Soft Amish Sugar Cookies - Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe (2024)

Shelly 153 Comments

★★★★★5 from 14 reviews

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These Soft Amish Sugar Cookies are hands-down my new favorite sugar cookies recipe. They’re so simple and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, you have to stop what you’re doing right now and make these!

Soft Amish Sugar Cookies - Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe (1)

Table of Contents

  • Easy Amish Sugar Cookies
  • What Makes these Cookies Unique?
  • Recipe Ingredients
  • How to Make Amish Sugar Cookies
  • Tips for the Best Cookies
  • How to Store Extras
  • Can I Freeze These?
  • More Sugar Cookie Recipe to Try
  • Get the Recipe

Easy Amish Sugar Cookies

I’ve developed quite the sugar cookie collection over the years. Looking for a foolproof Cut Out Sugar Cookie recipe? Covered! Or Easy Soft Sugar Cookies WIth Frosting? I gotcha. And if you’re looking for the BEST soft, no fuss sugar cookie recipe, allow me to introduce you to my new favorite: Amish Sugar Cookies!

This easy sugar cookie recipe is all kinds of old-fashioned and nostalgic, and I love it. The texture of these cookies quite literally melts in your mouth. It’s unreal! They’re thick and soft without being cakey, perfectly buttery and sweet – everything you want a sugar cookie recipe to be!

Soft Amish Sugar Cookies - Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe (2)

What Makes these Cookies Unique?

Rumor has it that versions of these sugar cookies have been circulating since the 1700s, when they originated with the Pennsylvania Dutch. This old-timey cookie recipe includes vegetable oil and powdered sugar in addition to butter and granulated sugar.

Healthy? Maybe not. However, this unusual combination is what makes Amish sugar cookies uniquely melt-in-your-mouth and oh-so-amazing!

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Recipe Ingredients

  • Butter: Salted or unsalted, at room temperature.
  • Vegetable Oil: Or another neutral oil, such as canola.
  • Sugar: Both granulated sugar as well as powdered sugar is what gives these cookies a particularly tender texture.
  • Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract, and not the imitation kind.
  • Cream of Tartar: Almost every Amish cookie recipe features cream of tartar, which reacts with baking soda to provide the leavening. This gives these cookies a light and fluffy rise.
  • Baking Soda
  • Eggs
  • Flour
  • Salt
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How to Make Amish Sugar Cookies

Make the Dough: Cream together the butter, oil, and sugars. Next beat in the eggs and vanilla, followed by the baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Slowly add in the flour, continuing to mix the dough until just combined.

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Scoop the Dough: Use a cookie scoop to scoop dough balls out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

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Bake: Bake the cookies in a preheated 350°F oven, until the edges are just golden. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

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Tips for the Best Cookies

  • Use a Cookie Scoop: I used my large cookie scoop to make these the perfect size and height. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, here’s the link to my favorite!
  • Don’t Over-Bake the Cookies: These cookies will only be slightly golden when they leave the oven. They may even appear under-baked – and that’s fine! Whatever you do, make sure to not over-bake these sugar cookies. You can bake out the magic. It’s a fact. Besides, they’ll continue to bake as they rest on the sheet!
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How to Store Extras

Store these Amish sugar cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Can I Freeze These?

You can freeze both the unbaked cookie dough as well as the baked cookies for up to 3 months.

To Freeze Cookie Dough: Scoop the dough balls out onto a baking sheet, and then place the whole sheet into the freezer to flash-freeze. Once solid, transfer the dough to an airtight, freezer-safe bag or container to store them. Bake the cookie dough directly from frozen, adding an extra couple of minutes to the baking time.

To Freeze Baked Cookies: Store the baked cookies airtight once they’re completely cooled. Use pieces of parchment paper to separate the layers as needed. Freeze the cookies, and let them thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to serve them.

Soft Amish Sugar Cookies - Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe (9)

More Sugar Cookie Recipe to Try

  • Amish Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cookies
  • Pressed Frosted Sugar Cookies Recipe
  • Easy Soft Sugar Cookies
  • The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
  • Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Print

    Soft Amish Sugar Cookies - Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe (10)

    Soft Amish Sugar Cookies

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 14 reviews

    • Author: Shelly
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 10 minutes
    • Total Time: 20 minutes
    • Yield: 24 large cookies 1x
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: Amish

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    Description

    These Soft Amish Sugar Cookies are hands-down my new favorite sugar cookies recipe. They’re so simple and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, you have to stop what you’re doing right now and make these!

    Ingredients

    Scale

    • 1 cup butter, room temperature
    • 1 cup vegetable oil
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 2 tsp vanilla
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp cream of tartar
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 4 1/2 cups flour
    • *optional sprinkles to garnish

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350°
    2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
    3. In your mixing bowl cream together butter, oil and both sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
    4. Add in baking soda, cream of tartar and salt and mix in.
    5. Turn mixer to low and add in flour, mixing until combined.
    6. Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) dough onto lined baking sheet. Add sprinkles now if desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges just start to golden.
    7. Allow to cool for 3 minutes on baking sheet and transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

    Notes

    recipe adapted from Taste of Home Magazine

    store airtight for up to 3 days

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 cookie
    • Calories: 249
    • Sugar: 12.5 g
    • Sodium: 158.7 mg
    • Fat: 12.9 g
    • Carbohydrates: 30.5 g
    • Protein: 3 g
    • Cholesterol: 40.5 mg

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    **NOTE** When I first posted this recipe I left out the eggs on the printable recipe as an oversight. The recipe is corrected now. Thank you so much for the emails letting me know!!**

    Soft Amish Sugar Cookies - Simple Sugar Cookies Recipe (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

    Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.

    How to make cookies stay soft? ›

    “To keep cookies soft, store them in an airtight container and not in a cookie jar,” Amanda recommends. “While cookie jars are cute, they usually don't have airtight lids.

    What makes cookies soft and chewy? ›

    Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

    Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies? ›

    Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

    Which is better, baking soda or baking powder? ›

    When to use which one. Baking soda is used in recipes that also include an acidic ingredient, such as cream of tartar, buttermilk, or citrus juice. Conversely, baking powder is typically used when the recipe doesn't feature an acidic ingredient, as the powder already includes the acid needed to produce carbon dioxide.

    What ingredient keeps cookies from getting hard? ›

    If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

    What makes a cookie more soft? ›

    Soft cookies have a water concentration of 6% or higher – moisture being the variable in texture. To make cookies crispy, add less liquid or bake it in the oven for longer to dry out the dough.

    Why do my sugar cookies get hard? ›

    If your cookies are rock hard, the site explains that it's likely due to an over-abundance of sugar, which hardens, darkens, and flattens the cookies as they bake. Bake or Break adds that over-mixing your dough can be the culprit, too.

    Why do my cookies get hard after they cool? ›

    Cookies begin losing moisture through evaporation from the moment that they come out of the oven. So it's totally normal for them to harden up a bit. Yet, this is why you need to store them in an airtight container once they completely cool or they will continue to lose moisture.

    What makes cookies turn out hard? ›

    Hard cookies: you are over mixing, baking too long, baking at too high a temperature, or some combination of these. Cakey cookies: not enough brown sugar, too much or too little egg, too much flour, maybe you used baking powder instead of baking soda?

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