutout cookies that don't spread
Step 1: Mix butter and sugar
Start by blending the butter and sugar together until smooth.
Stop as soon as you have a homogenous mixture. Unlike a lot of other cookie recipes, you don't want to whip in a lot of air here. That will just expand when it gets hot and cause your cookies to spread.
Step 2: Add eggs
Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
Allow each egg to mix in fully, before adding the next. This will prevent lumps!
Step 3: Stir in dry ingredients
Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt, and mix on medium-low speed.
The mixture will initially seem very dry and sandy, but after 3 to 5 minutes in the mixer, it will gather itself into a ball and pull away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
Step 4: Flavor
Stir in the vanilla. (If you do not have an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, you may have to knead the dough by hand to bring it together fully.)
Step 5: Roll
Working with a manageable amount of dough at a time, roll it out between 2 sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of ¼-inch to ½-inch.
Step 5: Cut
Cut into shapes, then carefully peel each unbaked cookie from the bottom sheet and flip it onto your baking sheet.
Step 6: Bake
You'll know your cookies are done baking when the edges feel set and the centers are still a little soft.
The bake time is going to depend upon how big and thick your cookies are. Larger, thicker cookies will need more oven time than smaller, thinner ones.
Recipe FAQ's
You can make this dough ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for a day or so, but if you do, you may want to add less flour because the dough will become drier as it sits. If your dough has become too dry and crumbly to work with, it can be moistened with a few drops of heavy cream.
The dough for drop cookies has a soft and sticky consistency. It's typically spooned or scooped onto a baking sheet, and the cookies maintain the shape they take when dropped onto the sheet. Cutout cookie dough is firmer and more structured. It's rolled out to a specific thickness, and shapes are cut out using cookie cutters.
The answer depends on how thick you roll the sugar cookie dough, and how big your cookie cutters are. I typically get around 30 cookies from a batch, if I roll the dough to ⅜-inch and use cutters that are around 2 ½-inches in diameter.
This answer will also depend on the size of the cookie. Larger, thicker cookies will need more time in the oven than thinner, smaller cookies. You'll know your sugar cookies are done baking when they are set around the edges but still a little soft towards the center. Remember that they will continue to cook for a few minutes, even after they're removed from the oven. This is called "carry-over cooking," and if you don't account for it then your cookies could end up dry.
Absolutely! Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and they should keep in the freezer for several months. Pop them out and thaw at room temp, and decorate!
Expert tips for making cutout sugar cookies that don't spread
- Don't bother softening the butter: I like to use cold, cubed butter when I make the dough. It saves the step of chilling the dough before baking, which is another trick many bakers use to help their cookies keep their shape. If you work quickly, the butter is still pretty cold when it goes into the oven, so the dough holds its shape better and doesn't get all melty and slide over the baking sheet.
- Mix until just combined: Try not to whip a lot of air into the butter. This can cause spreading.
- Leave out the leavening: Now, you may notice that my recipe contains no leavening of any kind. If you think about the purpose of baking powder in a recipe, it's to help things puff up and spread out (hello!?) and be light and fluffy. Light and fluffy is great in a muffin or a pancake, but we are talking cookies here, people. They are meant to have a little bite to them. Perhaps they are a little bit more dense, but in this instance, you want that. Most likely, you are either shipping your cookies or delivering them by car, and if they are too light and delicate, they're more likely to break. So, this will give you a more durable cookie, and I promise you, they are still every bit as delicious.
- The magic ingredient: This is the biggest key to the whole business and maybe the only thing you won't find on any other blog (that I've seen, anyway). THE CORNSTARCH. It's pure witchcraft. Not only does it lend added structure to the sugar cookies without making them tough, but it also makes the dough SUCH a pleasure to work with! It is NOT sticky at all, nor is it crumbly. It just stays right where you want it. And those edges! I about died…! SO clean and perfect!
