Amish Sugar Cookies
intro
Soft, melt-in-your-mouth buttery sugar cookies from Amish home baking tradition, lightly sweet with a tender crumb, ideal for sharing at gatherings and cookie swaps.
Ingredients
Steps
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 390g (3 cups) spooned and leveled all-purpose flour, 5g (1 tsp) baking soda, 3g (1 tsp) cream of tartar, and 2g (1/2 tsp) fine table salt until fully evenly combined; set aside. Do not pack flour when measuring to avoid tough, dense cookies.
In a large mixing bowl (using a hand mixer on medium speed, or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment), beat 113g (1/2 cup / 1 stick) softened room-temperature unsalted butter, 200g (1 cup) granulated sugar, and 120g (1 cup) sifted powdered sugar on medium speed for 2 full minutes until light, fluffy, and pale creamy yellow, scraping down the bowl sides with a silicone spatula once halfway through mixing.
Reduce mixer speed to low, then add 120ml (1/2 cup) neutral canola or sunflower oil, 2 large room-temperature eggs, and 5ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds until just combined, taking care not to overmix to prevent tough, dense baked cookies.
Gradually add the pre-mixed dry ingredient blend to the wet mixture, stirring on the lowest mixer speed just until no dry flour streaks remain (about 45 seconds total mixing time). Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm the dough, which prevents excessive spreading during baking.
While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) and line two rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper. Once dough is fully chilled, use a 30g (2 tbsp) spring-loaded cookie scoop to portion dough into uniform balls, roll each ball in the reserved 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar to fully coat the surface, and space them 5cm (2 inches) apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Use the flat bottom of a clean, dry drinking glass to gently press each sugar-coated dough ball down to a 1cm (1/2 inch) thick uniform disc. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle oven rack for 8 to 9 minutes, until the edges are just lightly golden and the centers look slightly soft and underbaked (they will fully set as they cool).
Remove baked cookies from the oven and let them rest undisturbed on the hot baking sheet for 5 full minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely; this resting period allows the soft, tender crumb to set without breaking. Store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Tips
2.Use room-temperature butter and eggs for the smoothest, most evenly textured dough; cold ingredients will not emulsify properly, leading to lumpy dough and cookies that spread unevenly while baking.
3.For a festive variation, add 1g (1/4 tsp) of ground nutmeg or 2g (1/2 tsp) ground cinnamon to the rolling sugar for warm, spiced flavor, or top cooled cookies with a simple powdered sugar glaze and colored sprinkles for holiday gatherings.
OMG these are SO good! I brought a batch to my church potluck last Sunday and people were begging for the recipe before I even left. The texture is perfectly soft, not crumbly at all, and the 30 minute chill time was totally manageable even with my chaotic toddler schedule. 10/10 will make again!
Made these for my roommate’s birthday and he said they taste exactly like the sugar cookies his Amish grandma used to make. Wild how simple the ingredient list is too, I already had everything in my pantry. No fancy stuff required, which is perfect for a guy who only bakes like twice a year.
My kids devoured half the batch before they even fully cooled! I rolled the edges in colored sprinkles before baking for a little extra fun, and they were perfect for our after school snack rotation. Wait, quick question—has anyone tried freezing the dough for later meal prep?
Total game changer. I’ve been chasing that perfect soft, melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookie recipe for YEARS and this is finally it. I didn’t even frost them and they were still incredible, just a little dusting of powdered sugar on top.
Nice straightforward recipe, no weird gimmicks. I added a tiny bit of nutmeg like my own mother used to do, and it gave the cookies a nice warm depth without overpowering the classic sugar flavor. Baked up perfectly even, no spreading in the oven if you remember to chill the dough like the recipe says.
Help! I followed the recipe exactly but my cookies spread way too thin in the oven and turned crispy instead of soft. What did I do wrong? 😭 I was so excited to make these for my daughter’s soccer team snack.
Made these for our neighborhood block party last weekend and they were the first dessert gone! I made a quick vanilla buttercream to frost half and left the other half plain, and everyone said both versions were chef’s kiss. So easy to throw together too, I didn’t even have to run to the grocery store for anything.
These taste exactly like the cookies we used to buy at the Amish market when I was a kid growing up near Holmes County. Total nostalgia hit! I will say, I baked mine for 8 minutes exactly and they were perfect—any longer and they get too crispy around the edges for my taste.
Super easy recipe even for a broke college kid with a tiny dorm oven! I didn’t have a mixer so I just stirred everything by hand with a wooden spoon and it still turned out great. Way cheaper than buying pre-made cookie dough from the campus store, and tastes 100x better.
So happy I found this recipe! I swapped the regular butter for dairy-free butter to accommodate my son’s milk allergy, and they still came out perfectly soft and delicious. No weird aftertaste at all, the whole family loved them. Has anyone tried making these with gluten free flour?
I added these to our weekly Sunday family dinner dessert rotation and they’re already a new favorite! My 82 year old dad said they’re better than the sugar cookies his mom used to make, which is the highest possible compliment you can get in our house.
Game changer for my weekly meal prep! I baked a full batch on Sunday, portioned them into little snack bags, and they stayed soft all week for quick grab-and-go treats for work. I was worried they’d get stale after a couple days but they held up perfectly.
These are going to be my go-to cutout cookie base for Christmas this year! I tested them last night, rolled them a little thicker, cut them into shapes, and they held their shape perfectly in the oven without spreading. Way better than the fancy cutout recipe I’ve been using for years that requires hours of chilling.
These are the perfect cookie to pair with my morning coffee, not too sweet, just buttery and soft. I keep a little jar of them on my kitchen counter now and my coworkers keep stopping by my desk asking when I’m bringing in another batch for the office.
First time ever baking cookies from scratch and these came out perfect! The instructions were so clear and easy to follow, I didn’t mess anything up even though I’m totally useless in the kitchen. My roommate thought I bought them from a bakery, lmao.
I’ve been making Amish sugar cookies for over 50 years and this recipe is spot on. The ratios are exactly right, the texture is perfect, and it doesn’t cut corners with weird modern shortcuts. I taught my teen granddaughter to make these last weekend and she had a blast, no complicated steps to confuse a new baker.
Made a double batch for our college football tailgate last Saturday and they were a huge hit. I packed them in a big tin and they traveled really well, no breaking or getting smushed in the cooler on the drive to the stadium. Way easier to transport than frosted cupcakes or messy bars.
I was a little worried the dough chilling step would be a hassle but 30 minutes is nothing! I used that time to clean up my mixing bowls and preheat the oven, so it didn’t add any extra time to my evening at all. The cookies came out so buttery and soft, I ate three straight off the baking sheet oops.
Sold 4 dozen of these at our school bake sale last week in under 20 minutes! I priced them at a dollar each and people were coming back for seconds and thirds. Total moneymaker for the PTA, I’m already planning to make another batch for the next sale next month.
I added a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste instead of regular vanilla extract and it gave the cookies such a rich, deep vanilla flavor that was chef’s kiss. Even without any frosting or extra toppings, they taste fancy enough to serve at a dinner party but easy enough to make on a random Tuesday night.