The Softest Sugar Cookies Of Your Life From The Food Charlatan. Recipe

I love creating delightful soft sugar cookies using a perfect blend of ingredients like unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar. The secret ingredient, cornstarch, ensures they have an ideal texture and hold their shape. This is truly a Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe that exceeds expectations in every bite.

I’ve been working on sugar cookie recipes for years and I finally landed on the softest version ever. There’s a secret twist in this recipe that just turns ordinary sugar cookies into something next level.

I mix 1 cup of softened unsalted butter with 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until it’s light and fluffy, then add in a room-temp egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for that extra flavor punch. A mix of 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup cornstarch – yup, that’s the magic that makes ’em super soft – along with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and baking soda makes the dough perfectly balanced.

Every time I’ve tried a sugar cookie recipe, I’ve wished for cookies that hold their shape without turning into blobs after baking. Trust me, once you try these, you’ll never go back to regular sugar cookies.

Enjoy experimenting and tweaking your cookie game with this one!

Why I Like this Recipe

1. I love how the secret ingredient, cornstarch, makes the cookies super soft and gives them a really unique flavor that I haven’t seen in other recipes.
2. I appreciate that the dough chills really well so the cookies hold their shape and don’t turn into a sad blob when they bake.
3. I like how simple the steps are, even though there are a few extra tricks like letting the dough chill, it’s still easy for me to follow.
4. I enjoy the mix of both granulated and powdered sugar in the recipe which makes the cookie taste extra sweet and satisfying.

Ingredients

• Butter: unsalted butter adds richness; its fat makes cookies incredibly soft and tender.
• Granulated Sugar: provides sweetness and structure with carbohydrates that boost flavor and energy.
• Powdered Sugar: fine sugar that smooths texture and adds extra sweetness to each bite.
• Egg: acts as binder and source of protein while enhancing cookie structure during baking.
• Vanilla Extract: adds warm flavor and aroma complementing butter and sugars perfectly.
• All purpose Flour: provides structure and carbs that form the cookie’s body.
• Cornstarch: secret ingredient that lightens texture, creating unbelievably soft tender sugar cookies.
• Salt: enhances flavors in the dough without adding extra taste of its own.

Ingredient Quantities

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch (this is the secret ingredient that makes ’em super soft)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

How to Make this

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar for about 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until everything is well blended.

4. In another bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda.

5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined; be careful not to overmix.

6. Cover the dough and let it chill in the fridge for at least one hour so it’s easier to shape.

7. Once chilled, scoop about a tablespoon of dough per cookie and roll them into balls, placing them on the prepared sheet with enough space in between.

8. Gently press each ball down a little to flatten them if you like a crisper edge.

9. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until you see the edges turn a light golden color, even if they seem a bit soft in the center.

10. Remove the cookies from the oven, let them sit on the sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy them plain or with your favorite frosting!

Equipment Needed

1. Preheated oven
2. Baking sheet and parchment paper
3. Large mixing bowl for creaming butter and sugars
4. Second bowl for dry ingredients
5. Electric hand mixer (or something to mix with really well)
6. Measuring cups and spoons
7. Sifter to sift the flour, cornstarch, and dry ingredients
8. Cookie scoop or tablespoon for portioning dough
9. Spatula for mixing and scraping down the bowl
10. Cooling rack
11. Refrigerator to chill the dough

FAQ

The Softest Sugar Cookies Of Your Life From The Food Charlatan. Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• If you dont have unsalted butter, you can use salted butter and just cut the extra salt in the recipe by a little bit
• You can swap granulated sugar with coconut sugar if you wanna try something a bit different, just keep an eye on the sweetness
• If you dont have powdered sugar, you can blitz regular granulated sugar in a blender until its super fine to mimic the texture
• For a fresh twist if you are avoiding eggs, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flax with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 5 minutes before using it instead
• Whole wheat flour can be incorporated by replacing about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour for a nuttier flavor, but you might need a bit more liquid

Pro Tips

1. Make sure you chill your dough for at least an hour cuz if it isnt cold enough, your cookies might spread too much and turn out flatter or too crispy than you’d like.

2. Dont overmix the butter and sugar when creaming them together. Overdoing it can make the dough tough and take away that super soft texture everyone loves.

3. Keep an eye on your oven timer. The edges will turn light golden while the center might look a bit soft, but they firm up as they cool so it isnt a mistake if they seem underdone at first.

4. Using a cookie scoop or even a rounded tablespoon can help get even sizes, which means all your cookies bake at the same rate and you dont end up with a bunch of burnt ones mixed with raw ones.