- Make parchment your bestie: Also, definitely try rolling your dough between two layers of parchment paper. It is absolutely no-muss, no-fuss! Between this dough's silky, UNcrumbly texture and the parchment thing, I barely even need to wipe my countertops after making these cookies! **No bench flour!** (Which, by the way, can also make a tougher, less tender cookie.) I also line my baking sheets with it, and besides keeping things from sticking, it keeps the pans cleaner, too! My cookies are baked on parchment, and then I lay them on the same sheets to dry after decorating, so each sheet gets double duty. Here are the baking sheets I use, and here is where I order my parchment.
- Use rolling pin rings: These are a great way to make sure you're rolling your dough out to a consistent thickness. Which is important for even baking!
- Crank up the oven temperature: Finally, you may notice that I recommend baking the cookies at a higher temperature for a shorter time. This allows the cookie to "set up" more quickly and hold its shape during baking, making it less melty-slidey.
How to serve
Plain and simple: Enjoy the cookies just as they are. Their precise shapes and wonderful flavors can stand alone as a delightful treat.
Decorated masterpieces: Decorate the cookies with royal icing, fondant, or colorful icing gels. Let your creativity run wild by adding intricate designs, patterns, and even personalized messages.
Cookie sandwiches: Make cookie sandwiches by spreading a layer of frosting or jam between two cookies of the same shape. Peanut butter, chocolate ganache, or cream cheese frosting can be excellent fillings.
Cookie pops: Insert sticks or colorful paper straws into the cookies before baking to create cookie pops. These are great for kids' parties or as edible party favors.
Dipped in chocolate: Melt chocolate (white, dark, or milk) and dip half of each cookie into it. You can even sprinkle crushed nuts, sprinkles, or edible glitter on the chocolate while it's still wet.
Coffee or tea companions: Serve alongside a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate for a simple pairing.
How to store and keep
Cover the cookies with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature.
If you keep them tightly wrapped so they don't dry out or become stale, they should last for at least a week or two (if not longer!) at room temperature.
More cutout cookie recipes
- Chocolate Cutout Cookie Recipe
- Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Soft Cutout Sugar Cookies
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Vanilla Cutout Cookies that Don't Spread
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, (2 sticks) cubed, cold
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 (88 g) eggs, large
- 3 ½ cups (437.5 g) all-purpose flour, (you may need as much as 4 cups)
- ½ cup (64 g) cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon (4.5 g) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla bean paste, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Cream the butter and sugar, just until smooth and combined (try not to whip in any air).
- Mix in the eggs until incorporated.
- Add the flour**, cornstarch, and salt, and mix on medium low speed. The mixture will seem very dry and sandy at first, but after 3 to 5 minutes in the mixer it should gather itself into a ball and pull away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
- Stir in the vanilla. (If you do not have an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, you may have to knead the dough by hand to fully bring it together.)
- Working with a managable amount at a time, roll the dough out between 2 sheets of parchment paper, to a thickness of ¼-inch to ½-inch.*
- Cut into shapes, peel away from the bottom sheet of parchment carefully (see the video below), flip onto the prepared baking sheets, and bake until set around the edges but still a bit soft in the centers (approx. 9 to 12 minutes for 2 ½-inch, ⅜-inch thick cookies).
- Cool completely, then decorate with royal icing.
Notes
Author
Have a question about this recipe? Ask AI:
Hello! Love your page. I've been trawling the internet to try and find some help and advice and recipes that I can use to make some biscuits and cakes for my friend as her twin daughters are turning 6, one of them has a wheat/gluten allergy.
I have baked for years but have never baked gluten free!
She wants me to make chocolate cakes, cupcakes and biscuits shaped like teddy. You mentioned in your write up about a gluten free recipe and using cornflour to stop the sandy texture, where can I find this recipe? I need help to get this right without having to bake so many trials runs! Hope you can help!
