Skip the rolling and cutting with these easy Drop Sugar Cookies! Keep them simple with a coating of sugar or add a variety of toppings for a little baking fun!
I’m a no-fuss kind of baker. I love to bake from scratch, but I prefer simple recipes. Simplifying sugar cookies is a no-brainer for me. Let’s skip rolling and cutting and detailed decorating in favor of scooping and dressing them up in fun ways! For the holiday season, I can’t resist adding some sprinkles to make them fun and festive. They look so pretty on a cookie tray!
(And, if you’re looking for more easy sugar cookie recipes to pair them with, try raspberry sugar cookies, soft Christmas sprinkle sugar cookies, sugar and spice cookies, or browned butter salty sugar cookies as well!)
Why You’ll Love This Drop Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Super soft. These sugar cookies come out ultra-soft and chewy, with just a touch of golden crispiness to them on the bottom.
- Perfect for any occasion. I love decorating these cookies with red and green sprinkles for Christmas, but you can also choose different colors for another holiday, or just eat them plain. Whatever you like!
- Quick and easy. These cookies can be made in just over 30 minutes! It doesn’t take much effort at all. If you’re just starting your baking journey, then they’re a great place to start. And if you’ve been baking for years, you’ll appreciate how easy they are to make and how versatile they are!
What Is a Drop Cookie?
A drop cookie is one that is portioned by scooping and placing the cookie dough onto a baking sheet. This is usually done with a cookie scoop or a spoon. The dough is dropped onto the pan, hence the name. These types of cookies are generally easy to make and don’t require the extra steps that rolled or cut cookies do.
Some of the most popular cookies around are drop cookies. Traditional chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and oatmeal cookies are all made this way. If you’re in a serious cookie-baking mood, check out all of my drop cookie recipes!
What You’ll Need
You’ll just need the basics to make these sugar cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient quantities and the full instructions. For now, though, here are some quick notes about the ingredients:
- All-purpose flour – For the best results, measure your flour by weight or use the spoon and sweep method. Learn more by reading up on how to measure flour.
- Baking powder & baking soda – To give the cookies some lift and to help them spread out.
- Salt – You can use table salt, kosher salt, sea salt, etc.
- Unsalted butter – Allow the butter to soften at room temperature until it holds a thumbprint when pressed, but is still cool. Learn more by reading about how to soften butter.
- Cream cheese – Let the cream cheese come to room temperature so it will mix easily and smoothly. Full-fat cream cheese works best.
- Granulated sugar – Keep it simple with white granulated sugar.
- Egg – To bind the cookie dough together.
- Vanilla extract – Almond extract is good, too!
How to Make Drop Sugar Cookies
You’ll love how simple it is to make these sugar cookies. Leave your rolling pin in the drawer; just grab your cookie scoop for portioning! Also, remember to account for the chilling time when you’re planning to bake.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Place the butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat these ingredients until they’re fluffy and lightened in color. Then, add the egg and vanilla and mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Don’t over-mix; mix just until combined.
- Chill. Cover the dough and refrigerate it. Let it chill for at least an hour, or overnight.
- Prepare for baking. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Portion the cookie dough. Using 2 tablespoons of dough at a time (I use a #30 scoop), roll the cookie dough into balls.
- Add any toppings. If you want to add toppings, roll the dough balls in the sprinkles/add-ons of your choice to coat them thoroughly. Place the cookies on the prepared pans, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
- Bake. Place one pan in the oven, and place the remaining cookie dough back in the refrigerator. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges and set in the center. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
- Cool. Place the pans on wire racks, and allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes. Then, transfer the cookies from the pans directly onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for Success
That’s pretty much all there is to it! I do have a few quick tips and tricks to share with you, though:
- Line the baking sheets. This will keep the bottoms of the cookies from over-browning and make clean-up easier! Learn more by reading up on unlined vs lined baking sheets.
- Chill the dough. That time in the refrigerator will help your cookies keep their shape without spreading too much. Consider returning the portioned cookies to the refrigerator briefly (about 15 minutes) before baking if your kitchen is especially warm or if your hands were warm while shaping them.
- Use a cookie scoop. Not only will a scoop make portioning quick and easy, it will also help ensure even baking by making all of the cookies the same size. Learn more by checking out this baker’s guide to cookie scoops.
- Reusing a pan? Be sure to let the pan cool completely before adding more dough to it. Otherwise, the cookies may spread too much and the bottoms are likely to over-bake.
- Have fun! Grab a bunch of different toppings and your favorite bakers to assemble these cookies before baking. What a fun baking project!
