Drop Sugar Cookies

close up of a no roll sugar cookie sitting on top of a loose pile of other sugar cookies.

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It's a hard fact: most Sugar Cookies are bland and dry, and covered in frosting to mask their cardboard-ness. THIS is a fast + easy cheat recipe, that you drop on a pan just like chocolate chip cookies; you don't need cookie cutters. It has the same ultra buttery, chewy flavor of the BEST Soft Sugar Cookies. No frosting needed for these warm-off-the-pan wonders. They're packed with flavor, and are soft, bendy, and chewy. It's unique yet familiar, you are going to love it!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 190kcal

Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened (I use salted butter)
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar packed (light or dark)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt use 1/2 teaspoon if using table salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 half baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Beat the butter. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 1 cup butter on medium speed until it is soft and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through.
Add the sugars. Add 1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar and 1/3 cup packed brown sugar**. Beat well for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom halfway through. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
Add the egg and extracts. Add 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract. Beat well. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula and beat again. This is my giant spatula that I love!
Add the flour. Use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then level off the top with a knife. Measure this way to add 2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour to the butter mixture, but don't mix it in yet.
Add the salt and leavening. On top of the flour, add 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder. Stir these ingredients into the flour using your teaspoon.
Beat the dry ingredients into the butter until just barely combined, scraping the sides and bottom again. Make sure all the flour is incorporated, but do not stir too much, or you will make your dough tough!
At this point, you can chill the dough for 15-60 minutes. This makes your cookies not spread as much in the oven, but it is totally optional. I have made these cookies many times with zero chill and they work great; read on for tips to make them not spread.
Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar to a wide shallow bowl, for rolling the cookies.
Use a 1 and 3/4 inch cookie scoop to shape the dough into about 20 balls.* Roll each ball generously in granulated sugar, until completely coated. Line the cookie dough up on a parchment paper or silpat-lined baking sheet. (You can chill/freeze the pan of cookie dough at this point too, if that's easy for you, or you can skip chilling I promise!!)
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Check the edges of the cookies. The should be set and juuust starting to turn golden on the edges. The center-tops of each cookie will still be just barely turning golden. Do not over bake.
Spoon the cookies. Immediately after taking a pan of cookies out of the oven (within 30 seconds! Look alive!!), use two spoons or your fingers to smoosh each cookie in on itself, to make them rise taller in the center. The tops of the cookies will crinkle right away. This makes the cookies fudgy and tender in the center, and brings the edges in on themselves, giving them a delightful crisp without being TOO crisp.
After spooning the cookies, leave them on the pan for 5-10 minutes to continue setting up. (Or don't, and stuff one in your face as soon as your tongue can handle it!)
At this point, if you love an extra sugar crunch, dip each cookie back in the bowl of granulated sugar to coat the top and the bottom.
Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
I love these cookies as-is, slightly warm. But if you want to frost them and add sprinkles, I highly recommend my Homemade Buttercream Frosting!
Storage: Store these cookies covered on the counter for 3-5 days.
Freezing: The best way to freeze these cookies is as scooped dough balls. Prepare the cookie dough as normal. Place the scooped dough balls on a cookie sheet, not touching. Flash freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer the cookie dough balls into a ziplock freezer bag. The dough will be good for about 3-4 months. When you want to eat them, follow the instructions for baking but add about 1 minute to the bake time. Be sure to keep an eye on them toward the end and pull them out when they're just barely browned on top, so they stay soft!
To freeze already baked drop sugar cookies, add cooled, room temperature cookies to a freezer ziplock bag. You can thaw a few at a time (covered) or the whole bag on the counter for 30-60 minutes (depending on how many). Baked cookies will only last about 2-4 weeks in the freezer.

Notes

*Cookie size: You can make these cookies any size you want, as long as they are all uniform. Adjust baking times as necessary! Smaller cookies will bake faster; larger cookies will take longer. Do not over bake. If they are set on the edges but still shiny on top, that's okay, just make sure the shiny part is no larger than a nickel. This shiny part means the cookies are slightly under baked, which is an essential technique for keeping these cookies soft and chewy! Larger cookies have enough volume that a slightly golden top will still mean they are soft and underbaked in the middle.

**Brown Sugar: You can absolutely replace this with granulated sugar if you prefer, no problem. I just love a little molasses-y flavor in my cookies, because I'm obsessed 😂

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