Hey Vivvy! Thanks so much for stopping by and for the great question. Truthfully, I'm not much of an expert when it comes to gluten-free baking. I never did completely perfect that recipe I mentioned, at least not well enough that I wanted to post it. It was ok but not great. But if you don't mind clicking back over to the post and having a look at the comments section, someone just a few days ago asked the same question, and there is a pretty in-depth explanation there. I hope you find it helpful! Good luck!
OMG! OMG! This recipe saved my life tonight. I had to make paint pallete shaped cookies for a birthday party and I had complications like you would not believe! I came across your recipe. TRIED IT, LOVED IT, SUBSCRIBING NOW! thanks girl!
Hooray! That's wonderful Shanti I'm so glad you were happy with the recipe! And so happy you have you as a subscriber. Thanks so much for the awesome feedback 😀 😀 😀
I am definitely trying this because I'm always curious about cutout recipes!
but what I REALLY want to know is what your GF recipe is!!!
🙂
I have a friend that's begging for gluten free cutouts and I am overwhelmed with the amount of different recipes online!!!
but honey, you had me at "I use cold butter", so I thought I'd ask ya about your GF cutout thoughts! 🙂 love the site! and hope you can point me in SOME direction!! haha
thanks a bunch!
Oh, gosh Kindred Cottage you know I'm not sure I ever perfected that recipe fully! I do remember that I was using the King Arthur Flour brand of Gluten Free Flour blend, and of course the cornstarch really helped to "lighten" the texture. Beyond that I really couldn't say. It was a while ago that I posted this (2 or 3 years now I think?) but I should probably revisit it, huh? Thanks so much for reading and for the great question!
well years old post or not, I JUST FOUND YA! lol
and I never expected an answer this quick! you must be One of those Superwoman types that gets enormous amounts of things done everyday! UNlike myself! see? I only just NOW found ya! haha
thanks for the answer AND the King Arthur flour info. I had no idea they had a gluten free flour mix, cool! I'm gonna try it if my friend okay's it. I have a ton of different gluten free "flours" and "meals", but for specific recipes and I was def getting a little lost with coming up with the cutout recipe. thanks so much for the inspiration! I've only taken up baking again lately, so it's good to get advice from you gals that have more experience trying out trillions of recipes before me! ha!
thank you! 🙂
Well I'm so glad we found each other! I don't know about the Superwoman part, but I do try to keep on top of comments as best I can. So- I liked the KAF GF flour because it had a nice neutral flavor, but I did find it to be a little bit on the gritty side. I don't know a whole lot about GF baking but I feel like I've read about things you can add to offset that (?). Maybe your friend can steer you in the right direction; it sounds like maybe you already have something in your cupboard! Good luck and thank you so much for reading!
This recipe is PERFECT for cookie cutting, the edges were so crisp with no spreading whatsoever! They were a little dense but the taste is great and I'm excited to decorate with royal icing tonight. I did underbake them just a minute or two (about 10 mins instead of 12) and they're soft all the way through with a very lightly browned bottom. Thank you so much for finally posting a great sugar cookie cut out recipe that actually works!
Hooray! I'm so happy you had such great success with this recipe. You are right- a little dense but that is also what makes them so great for gifting: they are sturdy! Have fun decorating Jess! And thank you for the great feedback 🙂
This is such a great recipe! It's my "go to" cut out cookie now! I'll be making the chocolate version today! I really wish I liked royal icing, but I started using melted colored chocolate chips to decorate with . . . yummy! I love your blog, thanks for all the fabulous recipes!
Thank you so much Karen! Melted chocolate sounds like such a delicious way to decorate cookies. I don't always love royal either, in fact I've tried to modify the cookie recipe to compensate for the sugary-sweetness of it. I'm so happy you were pleased with the recipe and thank you so much for the great feedback!
Got everything out to try your recipe before Saturday, when I have a bunch of kids over to bake, and noticed that it requires unsalted butter. I only have salted on hand. Do you think if I eliminate the salt requirement and use the salted butter I will get the correct result?
I think you'll be just fine, Michele! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you and the kids all enjoy!
