Small Batch Classic Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
A small batch of classic cut-out sugar cookies that are soft and buttery with balanced sweetness and a rich hit of vanilla bean paste. The dough is easy to roll, cuts with clean edges, and bakes without spreading — exactly what you want when finishing with royal icing. It’s a reliable, smaller-portion sugar cookie recipe that’s easy to double and perfect for holiday decorating festivities.
Decorated Sugar Cookie Rundown
- Yield: 12 Cookies (easy to double)
- Total Time: 2 hours, 27 minutes (includes 2-hour chill)
- Flavors: Rich butter, deep vanilla from vanilla bean paste, mellow sweetness.
- Texture: Soft cookies with a melt-in-your-mouth finish.
- ✨Why Bake These: Dependable small batch classic dough that tastes great, handles cleanly, and bakes into cookies ready for decorating, gifting, or packing into holiday tins.
These are the sugar cookies you break out for marathon Christmas (or any holiday) decorating sessions. They bake with flat tops, keep their shape, and taste better than any store-bought version. Need a gluten free version? My small batch almond flour sugar cookies will do the trick.
They started as a sort of backwards adaptation from my pumpkin spice small batch cookies. Usually, you start with a classic flavor like vanilla and evolve it from there. But I always seem to go fancy first. The dilemmas of a self-taught baker, I suppose. 🙂
But these aren’t your typical sugar cookies. The small batch of 12 yields super-soft cookies that are punctuated in flavor with vanilla bean paste. In my opinion, the only way to make sugar cookies.
A few practice batches revealed some small-but-mighty tips for making the best sugar cookies, which I’ll dive into next.
How to Make Sugar Cookies That Hold Their Shape
When you break it down, the mixing and baking take less than 30 minutes — the rest of the time is hands-off chilling. Chilling is non-negotiable here; it keeps the butter firm and prevents the dreaded cookie spread.
Cream the butter and sugar first, then add the egg yolk and vanilla bean paste. 
Add a little cornstarch with the dry ingredients to keep the cookies soft.
Mix the dough until thick and sticky. Add a little milk as needed to form the dough. Roll the dough out before chilling, directly on the parchment paper, and cut your shape.
My Pro Tips
- Shop around for vanilla bean paste. If you’re concerned about the price (I was), I found mine at Sam’s Club for a fraction of the price I’ve seen online and at the grocery store. You can imagine the value.
- The cookie dough needs a little extra moisture. But not enough to warrant a full egg. No matter how I tried in testing, the only way to take the dough from crumbly to pliable was to add some milk.
- Roll and cut the dough first. If you’ve ever tried rolling out rock-hard cold dough, you know why this works — no cracking, no crumbling, no wrestling match. Then you just chill the whole sheet until ready to bake.
Decorating Your Cookies
After a quick bake and cool, the cookies are ready to be dressed for the holidays. I’ve provided a simple royal icing recipe that I make with marshmallow cream. Yum, I know. I even use it in the cookies for my crispy marshmallow sugar cookie recipe.
The cream actually does more than just add fun flavor to the icing. It will make it light and fluffy, and it dries shiny. Even better, it will harden, which is a must for royal icing.
And don’t judge my I’m not starting a cookie decorating class anytime soon expertise. Even with my creative background and authority, I keep the decorations pretty simple.
Did You Make It? Let’s Hear About It!
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If the buttery vanilla flavor won you over, drop a comment and star rating below! Your feedback helps more bakers discover the recipe. And my awesome cookie-decorating skills. 😉
Small Batch Classic Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
by Erin Cernich
This recipe may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie Cutters
Ingredients
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons (72 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- 1 cup, plus 1 tablespoon (132.8 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 to 4 teaspoons milk, any kind
Vanilla Marshmallow Royal Icing
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon marshmallow cream (optional)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, any kind
Instructions
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Use a hand mixer and beat on medium-high speed until the butter is creamy – at least 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until well combined. Note – See below for using your stand mixer.6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Sift the flour, corn starch, baking powder, and salt over the top of the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until a crumbly dough starts to form.1 cup, plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon corn starch
- Add the milk 1 teaspoon at a time until a dough ball forms – it will pull away from the sides of the bowl, feel dry yet sticky. Depending on the temperature and humidity, you may need more milk. Note – If you add too much milk, you will need to flour the top of the dough when you roll it out to keep it from sticking to your rolling pin.2 to 4 teaspoons milk, any kind
- Form the dough into a ball with your hands and place it on the parchment paper from one of the prepared baking sheets. Roll the dough to almost 1/4-inch thick. Place back onto the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
- Remove the baking sheet from the fridge and use a cookie cutter to cut out your shapes. Save the scraps to re-roll. Bake the cookies for 12 to 13 minutes or until the bottom edges start to turn light golden. The longer you bake the cookies, the crisper they will be. Note – I find I don't need to flour the dough or parchment. However, if your dough is sticking to your rolling pin, lightly flour the top.
- While the first batch of cookies is baking, re-roll the dough scraps onto the second piece of parchment paper, place back onto the baking sheet, and cut out your shapes. Loosely cover and refrigerate until ready to bake – again, for 12 to 13 minutes.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet(s) set on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Marshmallow Royal Icing
- Once the cookies are cool, make the icing. In a small mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar and marshmallow cream. Use a hand mixer and beat on low speed until the sugar is moistened – it will be clumpy.1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon marshmallow cream
- Add the vanilla, salt, and milk, 2 teaspoons at a time, and mix on medium-high speed until a creamy icing develops and reaches your desired consistency. Tip – The marshmallow cream requires more milk/liquid than traditional royal icing. It will make the icing shiny and add flavor. You can opt not to use it; you just won't need as much liquid.1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, any kind
Notes
- Serving Size – This is a small batch recipe that can be doubled. I recommend 2 egg yolks for a double batch.
- Yield – The number of cookies in your batch will depend on how thick you roll out your dough and the size of your cookie cutters.
- Corn Starch – I add this to make the cookies lighter and more tender. You can omit it and replace it with a tablespoon of flour.
- Dough Consistency – Sugar cookie dough is supposed to be thick, dry, and a little sticky. As you mix it, it will probably be crumbly, which is ok! Add milk a little at a time until a dough ball forms.
- Rolling the Dough – I find it is easier to roll the dough on a piece of parchment paper before chilling it. However, you can form the dough into a disc, wrap it, and chill. You will just need to bring it out of the fridge a few minutes before you plan to roll it, so it is easier to roll.
- Stand Mixer – You can use your stand mixer, and will have to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times as the butter will stick. Or, use your standard mixer and attachment with a smaller, 3-quart mixing bowl!
- Baking Tip – I prefer baking one baking sheet of cookies at a time. For an even bake, and not worry about rotating baking sheets in the middle of baking.
- Crispy Cookie – For a crispier cookie, bake for a couple of extra minutes.
- Marshmallow Royal Icing – The icing will set hard, which makes it great for stacking and shipping the cookies.
- Storage – Cover and store the cookies at room temperature for up to one week.
- Freezing Cookie Dough – The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in a freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Freezing Baked Cookies – Baked and decorated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Either in a Tupperware or gently placed in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition Estimates
About the Author …
Hi, I’m Erin! With years of experience baking for two in my own small household, I know about the love for desserts without the leftovers. I’ve tested, written, and photographed every one of the 300+ recipes on my website. And even had some of my desserts featured on Taste of Home, The Spruce Eats, ELLE, Parade, and more! From traditional to gluten free desserts for two, I have the recipe for you.
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