These soft and chewy 4-Ingredient Sugar Cookies are made without eggs or cake mix and don’t require chilling or rolling. So simple, so good! Perfect for a quick and easy dessert!
Who loves sugar cookies? They are a HUGE favorite in our house. The hubs literally could eat ALL of them in just one day.
Gina’s Recipe Rundown:
Texture: These have a soft, tender, and slightly chewy texture with a light crispness around the edges.
Taste: 4-Ingredient Sugar Cookies have a simple, sweet, and buttery flavor.
Ease: The recipe requires minimal prep, making it a great choice for beginners or anyone looking for a fast, delicious treat. It’s a no-fuss, simple recipe thatโs perfect for any occasion!
Why I love it: You love 4-Ingredient Sugar Cookies because they are quick, simple, and delicious. With just a handful of ingredients, they offer a sweet, buttery flavor and a soft, tender texture thatโs easy to enjoy.
But the recipe I have been making for nearly 20 years now always takes so much time and makes such a mess. So I was super happy to find this simple recipe in grandma’s old cookbook that is CRAZY EASY!
- Gina’s Recipe Rundown:
- 4 Ingredient Cookies
- Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
- Can I use a sugar substitute?
- How many cookies does this make?
- Can this recipe be doubled?
- 3 ingredient sugar cookies
- What is the best way to store leftover sugar cookies?
- Can I use a different extract?
- HOW DO YOU MAKE 4-Ingredient Sugar Cookies?
- Do I have to chill the dough?
- Don’t miss these other classic cookies!
- Can I use a gluten-free flour?
- How do I properly measure the flour?
- To make 4 Ingredient Sugar Cookies you will need…
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- More Great Goodies
- Eggless Sugar Cookies
As you probably know, traditional sugar cookies require you to chill the dough for several hours before you can roll it out and cut the cookies. So by the time you mix the dough, chill it, roll it out, cut it out and bake all the cookies – the better part of the day is gone.
Don’t even get me started on the time it takes to decorate all those cookies afterward. Then there’s the mess.
Sometimes I’m all for doing that because I want a certain type of cookie. But most of the time, I just want some sugar cookies, without all the mess and work.
Need a Low-Carb version? Don’t miss my Keto Sugar Cookies – just 1 net carb!
What I really love about these cookies – aside from how easy they are – is that they don’t even need frosting, unless you want to add it.
I just add a dusting of granulated sugar before baking and they are come out perfect. Super soft, super chewy without being too thin. I can’t express to you just how in love I am with these cookies.
Readers Say…
“So good! Made them today and they turned out great! What a good recipe for those with egg allergies!! Definitely will make again” – Rebecca
Here are some commonly asked questions
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
Since this recipe doesn’t call for salt and I like a hint of salt to pair with the sweetness, I like to use salted butter for this recipe. But you can use unsalted if you prefer.
Can I use a sugar substitute?
Yes, that will work just fine. I suggest a product that offers a 1:1 swap. Keep in mind that because those sweeteners are actually sweeter than granulated sugar, the cookies will then be sweeter than the original recipe.
I have not tested it with a reduced sugar substitute – I am not sure if they will hold together the same way if the dry ingredients are reduced.
How many cookies does this make?
This recipe makes about 18-20 cookies but this will depend on how large or small you make them. I rolled 1″ balls of dough for these cookies.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes, absolutely. These cookies are delicious and therefore they go quickly. So if you need more than 18 – I highly recommend doubling this recipe.
What is the best way to store leftover sugar cookies?
Once the cookies have cooled, place them in an airtight container, and keep at room temperature for up to 4 days. Ours were gone in about 24 hours.
Can I use a different extract?
Yes, I do it often. You can use vanilla extract if you aren’t a big fan of that cherry flavor you get with almond extract. Sometimes I like to do 1/2 a teaspoon of each to balance out the flavors a bit.
HOW DO YOU MAKE 4-Ingredient Sugar Cookies?
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the butter and sugar in the mixing bowl and beat until well combined.
- Add flour and extract and mix until the dough pulls together. If you are using a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, you may need to use your hands to pull the dough together. It should be smooth and not crumbly.
