Bakery Style Sugar Cookies (2024)

Hints on how to get the thickest, softest, bakery style sugar cookies. It’s the best sugar cookie recipe around!If you love sugar cookies, see all of our recipes here.

You’re about to meet the best little sugar cookie your hands will ever hold. They hold true to the same characteristics of our bakery-style chocolate chip cookies: thick, lightly crisp around the edges, but oh, so soft and chewy in the middle.

Our sugar cookies might look like an average cookie, but today we’re sharing a few hints with you on how to make the best sugar cookie. A sugar cookie that is anything but average.

Why you’ll love this bakery style sugar cookie recipe:

• Based off this chewy sugar cookie recipe and adapted it just a tad to give it unbelievable taste and texture. Yes, the recipe itself is extremely important, but the technique and ingredients are what you want to pay close attention to here.
• A unique extract used that will have everyone asking and wondering what the flavor is.
• Buttery and rich, these cookies stay soft for days.
• Freeze the dough or freeze the baked cookies. Either works!

Two Key Ingredients

To start, you’ll make a sugar cookie dough just like you would any other cookie dough. Add the ingredients into a stand mixer and mix them well. There are a couple of key ingredients that you’ll want to note.

1. What gives these Bakery Style Sugar Cookies such a uniquely fresh taste is LorAnn’s Princess Cake & Cookie Bakery Emulsion. You can find this emulsion on Amazon, or in your local Hobby Lobby and sometimes even Walmart.It is described as “light and nutty” with “citrus and vanilla undertones”. Since most everyone uses vanilla in cookie recipes, this water-based emulsion gives a different taste that everyone loves. I am always asked what kind of flavoring I use in these cookies and today I’m giving away that secret.
2. Our second ingredient secret is European-style butter. It is churned with sweet cream and has a higher milk fat content which creates cookies that are unbelievably thick and rich.

You’ll notice that the emulsion has a hint of citrus. I also add in a touch of lemon juice. Don’t worry…the cookies are not going to be overpowering with lemon flavor. It’s just a subtle, bright, fresh flavor.

How to Make Bakery Style Sugar Cookies

The basic sugar cookie dough is easy, but there are a 4 tips when mixing the dough:

1. Use room temperature butter to mix the dough. Notice it’s not “softened” butter, because I don’t want you to melt the butter at all. Melting the butter will change the texture of the cookies. Set the butter out on the counter about 1 hour before you make the cookies and you’ll be set.
2. Mix with an electric mixer and paddle attachment. This will ensure all the butter and sugar (plus the other ingredients) get creamed well.
3. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl during mixing. This is important to make sure all of the ingredients get mixed properly. Sometimes dry crumbs land on the bottom of the bowl and you’ll want to be sure to mix those in.
4. Refrigerate the dough. I know, I know. It’s not fun to wait for dough to chill, but for the thickest cookies possible, you’ll want to take the time to do this.

Let me quickly walk you through the technique of making the cookies. You’ll see that our method is similar to our other bakery style cookies.

1. Scoop the dough with a large ice cream scoop (ours is 1 1/2″ in diameter) and place the dough balls on a non stick baking sheet. You can also line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
2. Press them lightly with a glass that has been dipped in sugar.
3. Pop these pans of cookies into the fridge for at least an hour.
4. Brush the tops of the cookies with a bit of homemade buttermilk, made simply with heavy cream and vinegar. Don’t skip this step. This little trick makes the top of your cookies just perfect.
5. Sprinkle more sugar on top. Use colored sprinkles if you’d like. Perfect forshowing holiday spirit!
6. Bake the cookies at 375ºF for 9-10 minutes. Don’t over bake them. Taking the cookies out just before they turn brown ensures that the cookies will be soft and chewy for days. If you can resist eating them, that is!

If you follow all of these steps closely, you’ll end up with cookies that will rival the best of bakery cookies.

Q: We’ve shared some things that make the perfect sugar cookie for us. What is your ideal sugar cookie?

Other Sugar Cookie Recipes

I’ve never met a sugar cookie I didn’t like. Fluffy and light, thick and rich…all are necessary and good. Here are a few new recipes for you to try.