No Spread Sugar Cookies: Recipe for Decorating with Royal Icing (2024)

I’ve tried and tweaked a few different recipes over the years, and this recipe here has become my favorite for no spread sugar cookies for decorating with royal icing. This is the ONLY sugar cookie recipe I use now.

*DISCLOSURE:This post contains affiliate links which means that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you make a purchasefrom one of my links. I greatly appreciate your support!

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1. Introduction
2. What To Look For In No Spread Sugar Cookies
3. What Makes My No Spread Sugar Cookie Recipe Unique
4. Ingredients
7. Ingredient/Recipe FAQs
8. Assembly/Mixing FAQs
9. Baking FAQs
10. After Baking FAQs
11. Resources for Dietary Restrictions

Introduction

The base for this recipe started with the Preppy Kitchen sugar cookie recipe, however I tweaked it to my liking by adding more salt, more vanilla (and using vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract), reducing the amount of cornstarch and using both white and brown sugar.

I wouldn’t say I’m an expert on the cookie recipe development front (I’d say my expertise is more on the royal icing side) as there are definitely softer/airier recipes out there (this recipe is on the denser side). I do, however, have enough experience with baking cookies to have answers to alllll your questions (see all the different FAQ sections below).

But like I said: it’s become my go-to for a reason. The best parts about this recipe are that it keeps its shape with nice crisp edges (i.e. it barely spreads!), doesn’t need to be chilled (as long as your ingredients are the right temperature) and has great flavor (thanks to my tweaking of the salt, use of vanilla bean paste and addition of brown sugar). I use a lemon royal icing recipe that pairs incredibly well with this cookie recipe. Many have described my cookies as sugar cookie meets SweeTART. That’s a win in my book!

I also often get asked if I make any other flavors than just a vanilla sugar cookie. The answer (today) is: nope! When I first started I experimented with gingerbread and chocolate recipes, but these days as I’ve settled into content creation I only make my vanilla sugar cookie recipe.

Now enough of the preamble, let’s get to the deets on these no spread sugar cookies!

(P.S. This post is a work in progress, so please do let me know in the comments *after the reading the full post* what you’d love to see pictures of and what questions you still have! This will help guide me as I continue to update this post!)

What To Look For In No Spread Sugar Cookies

For those brand new to cookie decorating, I want to make sure you’re looking for the right kind of cookie recipe: you need a ROLLOUT sugar cookie recipe. This is different from a DROP sugar cookie recipe.

What’s the difference between rollout and drop? Drop cookies are the classic round cookies you’ll find more often (chocolate chip cookies, etc). The premixed cookie recipes from the grocery store are 9 times out of 10 going to be drop cookies.

Drop cookies are designed to spread a lot and bake with a significant dome on top. NEITHER of these qualities are ideal for decorating with royal icing. You want a recipe that spreads very little and bakes up mostly flat (that said, no cookie is ever going to be perfectly flat in my experience).

Given that, I would caution against buying the mixes from the grocery store as they’ll be quite challenging to work with. If you want to cut corners, I would suggest buying any premade cookies that are completely FLAT. I often think of those ginger snap cookies… you know what I mean?

What Makes My No Spread Sugar Cookie Recipe Unique

I use a bit more salt than usual

I like a lot of salt in my dough, which balances well with my lemon royal icing. I used to have 15 grams of salt in my recipe (which is 2-3 times more than most common recipes), but as of January 2024 have decided to reduce that to 7 grams/1 tsp. This is still on the higher end of what it typical (usually .5-1 tsp).

I made this change to better match the tastebuds of most people. Now I still prefer the higher salt content (15g), and it’s ok if you do too! But for most, I’d say go with the new amount of 7g/1 tsp.

I use corn starch

The corn starch helps to get the sharp edges on the cookies (aka the no spread part of the no spread sugar cookies). If you prefer a softer cookie, use less corn starch (but note that the edges won’t be as crisp). Alternatively, you can use more corn starch if you’d like even sharper edges (no more than 60g per single recipe).

You do NOT need to chill this dough

A lot of recipes call for you to chill the dough, which will allow it to set faster and be less likely to spread. 99% of the time I do not chill my dough (I do usually give it about 15 minutes to set sitting on the counter, which helps) and my cookies do not spread!

