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Chewy Sugar Cookies take my favorite cookie recipe and instead of being pillowy soft, they have crunchy edges and chewy centers. Because these are sweet enough without frosting, this is an easy sugar cookie recipe you can count on to be the best one you’ve tried!
This recipe has been updated to fulfil the chewy promise. See original soft sugar cookies recipe for what used to live here.
It would seem that there is a sugar cookie option for every craving, isn’t there? You’ve got cut out sugar cookies and soft sugar cookies with frosting and then you have chewy sugar cookies, which is this recipe. If you’re in the mood for that store-bought chewy center with the perfect texture and a crispy edge, then you’re in luck because I’ve created that recipe from scratch (and it tastes better than anything from the store).
My Nana used to make me sugar cookies when she babysat me. I loved them so much: they were chewy and crisp with sugar dusted on the tops of the cookies. It wasn’t until I was 20 years old that my mom told me Nana never made cookies from scratch, that in fact her best sugar cookie recipe was from a tube of cookie dough. It was then that I decided I had to come up with this recipe so I could make those favorites from scratch.
Chewy Sugar Cookie Ingredients
- Butter: This is the backbone of any sugar cookie recipe. Always use real stick butter, not anything imitation.
- Sugar: To make a chewy cookie, it needs to spread a little more than a soft one, so this recipe uses granulated sugar, which reacts with the butter to spread more than if you used brown sugar or powdered sugar.
- Egg and Egg Yolk: The extra egg yolk adds chew to the cookies.
- Leavening: Where my soft cookies use cream of tartar to activate the baking soda and make the cookies puffy, these use baking soda and baking powder so they spread and stay soft enough to eat, but don’t stay cakey.
- Extract: Classic sugar cookies are made with vanilla extract, but you can also flavor these as you want using a bit of almond extract (or use lemon or anything you like).
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Dorothy’s Testing Notes
- The temperature of softened butter matters for this recipe. Typically, softened butter is when you press a finger into the butter the indent stays, but is not oily. For this recipe the butter needs to be just a little bit cooler, so if you press a finger into the stick you need to press with a little pressure to get the indent. If the butter is too soft, your cookies will spread too much.
- Because these are designed to spread and not be puffy and soft, a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop is recommended (otherwise your cookies will be very big).
- Chewy Sugar Cookies are done baking when they’re a light golden brown on the bottoms and look dry on top. They may look a little crackly around the edges as well.
- In every single test I did for this cookie recipe, the way I baked the cookies made them look different. Parchment Paper Cookies yielded a flatter cookie while silicone baking mats (Silpat) made a cookie that was puffier around the edges and a bit thicker all around. This is because the silicone grips the cookie dough better than parchment can.
I tested the cookies with extra sugar, less sugar, more baking soda, less…you get the idea. Every single one did this, which lets me know that the type of baking covering does matter. Both were delicious, they just look different.
Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (310g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened slightly (see note)
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper (see note).
- Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream cool but softened butter with 1 ½ cups granulated sugar until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl.
- Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Dough should be soft but not wet.
- Place ⅓ cup sugar in a small bowl. Scoop 1-tablespoon size balls of cookie dough and roll in the sugar. Place 3-inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. (These do spread, so space accordingly.)
- Bake 11-14 minutes or until edges are light golden and centers are no longer glossy.
- Cool at least 10 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool or store.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Butter note: you want your butter softened but not too much. If you have an instant read thermometer, it should be between 64-67°F. You can also press your finger in the top of your softened butter: if an indent is made with some pressure, it’s ready. If it goes in easily, it’s too soft and dough may require chilling.
- Parchment paper vs Silicone baking mat: each bake the cookies differently. Silicone holds the cookies better, producing a little less spread with thicker edges. Parchment cookies will spread more and have more cracked tops.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to make Chewy Sugar Cookies
- It’s best to whisk your all-purpose flour and dry ingredients together first so they are distributed evenly in the cookie dough.
- After creaming, the butter sugar mixture will be less grainy and fluffy and light in color.
- Once you add the eggs and vanilla the dough will be looser. (Note: my dough was brighter in color because my egg yolks were very yellowy orange.)
- You will know the cookie dough is the right temperature for baking because it won’t be greasy and there is minimal transfer when touching it.
- For the extra crunch expected on a chewy cookie, roll the cookie dough balls in a bit of granulated sugar before baking.
- Rolling the balls of dough between your palms will keep the cookies round and even.
FAQs
These are designed to be crunchy and chewy, so they’ll last in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Freeze these in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months.
These were delicious thank you!
Glad you like them!
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