Amish Sugar Cookies
intro
Soft, melt-in-your-mouth old-fashioned sugar cookies with a delicate, tender crumb, a beloved Amish community staple perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
Steps
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 315g (2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, and ¼ teaspoon fine table salt until fully combined, about 30 seconds. Set the dry ingredient mixture aside.
In a large mixing bowl (using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed), cream 113g (½ cup) softened unsalted butter, 200g (1 cup) granulated sugar, and 60g (½ cup) powdered sugar together for 2 minutes until light, fluffy, and pale ivory in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula halfway through mixing.
Reduce mixer speed to low, then add 120ml (½ cup) neutral canola oil, 2 room-temperature large eggs, and 5ml (1 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract. Mix on low speed for 1 minute until the batter is fully smooth, taking care not to overmix to avoid tough cookies.
Gradually add the reserved dry flour mixture to the wet batter, mixing on the lowest mixer speed only until no dry flour streaks remain, about 45 seconds. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to prevent excessive spreading during baking.
While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper. Place the reserved 65g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar in a small shallow dish. Once dough is chilled, scoop 2-tablespoon (30g) portions, roll each into a smooth ball, coat fully in the granulated sugar, and place 5cm (2 inches) apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake one sheet at a time on the middle oven rack for 8 to 9 minutes, until cookie edges are just set and pale golden (centers will look slightly puffy and underbaked). Let cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes to set, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely, as they will firm up as they cool.
Tips
2.Use room-temperature butter and eggs: Cold ingredients will not cream properly to create a light, fluffy batter, leading to dense, tough cookies instead of the signature tender crumb.
3.Never skip the 30-minute dough chill: Warm, unchilled dough spreads too quickly in the hot oven, resulting in thin, flat, crispy cookies instead of the classic thick, soft Amish sugar cookie texture.
OMG these are SO good! I brought them to my church potluck last Sunday and people were begging for the recipe before I even left. They stay soft for DAYS, which is a total game changer compared to the sugar cookies I usually make that turn crispy after 24 hours. 10/10 will make every holiday from now on!
Super easy recipe even for a guy who barely bakes! I messed up and added a little extra vanilla by accident and they still turned out amazing. My roommates devoured half the batch in 10 minutes.
These look incredible! Has anyone tried making these with a 1:1 gluten free flour blend? I’d love to make them for my daughter’s birthday party but she has a wheat allergy.
My kids loved it! I let them help roll the dough in colored sugar before baking and they were so proud to serve them to their grandparents when they came over for dinner last night. The texture is perfectly chewy, not cakey at all which is exactly what I want in a sugar cookie.
Meal prepped these for my study group this week and they’re the perfect pick-me-up during late night exam cram sessions. Not too sweet, super soft, way better than the grocery store cookies I usually buy. Total win for a broke college student since all the ingredients are pantry staples.
I added a tiny bit of almond extract to the dough and rolled them in cinnamon sugar for a little twist, and oh my gosh it’s chef’s kiss. These are way softer than the old sugar cookie recipe my grandma passed down, don’t tell her I said that 😂
Made these for a post-hike snack with my trail group last weekend and they held up perfectly in my backpack even on a warm day. No crumbs, no weird melting, just that perfect soft bite everyone wanted more of. Easy to make, easy to transport, new go-to cookie for all my outdoor trips.
Help! I followed the recipe exactly but my cookies came out totally flat. What did I do wrong? I was so excited for these, they looked so good in the photos 😭
Game changer for office birthday treats! I’ve been searching for a sugar cookie that doesn’t get rock hard by the time I bring them in, and these fit the bill. My coworkers kept stopping by my desk all afternoon to say they were the best cookies they’d had all year.
Wait — are these good with frosting? I usually top my sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting for holidays, but I don’t want to cover up the flavor if these are perfect on their own.
Made these with my teen daughter for her soccer team snack and the whole team was asking when I’d bring them again. Even the coach asked for the recipe. Super straightforward, no fancy steps, which is perfect for me since I don’t have a ton of time to mess around with complicated baking projects.
I was so weirded out by the sour cream in the ingredient list, y’all. I almost skipped this recipe because of it, but I trusted the process and holy cow, that’s what makes them so soft! I’ll never make sugar cookies without sour cream again. Mind = blown.
Can these cookie dough balls be frozen to bake later? I love keeping frozen cookie dough on hand for last minute guests and was wondering if this recipe holds up to freezing.
Toddler approved! My 2 year old is the pickiest eater on the planet and he ate three of these in one sitting, then tried to steal his dad’s cookie too. The texture is soft enough that he can eat them without making a huge mess, which is a total win for this tired mom.
I browned the butter before mixing it in and let it cool, and it added such a nutty, cozy flavor to these cookies that was insane. If you’re feeling a little fancy, don’t sleep on that tweak! It takes an extra 5 minutes but it’s so worth it.
I brought these to my neighborhood block party last weekend and they beat out Linda from down the street’s famous lemon bars for the most popular dessert. Linda’s been giving me the cold shoulder ever since, but honestly it’s worth it, these cookies are that good. Worth making a neighbor enemy over tbh 😂
I don’t have a stand mixer, I just mixed these by hand with a wooden spoon and they still turned out perfect! I was worried I’d overmix or undermix, but the dough is super forgiving. Great recipe for people who don’t have fancy baking equipment.
These are perfectly sweet! I usually cut the sugar in most cookie recipes by 25% because they’re too cloying for me, but I followed the sugar measurement here exactly and it’s just right. Not too sugary, just that perfect buttery vanilla flavor I want in a sugar cookie.