That said, if my butter & eggs are too warm and/or my kitchen is too hot, I will chill the dough for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator before using. In extreme cases when baking in the peak of summer heat, I will cut out the shapes, leave the shape on the parchment paper, transfer that to a baking sheet and chill in the fridge/freezer. Once chilled, I peel off the parchment paper and place the cookie on the perforated baking mat.

I roll my dough to 5/16″

Everyone has their preferred thickness, and 5/16″ is mine! I found 1/4″ to be too thin and 3/8″ to be too thick. You can say I found the goldilocks of dough thickness 🙂 No matter your preferred thickness, I always recommend using rolling guides or a rolling pin with guides. These are my favorite rolling guides.

I roll out my dough with powdered sugar

Most people sprinkle flour on their dough/surface/rolling pin when rolling out their dough to keep the dough from sticking. I find that rolling with flour adds too much flour to my recipe and makes it dry. I also use all of my dough, so I roll out a decent number of times (and you’re adding more flour every time you roll).

So, instead, I prefer to sprinkle powdered sugar. For me, this works just as well AND I don’t mess with the flour ratio. Sometimes this creates a bit of a sheen/shine on the surface of the baked cookie, which some people have assumed meant it was an underbaked cookie (which it is not). I use a small mesh strainer like this to sprinkle the powdered sugar.

I’ve had no issues with the powdered sugar making the cookies spread, but I suppose that could happen if you use too much!

Ingredients

All-purpose flour

Granulated sugar

Corn starch

Salt

Eggs

Butter (unsalted)

Vanilla bean paste

• Stand mixer in standard 5 qt or Stand mixer in 6 qt (what I have) or hand mixer (I prefer the stand mixer)
• Pans
• Pan lids (I love these for storing cookies overnight! AFTER having dried of course)
• Parchment paper sheets or Chua Cookie perforated mats – I use the HALF SHEET version 1 to fit the Nordic Ware pans (my fav!) – Use code Chua15Grace23 for 15% off your order!!! (I use the Nordic Ware half sheet with their matching lids.)
• Rolling pin
• Rolling guides (mine are 5/16”) – or you can buy the rolling pins with guides on them
• Vanilla (this is the ONE baking ingredient I splurge on): Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean Paste (affiliate link)
  • Small
  • Large
• Food scale for measuring ingredients
• Small mesh strainer to sprinkle powdered sugar

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My Tips & Tricks For No Spread Cookies Success

• Use an oven thermometer: It wasn’t until just a few years ago that I learned that not all ovens heat to the temperature on the dial. In fact, most of them don’t! That’s why I always use an oven thermometer and recommend that everyone do! If you want to go next level you can even put one in the front and one in the back as sometimes these temps can vary.
• Cream together the butter and sugar enough: You want to make sure you’ve incorporated enough air into the butter and sugar. This is indicated by the mixture turning a slightly lighter color and appearing fluffy.
• Don’t over work your dough: you’ll want to mix the dough at the final stage JUST ENOUGH. It will be done when the dough sticks to the paddle/comes off the sides of the bowl. You ALSO do not want to over work your dough as you’re rolling it out. It is for this reason many cookiers only roll out twice. I personally roll as many times as I have dough, but I make sure to barely incorporate the scraps of dough (I let the rolling pin do all the work).
• Roll your dough to a consistent thickness: by rolling your dough to a consistent thickness, you’ll make it much easier to bake your cookies evenly. I roll my dough to 5/16″.
• Use powdered sugar instead of flour to roll your dough: if you’re like me and use every bit of your dough, I recommend using powdered sugar instead of flour to roll your dough. When I use flour it adds too much flour to the dough and makes it drier.
• Roll out your dough on parchment paper: I always roll out my dough on parchment paper, which makes transferring the cookies to the pan a dream (I peel the dough off the parchment paper before transferring to the pan)! I like to use these precut parchment paper sheets.
• Bake with perforated baking mats: I find that perforated baking mats are the best for no spread sugar cookies because they give the most even bake because air is allowed to flow under the cookie. Baking with perforated baking mats can take some getting used to. Make sure you read the instructions on the product website. For example, do NOT use a scented soap to clean them and make sure ALL of the soap is cleaned off (because of the perforations soap can get caught and make your cookies taste like soap). Alternatively, you can use standard silicone baking mats or parchment paper. –> Use code Chua15Grace23 for 15% off your order!!! – I use the HALF SHEET version 1 to fit the Nordic Ware pans (I use the Nordic Ware half sheet with their matching lids.)

