No Chill Sugar Cookies You Can Roll, Cut, and Decorate the Same Day
What if you could skip the chill and go straight from mixing bowl to cookie cutters? Most cut-out recipes make you chill the dough for hours (or overnight!), and by then the kids have moved on and so has your afternoon.
With this dough, you just mix, roll, cut, and bake. That’s it!
And the best part? They still look like your cookie cutters when they come out of the oven. Stars keep their points, trees keep their branches, and there are no puffy blobs where a reindeer used to be.
They’re buttery and tender with a little hint of almond, which makes them taste like the sugar cookies from a good bakery. They’re also thick enough to hold up under a layer of icing without cracking or bending, which matters when tiny hands are doing the decorating.
Not in the mood to roll anything out? My Soft Frosted Christmas Cookies give you all the frosting and sprinkles with no cookie cutters needed. And if your crew mostly just wants to eat the dough, this Edible Sugar Cookie Dough is for them.
Why This Dough Doesn’t Need Chilling
Chilling keeps the butter firm so cookies don’t melt into puddles in the oven. This dough gets there without the wait:
Cool butter. Softened but still cool butter keeps the dough from getting greasy. Warm butter is the number one reason cut-out cookies spread.
A little cornstarch. It keeps the cookies tender and the edges crisp and clean.
Barely any baking powder. Just enough for a soft bite, not enough to puff up your shapes.
Light-colored baking sheets. Dark pans run hot and brown the bottoms too fast. Light pans bake evenly so the cookies set before they can spread.
Kitchen running warm? Fifteen minutes in the fridge won’t hurt a thing. It’s just not required!
Team no chill all the way? My Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies skip it too.
The Ingredients That Matter Most
Nothing fancy schmanzy here, but a few ingredients are doing some heavy lifting.
- Butter. This is the big one! Press it with your finger. It should dent easily but still feel cool, not shiny or greasy. Forgot to set it out? (Same.) Cut it into small cubes and it’ll soften way faster.
- Flour. Too much makes dry, crumbly dough. Weigh it if you can, or spoon it into the cup and level it off.
- Cornstarch. Don’t skip it! It’s a big part of why these keep their shape.
- Almond extract. This is the secret to that bakery flavor. Not an almond fan? Leave it out and add a splash more vanilla.
Need a gluten free or dairy free version? Try my Gluten Free Dairy Free Sugar Cookies.
How to Make No Chill Sugar Cookies
The full steps are in the recipe card, but here’s what to watch for.
Step 1. Mix the dough: Stop as soon as it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should feel soft but not sticky. Too sticky? Your butter was a little warm, so give the dough 15 minutes in the fridge. Crumbly? Knead it a few times with your hands until it comes together.
Step 2. Roll and cut: Flour your counter more than you think you need to and roll half the dough at a time, keeping it nice and even. Dip your cutters in flour before every single cut for super clean edges. Then squish the scraps together gently and roll again, brushing off extra flour as you go.
Step 3. Bake: The tops stay pale, so don’t wait for them to brown! Peek underneath, and once the bottom edges are light golden, they’re done.
Step 4. Cool completely: Icing on warm cookies melts right off (ask me how I know).
Easy Sugar Cookie Icing for Decorating
Powdered sugar, milk, and a little corn syrup. That’s it! No meringue powder and no juggling five different consistencies. One bowl does the outlining and the filling!
Too runny? Whisk in a spoonful of powdered sugar. Too thick? Add milk a tiny splash at a time. A little goes a long way!
Use gel food coloring. Liquid coloring thins the icing, and gel doesn’t. Dark red and green deepen as they sit, so tint them a bit ahead of time.
My go-to colors. I leave one bowl white and tint the rest dark red, dark green, brown, and a very light pink. Classic and festive, with that little pop of pink to keep things fun.
Piping. Snip a teeny opening in the bag (you can always cut it bigger) or use a Wilton #1 tip for fine details. Add sprinkles while the icing is still wet so they stick.
Does it harden? It sets firm on top with a soft bite underneath, so it’s softer than royal icing. Let it set completely before stacking.
Storing and Making Ahead
Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, with parchment between iced layers.
Want a head start? Freeze the baked, undecorated cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw them on the counter and decorate whenever you’re ready.
Putting together cookie boxes this year? These are a perfect fit for my Best Christmas Cookie Box guide.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Mini Christmas Cookies
- Christmas Crack Cookies
- Melting Moments Cookies
- Soft Eggnog Cookies
- Gingerbread Latte Cookies
Find even more in my Best Cookie Recipes and 23 Unique Cookie Recipes Worth Baking Right Now.
No Spread No Chill Sugar Cookies
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Ingredients
No Chill Sugar Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened but cool (about 65°F)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Sugar Cookie Icing
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon light corn syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk
- Assorted gel food coloring
- Assorted sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large, light-colored baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt and set aside.2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together using the paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract and beat again for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.3/4 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Add the dry ingredients and mix again on low until combined and the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
- Generously flour a clean work surface. Turn the dough out and divide it in half. Roll one out to 1/4-inch thick and cut out shapes with floured cookie cutters. Re-roll the scraps keep cutting until that half is used up, then repeat with the second half.
- Arrange the cookies 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until just set and the bottom edges of the cookies turn a light golden brown. Let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then move them to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
- Once they’re cool, make the icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar, corn syrup, almond extract, and 2 Tablespoons of milk until smooth. Add up to 1 Tablespoon of milk a tiny splash at a time until it reaches the desired icing consistency. It’s ready when you lift the icing out of the bowl and the drizzles sit on the surface for a few seconds before melting back into the icing.3 cups confectioners sugar, 1 1/2 Tablespoon light corn syrup, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, 2-3 Tablespoons milk
- Divide the icing into bowls and tint each one with gel food coloring. I leave one white and dye the rest dark red, dark green, brown, and very light pink.Assorted gel food coloring
- Spoon the icing into plastic piping bags and snip a very small opening at the tip, or use a Wilton #1 tip. Ice the cookies and decorate with sprinkles if you like!Assorted sprinkles
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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