These Amish sugar cookies are crisp around the edges and ultra-soft and chewy in the middle!
This simple yet delightful recipe is so addictive, and these sugar cookies are impossible to resist!
Plus, they’re so incredibly pretty!
They’re already so elegant and dainty, but the fun part is that you can dress Amish sugar cookies up as you please.
Decorate them for any holiday or any theme during the year!
Best of all, they are ridiculously easy to make. Anyone can whip them up! No wonder the recipe has been passed on from generation to generation.
If you can’t decide on a treat to serve at your next gathering, the solution is right here. These Amish sugar cookies will be a guaranteed hit.
Amish Sugar Cookies
Amish sugar cookies are melt-in-your-mouth, chewy cookies that originated in Pennsylvania all the way back in the 1700s.
Their first documentation came from an old Amish cookbook, hence the name.
With a light golden hue, these classic cookies look simple, yet elegant. What makes them extra special, though, is the undeniably soft consistency.
The secret? A combination of granulated and powdered sugars!
The recipe is so simple, you can make an entire batch in just 15 minutes. It’s perfect for holidays, but easy enough to whip up whenever a craving strikes.
Ingredients
- Butter — For rich and flavorful sugar cookies.
- Vegetable Oil — You can also use canola or melted coconut oil
- Granulated and Powdered Sugar — You’ll need both, not just for the sweetness, but for the texture, too.
- Eggs — To bind the ingredients together and to give the cookies their structure. Be sure to use room temperature eggs.
- Vanilla Extract — To further enhance the flavors of the ingredients.
- All-Purpose Flour — Bread flour works, too.
- Baking Soda — The leavening agent that makes the cookies rise.
- Cream of Tartar — Two teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar can be used in place of 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar.
Tips for the Best Cookies
- If you don’t mind darker rather than golden cookies, opt for brown sugar. Brown sugar has a much deeper flavor than granulated sugar, and thanks to its high molasses content, it also makes your cookies a lot softer and chewier.
- Apart from brown sugar, you can also swap granulated sugar with corn or maple syrup. It’s high in fructose, which means more moisture in your cookies. Again, they won’t have that beautiful light golden hue, but the consistency will be so much better.
- Use high-quality butter for a richer flavor. This recipe calls for softened butter, but if you want extra chewy sugar cookies, use melted butter instead.
- Here’s another trick to make your cookies extra chewy: add an extra egg yolk. Egg yolks are high in fat, which makes the cookies super soft and chewy.
- You might be wondering why you’ll add cream of tartar into the dough. That’s because you’ll use baking soda to make the cookies rise, and baking soda needs an acidic ingredient to activate. There’s some neat science for ya!
- Speaking of baking soda, be sure to check if it’s still potent. Just stir a teaspoon of baking soda with ¼ cup of hot water. If it’s potent, it should bubble right up. If it doesn’t, it’s time to replace it.
- While all-purpose flour is fine, you can also give bread flour a try. It has a higher protein concentration than other flours, which, once again, yields chewier cookies.
- Sift the dry ingredients for airy, delicate cookies.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes before you form it to prevent the cookies from over-spreading.
- If you want sweeter sugar cookies, top them with a pinch of coarse sugar.
- Do not over-bake the cookies! Otherwise, they’ll be tough and brittle. Stick to 8 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. They may look under-cooked, but they’re not! They’ll set as they cool, so don’t worry.
- You can also make them ahead and freeze them before baking. Shape them into balls and freeze for an hour until frozen. Transfer the balls into a freezer-safe bag and bake when needed. Just add 1 to 3 minutes to the cooking time if you’re baking them from a completely frozen state.
- Store the cookies at room temperature for up to 3 to 4 days.
- You can also freeze leftover sugar cookies. Use an airtight container and place a sheet of parchment paper in between layers. Freeze for up to 30 days.
Decorations for Amish Sugar Cookies
There are tons of ways to decorate these dainty cookies. Here are some ideas on how to make them more fun and festive:
- Frost the cookies with vanilla sugar glaze or chocolate ganache.
- Use buttercream icing and decorate them however you want. Have fun with the different colors and piping tips!
- Roll them in red and green sprinkles for a jolly, Christmas-y vibe; or black and orange for Halloween.
- Coat them in colored sugar and have them adhere to your party theme.
Do I Need a Mixer for This Recipe?
Technically, you don’t have to use one. I mean, it’s definitely not how the Amish do it!
But still, I highly recommend using an electric mixer to combine the ingredients for the simple reason that it will make your life so much easier.
Amish Sugar Cookies
60
servings10
minutes10
minutes117
kcalIngredients
1 cup 1 butter, softened
1 cup 1 vegetable oil
1 cup 1 granulated sugar
1 cup 1 powdered sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon 1 vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon 1 baking soda
1 teaspoon 1 cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, beat butter, oil, and sugars with an electric mixer.
- Add the eggs and beat until well-combined. Stir in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Gently mix until combined.
- Drop teaspoonfuls of cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies have slightly browned.
- Transfer the cookies to wire racks and allow to cool. Enjoy!