• Don’t over bake your cookies: every recipe is different, but I’ve found with my recipe that the cookies are done when they are JUST set on the edges and cooked through the center. A tiny bit of golden brown is usually ok, but any more and they’re overcooked.
• Flatten the cookies with a spatula after baking: this can get out an bubbles that formed while baking AND gives you a little extra peace of mind that the surfaces are actually flat 🙂

No Spread Sugar Cookie Recipe: Ingredient/Recipe FAQs

What does “room temperature” actually mean?

Many baking recipes call for room temperature butter and eggs. According to my research on the internet, room temperature dairy ingredients form an emulsion which traps air. When baking, the trapped air expands and produces a fluffy baked good. Eggs usually take about 30 minutes to come to room temperature on the counter. Butter takes 30-60 minutes, all depending on the temperature of your kitchen. You should be able to put a small indent in the butter (not too much) with a light touch. The butter should still feel slightly cool (not warm), look smooth (not greasy) and definitely shouldn’t have any melted sections.

Can I use vanilla extract (or another flavor extract) instead of vanilla bean paste?

Yes, absolutely! I prefer to use vanilla bean paste because it has a stronger taste, but you can use vanilla extract (or really any other extract flavor) in a 1:1 ratio of the vanilla bean paste (i.e. 1 tsp vanilla bean paste = 1 tsp vanilla extract).

Can I use self-rising or bread flour?

No, not for this recipe! Self-rising flour has leavening and salt. Both self-rising and bread flour have higher protein contents, which will behave differently. I only recommend all-purpose flour for this recipe.

Does the brand of butter matter?

Technically, yes. But do I buy a specific brand of butter? Not really 🙂 Higher quality butters will have a higher fat content than lower quality (which will have more water). Some bakers swear by using the higher quality/higher fat butters like Kerry Gold, but I’ve personally never used it and I think my cookies turn out just fine. Usually I buy Cabot butter, but sometimes I’ll buy something else if it’s on sale (or the store brand from Whole Foods/Trader Joe’s).

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter?

Technically, yes. But keep in mind that each brand of butter has a different amount of salt in salted butter. Typically, it ranges from 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt per stick (my base recipe uses two sticks of butter). So you’ll need to reduce the amount of added salt in the recipe if you’re using salted butter.

Why did you lower the salt amount?

I like a lot of salt in my dough, which balances well with my lemon royal icing. I used to have 15 grams of salt in my recipe (which is 2-3 times more than most common recipes), but as of January 2024 have decided to reduce that to 7 grams/1 tsp. This is still on the higher end of what it typical (usually .5-1 tsp).

I made this change to better match the tastebuds of most people. Now I still prefer the higher salt content (15g), and it’s ok if you do too! But for most, I’d say go with the new amount of 7g/1 tsp.

Should I use just white sugar or a combination of white & brown?

My original recipe calls for 200 grams/1 cup of white sugar. This is just fine! Since then I have experimented and now I prefer to use 134 g (2/3 cup) white sugar and 66g (1/3 cup) LIGHT brown sugar. The light brown sugar adds a little more depth to the flavor.

Can I use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar?

NO! Dark brown sugar has more molasses in it, which means it has more moisture. This will mess with the science of the proportions of the ingredients.

Will the clumps of brown sugar ruin my dough?

Nope! Sometimes when they end up on the very edge of the cookie they will melt a bit and mess with the nice crisp edge, but otherwise think of them as little clumps of gold 🙂

What if I live in a high-altitude climate? Do I need to change the recipe at all?

I don’t personally live in a high-altitude climate and I’ve never baked or decorated in one, so I consulted a cookie friend who does! The general recommendation seems to be to add an additional egg yolk to the cookie recipe to prevent the cookies from drying out.

No Spread Sugar Cookie Recipe: Assembly/Mixing FAQs

Does it matter if I weigh the ingredients or use cup measures?