I'm so happy I found your page Allie, I just made the most terrible batch if spreading gingerbread cookies this afternoon! Talk about blobs! I'm going to try your recipe with the gingerbread spices added; fingers crossed! Hopefully I will have beautiful Christmas cookies for my girls to give their teachers this week as gifts
Aw, yay! I hope they work out well Amber! Thanks so much for stopping by!
This recipe looks soo good! I was wondering how I would make the dough without a mixer?
I only have an electric hand beater but it does have a dough mixer attachment.
Thanks!
I would definitely use that Clare. The dough is just about as stiff as any other cookie dough so if that's what you normally use for cookie baking, it should work just fine. Good luck and enjoy!
Not sure what I have done wrong, followed to a T and it is super dry, only thing I can think of is I doubled the recipe....
I don't have a kitchen aid....is that the secret 😛
I don't think a stand mixer is the only way to do it, although it does make things a lot easier. It's a stiffer dough- but if you have a strong arm you should be good 😉
This recipe does not yield a soft cookie. They are meant to be crunchy around the edges and tender towards the center. Sorry you didn't get the result you were hoping for 🙁
This is just what I need and they look amazing and delicious! Thanks
I can't wait to try this!! Now if I can only figure out how to decorate them.
I hope you have lots of fun! There are some really great decorating tutorials around the web. Definitely check out Sweetopia.net, LilaLoa.com, and SweetSugarbelle.com. Good luck and enjoy! 😀
Okay. I tried your recipe. I love that you start with cold butter. I am never prepared enough to use soften my butter. They are sooo tasty! I love shortbread, so I love the flavor. I used almond extract instead of vanilla (I love almond). I am excited to try royal icing on them. I have to say mine was a bit crumbly though. Thoughts?
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Dacia! That's kinda strange that it was crumbly though... I've never had mine come out crumbly. One thing I'd definitely suggest is to add the flour slowly, you may not need all of it. Also, if the dough sits for a while it does tend to dry out a little, so bear that in mind and plan accordingly. Hope that helps!
Good point! I'll try less flour!
I am beyond excited about this recipe! Thanks for doing all the leg work. I am going to make these tomorrow but just wanted to say thanks. I love baking but have never attempted cutout sugar cookies but can't wait to use this recipe with my new Jack-o-lantern cookie cutters!
Yay! I'm so happy you're going to try this recipe- I think you will really love it! It's so good with royal icing. Thank you so much for reaching out and I hope you enjoy, Jessica!
Uh, YEAH! I just made a dud batch last night and they spread faster than hollywood gossip. Tried this recipe today and it is spot on!!! Thank you! They did puff a bit after re-rolling, but I know what my mistake was there. Wow. Finally! Sugar cookie recipes that spread should be banned, in general. Because who wants cutouts with warpy edges after putting such care into the rolling/cutting stage. Lifetime best recipe ever. *hugs*
Yay! I'm so glad you were happy with it Tara! And I totally agree that sugar cookie recipes that spread should be banned ;oP
I waS wondering if you use the 3/4 cup of cornstarch in place of the flour
in the 4 cups of flour...or both...love the site
Thanks Sandy! You're going to want to use the cornstarch in addition to the flour. Good luck and I hope you enjoy!
Hi Allie, how long do these cookies last decorated and undecorated? Thank you
Hey Kelly! They last a really long time; I'd say a month at room temperature, and indefinitely in the freezer. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
Hi! I am a (less than) novice cookie baker. My daughter’s birthday is in a month and I want to make the cookies now and decorate later. If I store them at room temperature, should I place wax paper or something in between them? I just found your site and I am so excited to try all your recipes!!
Hey Melissa! I’m so excited you’re going to love this recipe. If you’re making them a month ahead you might want to think about freezing them. Just place them in an airtight container (wax paper in between might be a good idea) and keep them in the freezer until the night before you’re ready to decorate. Good luck & happy birthday to your daughter!