- Portion out 1″ balls of dough and roll them between your hands to smooth and shape.
- Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Press down on top of each ball with the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies to about 1/2″ thick.
- Sprinkle the unbaked cookies with additional granulated sugar and bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden on the bottom.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Do I have to chill the dough?
Nope! That is the best part of this cookie recipe. No chilling is required, which means that you can satisfy that craving in less than 30 minutes.
Can I chill the dough before baking?
Yes, chilling the dough for 30 minutes to an hour can help the cookies hold their shape better and result in a chewier texture. This is especially helpful if your butter got too soft or you are working in a very warm kitchen – making your dough too soft.
Don’t miss these other classic cookies!
- White Chocolate Ginger Cookies
- Linzer Cookies
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Can I use a gluten-free flour?
Iโm not sure just yet. I have been meaning to give this a try but havenโt had a chance. If you do try this, I would recommend using a 1:1 flour like this one as I donโt believe it would require additional ingredients that are typically called for when trying to make baked recipes in a gluten-free version. Please come back & tell me how they turned out.
How do I properly measure the flour?
The official way is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup & level off. This makes sure the flour isnโt packed tightly into your measuring cup, adding more than you need, as that will make your cookies too dry.
However – if you fluff your flour with a spoon, then gently scoop the flour into the measuring cup, taking care to not pack the flour – that should work for this recipe.
To make 4 Ingredient Sugar Cookies you will need…
- butter
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- almond extract
How can I make the cookies more flavorful?
You can add vanilla extract, almond extract, or even a pinch of cinnamon to enhance the flavor.
Can I decorate these cookies?
Absolutely! These cookies are a great base for decorating. You can add sprinkles, frosting, or any other decorations you like.
DON’T MISS THESE HOLIDAY E-BOOKS!
Products I love when making these easy sugar cookies…
This easy 4-ingredient sugar cookie recipe is SUPER SIMPLE and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand
OR maybe you have never made homemade cookies before, & you might be a bit nervous – but youโre going to love them. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this cookie recipe.
If you love this 4-Ingredient Sugar Cookie recipe, youโre going to love these other cookie recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
More Great Goodies
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
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4-Ingredient Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- โ cup granulated sugar + more for sprinkling
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the butter and sugar in the mixing bowl and beat until well combined.
- Add flour and extract and mix until the dough pulls together. If you are using a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, you may need to use your hands to pull the dough together. It should be smooth and not crumbly.
- Portion out 1โณ balls of dough and roll them between your hands to smooth and shape.
- Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Press down on top of each ball with the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies to about 1/2โณ thick.
- Sprinkle the unbaked cookies with additional granulated sugar and bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden on the bottom.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Great cookies! Added some icing and tasted even better.
This is a fabulous recipe! I found this recipe cuz a girl on my daughter’s lacrosse team can’t have eggs and they’re having a party today. My daughter is gf so I did use gf flour (always use 1:1) and they came out great! When using gf flour I always add more vanilla because we have found that somehow the vanilla takes away that gf taste and in this case I doubled it! I made some without sprinkles them added the sprinkles and I think the sprinkles add just that extra sugar we needed! Thank you so much for this recipe, it was really easy and I’ll definitely be making them again!
That is wonderful to hear. I’m so glad they worked out with the changes and I appreciate the tip about the vanilla. That’s great! They are certainly a favorite and my “go to” when I need a quick and easy treat for events.
My favorite sugar cookies!! Quick and easy to make.
My favorite sugar cookies!! Quick and easy to make. We add sprinkles before we baking and sometimes add frosting.
I made the 4 ingredient sugar cookies which calls for 1 cup unsalted butter 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all purpose flour. I followed the directions perfectly and I think that instead of 1 cup of butter, it was supposed to be 1 stick of butter, unless of course you want something like grease cookies! Trust me it isn’t supposed to have that much butter. I’m sure it was an honest mistake. ๐ฌ
I’m sorry to hear that. Were you using real butter? not margarine? I have made this recipe as written no less than 100 times without any issues and they are always a top requested recipe anywhere I take them.
So good! Made them today and they turned out great! What a good recipe for those with egg allergies!! Definitely will make again