Yes, it does! Using a scale and weighing ingredients gives you the most precise measurement of all ingredients. Baking is quite literally a science and having the exact proportions of all ingredients sets you up for success!

But, I also understand that not everyone has a kitchen scale. It is very easy to use too much of a dry ingredient by using measuring cups/spoons.

The worst culprit is flour. If you’re going to use a measuring cup for flour, spoon the flour into the cup instead of scooping out the flour with the cup.

Does it matter if I add one egg at a time or all together?

According to the smart people on the internet, if you add too much of any one ingredient at once it can “break” your batter. I have definitely found this to be the case with eggs. So while my video up on YouTube has me adding the eggs all at once, I have since revised my technique to add just one egg at a time.

Does it matter if I gradually add the flour or all at one time?

According to the smart people on the internet, if you add too much of any one ingredient at once it can “break” your dough. I’ve personally never experienced this with flour, and I’ve done everything from adding one cup at a time to adding it all at once. In my YouTube video I add just one cup at a time, but today I add all of the flour at once. My theory behind adding all the flour at once is that it mixes the dough for less time in total. If you’re going to add one cup at a time, do so pretty quickly (allowing the dough to JUST incorporate between in each cup and no more).

When is my dough done mixing?

Just like with just about any baking recipe, you do NOT want to over mix. Your dough is done when it all sticks to the paddle and comes off the sides of the bowl. If you feel like your dough should be done but it’s not doing this, chances are your kitchen is too warm and/or your butter/eggs were too warm and/or something is off in the ratio of wet to dry ingredients (maybe you used extra large eggs instead of large, or you measured the flour incorrectly…I’ve done it all!)

Should I use a paddle or whisk attachment?

99% of the time I use a paddle attachment for just about everything I do. For dough, you absolutely should be using a paddle attachment.

I don’t have a stand mixer: can I use a hand mixer?

You definitely CAN use a hand mixer, however, I personally do not have experience with this so I’m not able to give advice.

Why is my dough crumbly?

This can become apparent either while mixing the dough or even after the cookies have baked. It usually happens because either the dough was not mixed well enough and/or there is not enough liquid/wet in the dough. Double check that you added all of the ingredients correctly!

Why is my dough too dry/not sweet enough?

Chances are you used too much flour. How to not use too much flour (this will cause your cookies to be dry/crumbly/not taste sweet enough: either weigh your flour, or if you’re using measuring cups spoon the flour into the cup instead of scooping the flour out of the container with the measuring cup.

No Spread Sugar Cookie Recipe: Baking FAQs

How many cookies can I make with this recipe?

The answer to this question is going to depend on how big your cookies are AND how thick you roll them. A single batch of my dough makes approximately 18-20 3.5″ cookies rolled at 5/16″ (my perfect thickness is 5/16″, but yours might be different!)

Should I chill the dough?

Many people swear that the key to success for no spread sugar cookies is to freeze the dough. Who has the time/patience for that?? I certainly don’t 😉 The beauty of my recipe is that you don’t HAVE to chill the dough provided that your ingredients and/or your kitchen are not too warm. 99% of the time I use my dough straight from mixing. I do let it sit for about 15 minutes while I get the rest of my station set up for rolling and do my dishes, which allows the dough to set a little.

Can I freeze the dough?

Definitely! No matter how you freeze it, you want to make sure it’s wrapped tightly (in plastic wrap) so that it is not exposed to air. You can freeze the dough straight from the mixer (I would recommend at least smooshing into thinner discs so it’s easier to work with out of the freezer). You can also cut out the raw dough into the shapes and freeze the shapes. You can also bake the cookies and freeze them un-iced (I often do this with larger orders or when I know I have a lot to do at a time). It’s definitely good for a few weeks, however I wouldn’t freeze for more than a few months.

If I make the dough ahead of time, how long will it keep in the refrigerator or freezer?

You can definitely make the dough ahead of time! I would only leave it in the refrigerator for max 24-48 hours (it will dry out if left too long). In terms of freezing, I wouldn’t leave it in the freezer longer than 2-3 months. Either way, make sure the dough is VERY well wrapped and is not exposed to air at all.

I made your recipe exactly but my cookies still spread a lot: why did that happen?

