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Home » Recipes » Cookies

Soft Drop Sugar Cookies

By Lauren | Updated: Dec 17, 2023 | Published: Mar 30, 2023 | Leave a Comment

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These Soft Drop Sugar Cookies are simple, sweet, a little bit crinkly with a hint of vanilla. They are the perfect classic drop sugar cookie. What makes these sugar cookies so good is that they contain an extra egg yolk, which makes them extra rich. They only require 8 ingredients, all of which you may already have at home. They don’t require a rolling pin, cookie cutters, or any special equipment or techniques.

Soft drop sugar cookies overlapping each other laying on a flat white surface with decorative purple green and white flowers.

The nice thing about simple drop cookie recipes like these sugar cookies, or these oatmeal raisin cranberry cookies (that I love), is that you can combine the ingredients in one large mixing bowl and get them straight in the oven without any extra effort. Minimal effort, minimal cleanup, and yet still great cookies.

Simple Recipe

It is a very simple recipe, using common household ingredients and no fancy techniques or tools required. You can mix the dough by hand or with a hand-held beater. The dough does not need to be refrigerated. It is great for beginners and experienced bakers, particularly those looking for a super classic chewy sugar cookie with a hint of vanilla.

For cookies with even more vanilla, these vanilla bean sugar cookies are made with vanilla bean, vanilla extract, and rolled in vanilla sugar (lots of vanilla, not too much extra effort).

Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make Soft Drop Sugar Cookies.

Ingredients needed to make soft drop sugar cookies.
  • Butter: I use salted butter.
  • Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness. I have made these rolled in extra sugar and it doesn’t impact the shape of the cookie or how chewy it is.
  • 1 egg and 1 egg yolk: This recipe includes one whole egg and an extra egg yolk which gives that extra richness in flavor. I’ve made these with and without the extra egg yolk and you can really taste the difference when the extra egg yolk is added.
  • Vanilla: Extract For added flavor, enhances the sugar cookie flavor.
  • Flour: Use all-purpose unbleached flour.
  • Baking Powder: To help the cookies rise.
  • Baking Soda: Helps the cookies have that nice crinkly look and texture. I've made these cookies without baking soda and they have a dome shape and are quite poofy. They look very different (though still taste great), but they don't have that nice crinkly soft chewy cookie texture.
  • Salt: To balance and bring out the other flavors.

To learn more about these cookie ingredients, see my Guide to Cookie Ingredients.

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

How to Make Soft Drop Sugar Cookies

Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Soft Drop Sugar Cookies.

*Note that the recipe card with instructions and ingredient list is included further below these step-by-step photos.

Bowl with butter and sugar, next to bowl with creamed butter and sugar.

Step 1. Add the softened butter and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl and combine either by hand or with hand-held mixer.

Bowl with creamed butter and sugar and eggs and vanilla, next to bowl with all four ingredients combined.

Step 2. Add the egg, additional egg yolk, and vanilla and combine.

Bowl with cookie batter and baking powder, baking soda, and salt, next to bowl with all of those ingredients combined.

Step 3. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt and combine.

Bowl with cookie batter and flour on top, bowl with all flour incorporated into the batter.

Step 4. Add the flour and combine.

Sheet pan with raw cookie dough rolled into balls, next to sheet pan with freshly baked cookies.

Step 5. Roll the dough into balls using approximately 2 tablespoon worth of dough. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350℉ for 9 minutes.

Portioning the Dough

Portion out 2 tablespoon worth of dough for each cookie. This makes 26 cookies. You can either do this with your hands, or using two small spoons (one to scoop and the other to help shape into a round ball), or with a cookie/ice cream scoop.

Expert Tip: Roll the dough into round balls between the palms of your hands to get perfectly round cookies.

For more tips and tricks see my Guide to Making the Best Homemade Cookies.

Soft Drop Sugar Cookie FAQs:

When are the soft drop sugar cookies done?

The cookies are done after 9 minutes. They will look slightly underdone in the middle. This is perfect. Don’t wait until they look fully cooked to pull them out. They should still be a little soft and look a little underbaked in the middle. They will continue to cook and firm up on the pan when you take them out.

Can you freeze soft sugar cookie dough?

Yes, you can freeze soft sugar cookie dough. Shape into balls and places in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware. To bake, either bring to room temperature and bake or if baking directly from frozen bake for an extra 1-2 minutes (12-13 minutes total).

Why are my cookies flat?

Cookies flatten because either they do not have enough flour, the butter is too soft or melted, there is not enough baking powder, or the proportion of sugar is too high compared with the rest of the ingredients.

Why are my cookies too poofy?

The biggest reason cookies become poofy is because there is too much flour. In small batch recipes it may be because you added egg white, instead of only egg yolk. Another reason is that the butter was too cold and not at room temperature. Not enough baking soda also leads to cookies that are too poofy. The baking soda helps the dough to spread out and gives it that crinkly cookies texture.

How long do the cookies last?

These cookies keep well wrapped in plastic on the counter for 3 days, but we still snack on them days after that.

A few small drop sugar cookies overlapping each other on a white background with a few decorative purple and green flowers.

If you're looking for other cookie recipes, you may love these:

  • A cookie drying rack with oatmeal raisin cranberry cookies layered on top.
    Oatmeal Raisin Cranberry Cookies
  • Vanilla Bean Sugar cookies piled on a white plate on a white background, with some rolled in vanilla sugar and a couple of small white flours.
    Vanilla Bean Cookies
  • White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies on a cookie sheet with extra white chocolate chips on the side.
    Bakery Style White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
  • Child holding a stack of large Chocolate Chip Cafe Cookies.
    Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cafe Cookies

If you tried this Soft Drop Sugar Cookie Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!

Sugar cookies overlapping on a white background with a few small purple flowers.

Soft Drop Sugar Cookies

This recipe is for the perfect classic soft drop sugar cookies. They are simple, sweet, a little bit crinkly with a hint of vanilla.  What makes these sugar cookies so good is that they contain an extra egg yolk. The extra egg yolk makes them rich and yummy.
5 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 9 minutes mins
Total Time 19 minutes mins
Author Lauren Skardal
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 26 cookies
Calories 156 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2½ cups flour

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350℉.
  • In a large bowl combine the softened butter and granulated sugar. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and stir to combine.
  • Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour and combine.
  • Roll the dough into balls with 2 tablespoon of batter each. Place on a baking sheet.
  • Bake for 9 minutes.
  • If refrigerating the dough (optional): Place the balls of dough directly from the fridge onto a baking sheet and into the oven. Bake for 11 minutes.

Notes

You can refrigerate the dough if you want to make the dough ahead of time, or if you are concerned that your butter is too soft, but it is not necessary. The dough also freezes well.
Roll the dough into round balls before baking to help give the cookies that very round shape when they are fully baked.
Bake for 9 minutes and no more to ensure nice soft, chewy cookies. You do not want the edges to turn brown. The centers can be slightly soft when removing the cookies from the oven. They will continue to firm up and cook on the hot baking sheet after you remove the it from the oven.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 237IU | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
Have you tried this recipe? Leave a comment below and share a photo on instagram and tag @elleandpear or #elleandpear. I'd absolutely love to hear from you and see what you're making!

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Lauren sitting at table in Tuscany with a glass of wine, charcuterie and rolling green hills and winery in the background.

I'm Lauren, I've worked in Finance, earned an MBA, and lived and traveled throughout Europe and the US. I love to cook and bake, and bring our family together around the table. Recipes shared here are real family recipes with real fresh ingredients inspired by our travels.

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