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
This post contains affiliate sales links.
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:
I made these and pretty edges for sure but the dough was hard to roll out! It kept breaking as I rolled.
Hey Joanna! It sounds like maybe the dough wasn't mixed quite long enough. Either that, or it sat for too long before being rolled. If you don't plan on rolling/cutting right away, you should add a little less flour. The dough will dry out as it sits. Hope that's helpful!
Thanks so much. I'll try your recipe. I've tested 6 sugar cookie/shortbread recipes so far . Cheers
Hi Ally
Thank you for your recipe. Before I try it I'd like to clarify the weight of the flour as the cup measurement is so subjective. I'm based in Australia and 1 cup US doesn't equal 1 cup Australian so using the weight is the most accurate. So please advise what is the weight of 4 cups flour in your neck of the woods. Many thanks.
Cheers
Hi Vita! I have heard that cups are different in AU, and I know that many other countries prefer measurements by weight- so that is why I created the free printable weight conversion chart download. You can find it in the right hand sidebar! You might want to also check out this post: How to Measure Ingredients for Baking. Hope that is helpful!
Made this recipe several times with a great turn out! Love it! However, last night I have 3 dozen graduation cookies to make and I was frustrated that I couldn't get the dough to "come together". I thought maybe I did something wrong, mismeasured so I bagged up first batch hoping to salvage it somehow and started again on new batch... again failure... and yet again failure. Comes out very crumbly everytime ... never has this problem before what am I doing wrong??? please help I can't roll it out nice or even pick up the cookies without them falling apart. I didn't throw out the other batches I put them in a big zip lock and put in the fridge in case I could salvage somehow.
Hey Michelle! So sorry you're having trouble this time around! I can't imagine why, if this recipe has worked for you in the past. Maybe it's just a very dry day for you. The good news is, there is an easy fix! Just pop your dough back in the mixer and beat in a little heavy cream. It could take just a few drops or it could take several tablespoons, it all depends. Use your judgement and when the dough is a nice texture (not too sticky), you should be good to go. Also, you might want to check out my newest sugar cookie recipe: https://bakingamoment.com/soft-cut-out-sugar-cookies/. These are so incredibly soft, I just love them!
I’ve been looking for this kind of sugar cookie recipe for ages. Hapy found this one. Thank you.
So glad you're pleased with the recipe Cheryl!
I have been making this recipe and your chocolate Rollout cookies with great success. No others I’ve tried compare to the ease of rolling and taste. I love both recipes. I have tried a couple others that I have found on the internet but my husband always says these are good but I like the other ones you make. Great compliment! I would like to know if you have ever given a peanut butter roll out a try. Do you think I could just sub some of the butter with peanut butter and still be successful? I might have to try it out but wanted to get your thoughts on the substitution.
Thank you again for sharing your recipe.
KathyD
Thank you so much for the great feedback on both the chocolate and vanilla versions! And thanks too for the great question. I actually have made a peanut butter version- I should really put up a recipe for that! Until then, I would refer you to this post: https://bakingamoment.com/decorated-biscoff-cut-out-cookies-for-st-patricks-day/, which is for a cookie butter version. You can just substitute peanut butter for cookie butter (aka: Biscoff Spread or Speculoos) and it works beautifully. I think you and your husband will really enjoy them Kathy!
Made these today for my spouse to take to work. I usually resist rolled cookies b/c I have no patience for the decorating. These cookies, without icing, are perfect for my taste. Enjoyable with a cup of tea, coffee or hot cocoa.
My tweaks: used room temp butter b/c that is what I had on hand. The dough is sooo easy to work with. Formed a nice ball, away from the KitchenAid mixer bowl perfectly.
Separated the dough and coloured with Wilton’s gel icing to mimic the boxes of candy hearts I had as a child.I don’t know what it is about this dough but I did not have to clean the bowl between colours. Bonus!
First batch at 375 were not bad, not burnt at all but I lowered the oven to 350 and they baked perfectly in 8 minutes. My oven is fairly new and fairly accurate (and hot). And my butter wasn’t ice cold so that could be why that worked for me.
And lastly, I added the zest of a small lemon and about 2 tsp fresh lemon juice to the batch I tinted yellow. Roughly 1/3 of the dough. So amazing. I highly recommend it. I evened used a scalloped heart cookie cutter and got precise, perfectly baked cookies. By this time the dough had been out at room temp for at least 35 minutes. No trouble with rolling, even after the addition of the lemon juice.
I did a few puzzle cookies. Heart from one colour dough and the arrow through it in another. Baked perfectly.
Clean up was a snap! Definitely pinning the recipe for later. Might even try it with cold butter 🙂 And chocolate too, of course.
Thanks for sharing!
I'm so happy you liked them Dawne! Thank you so much for sharing your experience; I think it will be really helpful to other readers. Have a great day!