Topping Ideas
You can, of course, make these drop sugar cookies in their unadorned form by simply scooping the dough and placing it directly on the baking sheet. You’ll be perfectly happy and content with a super simple sugar cookie.
But, if you’ve got a hankering to add a little something, try some of these tasty toppings. (At a minimum, I like to roll them in sanding sugar or even just granulated sugar for a little extra sparkle and sweetness.) Roll the cookie dough balls in your preferred topping, and bake as directed in the recipe.
- Sprinkles – Use a rainbow mix or colors that suit the occasion. Go with nonpareils or jimmies, as they’re less likely to bleed their colors and more likely to hold their shapes. Learn more by reading up on types of sprinkles.
- Sanding sugar – A coarse white sugar is perfect for something simple, or a colored sugar works well for holidays, birthdays, and more.
- Chopped chocolate – Roughly chop up some dark chocolate bars.
- Toasted coconut – Lightly toast it, as it will toast a bit more while the cookies bake. Check out this post on how to toast coconut for more info!
- Chopped nuts – Use your favorite or a combination of nuts!
- Chopped M&Ms – These add a bit of fun to the cookies and give them an unusual look.
How to Store
After the cookies have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 3 days. Decorated cookies will likely benefit from having a sheet of parchment paper between the layers of cookies.
How to Freeze Drop Sugar Cookies
Place the cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag, layering them between sheets of parchment paper. Properly stored, the cookies should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw them in a single layer for an hour or so at room temperature.
You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough. After portioning and shaping the cookies, place them on a rimmed baking sheet, and then place them in the freezer until they’re frozen solid (about 3 to 4 hours). Place the frozen dough balls in a freezer bag or container. When you’re ready to bake, simply add another minute or two to the baking time.
More Sugar Cookie Recipes
Looking for more no-fuss sugar cookie recipes? I’ve got a few suggestions!
Drop Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces (226 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- optional toppings – sanding sugar, sprinkles, nuts, chopped chocolate, etc.
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Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until fluffy and lightened in color. Mix in the egg and vanilla.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Using 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls.* Roll the dough balls in your desired toppings. Place the cookies on the prepared pans, leaving about 2 inches (5cm) between the cookies.
- Bake (one pan at a time) for 14 to 16 minutes, or until lightly browned and set.
- Place the pans on wire racks, and allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies from the pans directly to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- *The extra step of rolling the dough into balls will help make them rounder and more uniform, but you can also simply scoop the dough and place it directly on the baking sheet.
- To store/freeze: Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
14 Comments on “Drop Sugar Cookies”
Those look amazing! I’ve just canceled what I was planning on doing… I’m marking these instead! Thanks for the recipe 😊
I hope you enjoy the cookies, Eve!
I have 48 in my freezer now that I will cook in a couple of weeks with the exception of a few I will treat my husband to later this evening. Super easy prep.
Will make another full recipe next week.
Hope you enjoy the cookies, Jeanne!
It looks like toppings have been added after baking. Just rolling the balls in toppings cant produce the topped result. So….I’m guessing you top them right out of the oven?
No, they’re rolled before baking, as you can see in the step-by-step photos and as described in the recipe.
Can you also ice these and then add sprinkles or other toppings? Do you have a favorite icing?
Hi, Sandy! Yes, you should be able to do that. For a simple vanilla frosting, try the one on Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars.
These sounded wonderful, and I followed the recipe exactly. Used a variety of sprinkle toppings. They taste fine, but came out more like a scone. They really didn’t spread at all, so they kind of resemble the rolls at Red lobster! I think I’ll go the extra mile and roll out my cookies next time. I used a scoop.
Hi, Gwen. I’m sorry you had troubles! I’ve made these cookies or a variation of them many times and not experienced what you described. If you didn’t change anything at all about the recipe, then I don’t know what could have gone wrong. It sounds like the ratios of ingredients were off in your dough, which can come down to something as simple as how you measure. I highly recommend measuring by weight for best results.
I have used this recipe many times and I actually mix the sprinkles right in the dough and make it like a confetti cookie. Everyone always looks forward to them and loves them.
I’m glad they’re a hit for you, Jill! I bet they’re so colorful with the sprinkles distributed throughout them!
This has got to be the stickiest cookie dough I’ve ever made. What a mess. Even with the chill time. Darn good thing they tasted good!
Hi, Julie! The dough is a bit sticky for me but not to the degree you described. If you didn’t change anything about the recipe and measured accurately, then the difference could be ingredient quality, humidity, or a few other factors. Sprinkling a bit of flour on your hands can help make rolling sticky doughs easier. I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies!