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Amish Sugar Cookies are soft and fluffy and melt in your mouth. This vintage recipe takes everything you love about a sugar cookie but without the pain of chilling the dough and rolling it out. You’ll be snacking on these in no time!
Amish Sugar Cookies Recipe
If you’ve never heard of Amish sugar cookies before, they’re essentially the lazy person’s dream sugar cookie recipe.
Cut-out cookies require so much work while these are just a matter of scooping onto a cookie sheet and popping them into the oven. Amazing, right?
They aren’t just easier though – they also taste so much better! They are chewy and buttery with a slightly crisp edge.
You don’t even have to frost them, they’re good on their own, but I’m imagining they’d be delicious dipped into some chocolate…
Amish cookies would go incredibly well at a cookie exchange or bake sale. Maybe make them with a few other cookie recipes such as fiesta fudge cookies or sprinkled chocolate fudge cookie bites.
Why you’ll love these Amish Sugar Cookies
- Best Sugar Cookies – There are many versions of the sugar cookie but this is an amazing recipe. A drop cookie beats a cut-out any day in my book!
- Favorite Cookies – With crispy edges and a soft and chewy center, this tender sugar cookie is just perfect!
- Easy Recipe – You just need basic ingredients to make this classic recipe.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- BUTTER – Unsalted butter. Start with it at room temperature before trying to mix it.
- OIL – I’ve only tested with vegetable oil.
- SUGAR – Granulated white sugar is what I use.
- ICING SUGAR – Sometimes called powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar.
- EGG – Also start with a room temperature egg for the best results.
- VANILLA PASTE – gives your cookies a perfect vanilla taste. If you don’t have paste, vanilla extract will work as well.
- FLOUR – All purpose flour.
- BAKING SODA – for rise in your cookies.
- CREAM OF TARTAR – gives your cookies the BEST consistency! Cream of tartar prevents sugar from crystallizing into crunchiness which means you have perfectly chewy cookies.
Quick note: the first time I made the recipe, I followed the traditional method of using vanilla extract but as I tried a few variations, I found vanilla paste to be a much richer taste.
Tools you’ll need
- Mixing bowls – I LOVE these stainless steel mixing bowls! They are perfect for baking with as stainless steel yield better results when mixing milk and eggs.
- Hand mixer – Perfect mixer for when you don’t want to drag out the stand mixer (or don’t have one).
- Cookie scoop – The BEST alternative to just using a spoon since they create a perfectly round scoop of dough!
How to make old-fashioned Amish Sugar Cookies
- STEP ONE: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, oil, sugar, and icing sugar until combined. Add in the egg and vanilla extract/paste and beat until combined.
- STEP TWO: To another mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
- STEP THREE: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture; beat until combined (don’t overmix!).
- STEP FOUR: Use a cookie scoop to portion 1 tablespoon-sized scoops of cookie dough onto cookie sheets lined with silicone mats or parchment paper, spacing them 2″ apart.
- STEP FIVE: Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Can I freeze the dough?
Yes! The best way to do this is to scoop out the dough and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 1 hour. Then place the cookies into an airtight container.
When ready to bake, pop them on a cookie sheet and bake for a few extra minutes right from frozen!
Can I freeze the baked cookies?
Sure! Wait for them cool and then you can place them in an airtight container lined with parchment paper or wax paper between each layer. They will keep in the freezer for about three months.
Can I frost them?
You definitely can, but I don’t find that they need it. You can try this buttercream frosting recipe or a buttermilk frosting. Oooh homemade chocolate frosting would be good, too.
Need more cookie recipes in your life? Try these:
Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies
Italian Sugar Cookies
Brown Sugar Surprise Cookies
Reindeer Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies
Sugar Cookie Bars
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Click here to view my entire collection of cookies.
Amish Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer), add the butter, oil, and sugars and beat together until smooth.
- Add the egg and vanilla paste; beat until combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the cookie dough in 1-tablespoon sized scoops onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2" apart.
- Bake for 8 minutes, until golden.
- Remove from oven and leave the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
How many eggs?
Just one – thanks for catching me, I will fix it!
Hello what do I need to add to recipe to make cutouts for any occasion?
They are drop cookies, not intended to be rolled out.
In your Amish sugar cookie recipe could l use Almond flour instead of the white flour?
I have not tested with almond flour. Sorry I’m not more helpful!
I made these cookies for my daughter’s birthday. She wanted to make homemade ice cream sandwiches in lieu of a birthday cake. I made these as a neutral cookie base for the flavored homemade ice cream. They were DELICIOUS! Everyone loved them. I thought they almost tasted “short-bread” like, but I am not an expert. I do know that I WILL keep this recipe and make these cookies again. Super easy and delicious.
I love that idea! Thanks for letting me know & happy birthday to your daughter 🙂
Very good. soft.and flavorable
Thanks, Sharon!
Hi! Why is mine isnt getting flat??? Still shape of the scoop..even extends the time..nothing happens.. 15min now haha
How’d they turn out? They stay pretty domed. It’s so hard to tell without being in the kitchen with you.
When mixing oil butter and sugars Should I mix till smooth or just till combined. ( I made them couple times and they were perfect but just made again and the are very dense. In notes it says mix till combined and in recipe it says mix till smooth. I think maybe I did till smooth this time and that’s why they went dense
You beat the sugar mixture until smooth and the flour mixture until combined. Overmixing the sugar & butter shouldn’t result in dense cookies but overmixing once the flour is added could.
Thanks for answering my other question so fast. I have another question. Have you used salted butter ? I did use that and wondering why unsalted would be better. I’m making for grad party as neighbors loved them but now i seem to not be able to get them as melt in your mouth delicious as I did last 2 times
I generally always use salted butter because I don’t like overly sweet things but it is advised to use unsalted so you can better control the salt content.
Did you switch butter brands? I’ve heard many people lately say butter has been different in the past year. Likely higher water to fat content.
I think I used same butter. Maybe mixed too much. I’ll try again Thank you so much ! It is a delicious recipe when you get it right ? Anyone else tried unsalted and if so did you add salt ?
Yum. Is the flour all purpose?
Yes, updated to clarify 🙂
Is it possible to make these cookies using cookie cutter shapes?
No, they’re a drop cookie. I don’t believe they will roll out well or hold their shape (they’re fluffy).
Made these yesterday and Man were they a hit . So easy and a great dough to work with . I will have to make more tomorrow as they are all gone .
Happy to hear that, Sheila!