I am going to try these soon for Valentine's cookies. I don't think I've come across a cookie recipe using cornstarch. How thick should they be rolled out?
It's actually in the directions section of the recipe card. You can roll them out to 1/4-inch thick. Good luck!
The recipe worked perfectly the first time! Consistent results, even with the usual oven temp fluctuations. I have been trying to find a recipe for cookies that hold their shape for so long, but never found one with the results I wanted. These cookies stayed stock still the whole bake. They have a buttery shortbread taste that you would find from any decorated cookie service or store. I am so happy this worked! Thank you!
My pleasure Megan! I'm so glad you were pleased. Thanks so much for the positive feedback!
Hi i am going to try this lovely recipe this weekend, can i check if i cannot find cornstarch.. can i replace it with cornflour?
I'm not really sure to be honest Charmaine- I think cornstarch is called different things in different countries. I'm in the US and here, cornstarch is a very fine white powder. Corn flour is also called corn meal here, and it's darker in color and a lot more granular. You want the white powder! Hope that is helpful!
Hi Charmaine
Cornflour and cornstarch are the same item in Australia.
Hi there! Thank you so much for this! Just tried a batch of these tonight and was pleasantly surprised! I do think I might have to cut back on my flour, though. I think I tend to pack my measuring cup a little heavily with flour even when I try not to! Because of this, my consistency was a bit dry, even with my kitchen aid paddle mixing for a few minutes. I also had some cookies (not all) rise up and crack just a tad. Any other suggestions?
Hi Miranda! If you're packing the flour into the measuring cup then I'm sure that's probably the cause of the problems you're describing. I usually "fluff" my flour with a spoon to aerate it, then lightly spoon it into the measuring cup until it's overflowing, then I scrape the edge of a knife over the top to level it. Hope that's helpful!
Hi Allie.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe for cut out cookies.
I am over the moon with it. Worked perfectly for making bauble decorations to top my cupcakes.
I know I will be using it again. And again, and again ?
I'm so glad you're happy with it Sarah! Thanks so much for the good feedback. Your cupcake toppers sound adorable!
hi i would like to ask is it soft? or crunchy ?
I can't wait to makeit
Hey Nada! I would not call them soft, they are more of a tender-crisp texture, similar to shortbread. Not exactly crunchy but not soft either. These are really sturdy and good for decorating, but if you're looking for a soft sugar cookie, give this recipe a try: https://bakingamoment.com/soft-and-chewy-sugar-cookies/.
I have tried cut out cookies years ago with no luck. My snowman cutout looked like he melted. This year I decided I wanted to try cutouts again and found your recipe. What an amazing recipe. I threw cold butter in the mixer and within minutes I had a cookie dough that was easy to roll, held it’s shape when transferring to my baking sheet and baked up looking just like the heart cutter I used. They are cooling now and later I’m going to try my hand at royal icing. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I’m sure it will get lots of use in my house for sure. Thanx again from a new fan!
Hooray! So happy you were pleased Kathy! Welcome, and I hope you find lots more recipes here you love!
Any thoughts on adding fresh cranberries to these cookies? I read in comments ( read all of them, like to get everyone's feedback ?) someone added dried cranberries but don't like the taste/texture vs fresh. Came upon your blog because I started a search "can you make any cookie recipe into cutout shapes" and the recipe I was wanting to do it to was a cranberry orange shortbread cookie recipe and you said these cookies a mixture between sugar cookie and shortbread...perfect!? Thanks for any suggestions.
Hi G! I'm not sure about fresh cranberries, they might give off a little too much juice, but I recently made them with dried and they were delicious! You can check out the result here: https://bakingamoment.com/cranberry-orange-shortbread-cookies/. Hope it's helpful!
Hi what is your recipe for your gluten free flour mix. I wanted to try the cut out cookies. Thanks
Hi there! I'm afraid I don't have a gluten free flour mix. But there are several brands on the market that can be substituted cup-for-cup with regular flour. I've heard good things about King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill. Good luck!
Hi Allie, Thanks for your recipe, tips and video! I can't wait to try your recipe! I have a question about the parchment paper you use. I clicked the link to where you purchase yours, but could not find a product/brand that sounded like it would hold up. I use rolled parchment paper now and it's a pain to cut it to the right size to fit the pan. However, once I get it to the right size, I can us it to roll the dough or bake the cookies and reuse it multiple times without having it tear. Would you mind please sharing which parchment paper product you use? Thank you!
Sure thing Jennifer! I'm sorry you had trouble with the link. Sometimes those links get out of date and the exact same product is no longer available. Here's a current affiliate link to what I usually buy: http://amzn.to/2m4JEKW. I agree with you- the rolled up stuff is kind of a pain. These pre-cut sheets are a lifesaver! Hope that's helpful 🙂