Cut-Out Sugar Cookies for Decorating (Eggless)
The perfect eggless cut-out sugar cookies! This simple recipe makes sugar cookies that are just right for decorating any holiday or special occasion. They’re soft, buttery, and hold their shape beautifully after baking.
Quick Look: Eggless Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
⏱️ Prep + chill: ~1 hr 15 min
🌾 Ingredients (main): flour + butter + sugar + milk + vanilla + baking powder + salt
🗓️ Chill time: ≥ 1 hour
🕰️ Baking: 9-11 minutes
🧊 Storage: airtight container at room temp up to 3 days
❄️ Optional: decorate with eggless royal icing (instructions included)
One of my favorite holiday traditions is sugar cookie decorating. At Christmas, my family always sets aside a night to decorate together. It’s definitely a little messy, but that’s part of the fun and memory making.
These eggless cut-out sugar cookies come together quickly. Included this recipe is an eggless royal icing. This icing is perfect for decorating sugar cookies!
Remember, the dough does need a little chill time, so they hold their shape while baking. They’re perfect for Christmas but grab some new shapes to make them for baby showers, Valentine’s Day, or really any celebration.
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make cut out sugar cookies without eggs
Step 1: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add milk and vanilla. Mix together. Add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Form into 2 equally sized discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (to prevent spreading).
Step 3: Roll out dough (I prefer to do so on parchment paper). Cut out cookies and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Step 4: Place cut cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet. The parchment paper will help the cookies hold their shape.
Step 5: Bake sugar cookies for 9-11 minutes. This depends on the size of the cookie cut outs.
Step 6: Optional: decorate sugar cookies with royal icing, sprinkles, or frosting.
Why you will love this recipe
Hey there! If you’re visiting this post, you probably want to make sugar cookies for a special or fun occasion. Have you ever bitten into a decorated sugar cookie that looked beautiful but tasted bland or was rock hard? Yup, me too! That’s why I set out to create a soft and chewy sugar cookie recipe that’s full of flavor. This recipe checks all the boxes. The cookies are so good you can enjoy them on their own, or you can whip up a simple royal icing to decorate. Happy baking!
FAQ
Add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time until it’s no longer sticky and can easily roll out. You may have to pop the dough in the freezer for a few minutes if it’s been out of the refrigerator for a long time.
Be sure to chill your dough for at least 1 hour. Also, baking on parchment paper will help prevent spreading.
Once the cookies are cooled, I recommend mixing up a quick batch of royal icing (eggless). I include step by step instructions for this icing in the recipe card below. You can dip the cookies in the icing or if you want to more detailed designs, use a piping bag to decorate.
Yes! You can make the dough up to 3 days in advance. Just keep it tightly wrapped in the fridge. When ready to bake, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes so it’s easier to roll out.
Absolutely. The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. I prefer to wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. You can also freeze cookies after baking (without icing) for the same amount of time.
Christmas Cut Out Cookies without Eggs
Yes, these cookies make for the perfect decorated cut out Christmas cookies if you add eggless royal icing!
More eggless cookies
If you want a classic circle frosted sugar cookie grab this Eggless Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Frosting!
Some more well-loved eggless cookies include:
How to store cut out cookies (eggless)
Baked cookies: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days for optimal freshness.
Unbaked cookie dough: You can make the dough ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator, covered, until you are ready to bake. For longer storage, place the dough in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to three months. When ready to use, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight.
Tips for Success
– I prefer to roll out the dough with a piece of parchment paper below and on top of it. Another option is to use a lightly floured surface.
-If you’re cutting out cookies in batches, keep the unused dough in the refrigerator until you’re ready for it. This keeps it from getting too soft.
-Since oven temperatures can vary and cookie cutters come in all different sizes, keep an eye on your cookies as they bake to avoid overbaking.
Eggless Cut-Out Cookies for Decorating
Equipment
Ingredients
Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- 3 ⅛ cups (415 g) all-purpose flour *Scooped and leveled
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (12 tablespoons) softened
- 1 cup (215 g) granulated sugar
- 4 ounces whole milk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Royal Icing (Eggless)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4-6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- optional: food gel for tinting the frosting
Instructions
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- In a medium mixing bowl place flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.3 ⅛ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a stand mixer place softened butter and sugar.¾ cup unsalted butter (12 tablespoons), 1 cup granulated sugar
- Cream together on low speed until light and fluffy. This takes about 2 minutes, and I recommend scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Pour in vanilla and milk. Mix together until combined.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 ounces whole milk
- Pour in dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Divide the dough into 2 equally sized pieces and form into flat discs.
- Wrap the discs in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Chilling helps the cookies from spreading during baking.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Pull one disc of dough out of the refrigerator and place on top of parchment paper or a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness.
- Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters. You can gather the leftover scraps of dough and reroll them out for more cookies.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. You want the edges of the cookies to look set and the top of the cookies to no longer look wet or shiny. I like to pull them out of the oven just before they looked fully baked as they will continue to cook a bit while cooling.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then move to a cooling rack.
Optional: Decorating with Royal Icing
- In a medium sized bowl place, combine powdered sugar, water, light corn syrup, and vanilla. Stir together until well combined.4 cups powdered sugar, 4-6 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- If it is too runny, sprinkle in more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add an additional tablespoon of water.
- Add food gel if desired (a little goes a long way). Mix together. The more you mix this icing, the thicker it will become so you may have to add more water if it becomes too thick.
- Dip the cookies into the icing or place in a piping bag to decorate.
These baked so well. They were soft and tasty!
Do these sugar cookies freeze well after being baked but before frosting?
Hi Kate – yes, absolutely! Allow the cookies to cool completely and then place in a freezer container with the cookies separated by layers of parchment paper so they don’t stick together. You can freeze up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw the cookies in the refrigerator or on the countertop.
These turned out great for Christmas!