I find this happens if your butter is too soft (it should just give into a thumb print). If the butter is in any way melty that’s too far! This can also happen if your kitchen is too hot and the dough starts to almost melt on the pan before it’s baked. To help with this you can chill the shapes once you cut them out or after you place them on the pan.

Should I use flour or powdered sugar to roll out the dough?

It’s really up to you! My personal preference is to use powdered sugar as I use all of my dough and roll out quite a few times. I’ve had no issues with the powdered sugar making the cookies spread, but I suppose that could happen if you use too much!

Can I use a rolling pin with the thickness rings instead of the rolling guides?

Yes, absolutely! I don’t use a rolling pin with thickness rings for two reasons. One, because when I needed one they didn’t come with 5/16″ and I would have had to order that custom separately. Two, because I work on a very small surface (hello small NYC apartment!) and the rolling guides give me more flexibility in how/where I can use the rolling pin.

Do I need a fancy rolling pin?

Definitely not! But I do recommend getting a completely flat rolling pin. Definitely not a tapered rolling pin and I personally don’t like the ones with handles. This is my favorite and the one that I use.

How many times can I roll out the dough?

This is personal preference. Some cookiers swear by only rolling out the dough twice. I personally roll as many times as I have dough (I don’t like to waste any dough), but I make sure to barely incorporate the scraps of dough (I let the rolling pin do all the work). It’s very easy to over work the dough when rolling, which is also why I prefer to use powdered sugar instead of flour to roll my dough.

Does it matter if I use plastic or metal cookies cutters?

No, it doesn’t! But I do generally prefer the plastic cutters. Quality 3D printed plastic cutters never lose their shape (unless you wash them in hot water) and they always have a perfect seam.

Metal cutters do tend to have a sharper/cleaner cut than the plastic cutters, however there is often a visible seam, they can get misshapen easily and they can rust.

How many cookies should I put on a cookie sheet/how far apart should they be?

This all depends on how big the cookies are! Generally I’d give at least 1/2″ space around your cookies until you really know how much they spread (while my recipe is a “no spread” sugar cookie recipe it does spread the tiniest bit, which is normal).

However far apart they are it’s important they are evenly spaced to allow for even air flow around the cookies. Just remember: the closer they are and the more cookies on the sheet, the longer they’ll take to bake! (And vice versa: if there are fewer cookies farther apart, they’ll take less time to bake.)

Can I bake two trays at a time?

It all depends on your oven! You’ll need to experiment with your own oven to see if it can bake evenly enough. Either way, unless you have a convection bake option, you’ll need to take the trays out halfway through bake time to switch racks and turn the trays 180 degrees to get the most even bake. I find at the halfway mark that about 1/4″ of the cookie edge should be cooked, while the center is still very much raw.

I use a gas oven that does not have a convection bake option. I do bake two sheets at a time (one rack on the highest and the second about 1/3 from the bottom of the oven) and find that with the above method it produces a good enough bake 🙂

Does it matter what baking pan I use?

Yes and no! You definitely want to use a cookie sheet (usually very large with a small rim/edge). For the best success with no spread sugar cookies I would recommend against using a darker and/or nonstick surface as they take longer to bake. These are my favorite pans. And I recommend getting the lids too!

Why is there a range of time listed for the bake time?

For my recipe I recommend baking at 375 degrees F for 8-12 minutes. How long you will need to bake your cookies depends on how accurate your oven temperature is (link to an oven thermometer), how evenly your oven bakes, what surface you are baking on (type of pans, parchment paper vs silicone mat, etc.), how thick you roll your cookies, how big the cookies are and how closely you’ve placed them together.

How do I know when the cookies are done?

Every recipe is different, but I’ve found with my recipe that the cookies are done when they are JUST set on the edges and cooked through the center. A tiny bit of golden brown is ok, but any more and they’re overcooked.

Why do I have bubbles in my dough after they’re baked?

This means that too much air was incorporated into the dough, likely at the butter/sugar creaming stage. Some air is good, but too much air in cookies will expand as they bake and could cause the cookies to lose their shape. I usually have 1-2 bubbles per pan of cookies, which seems to work out just fine 🙂 You can get rid of them by lightly flattening with a spatula when the cookies are fresh out of the oven and still hot.

No Spread Sugar Cookie Recipe: After Baking FAQs

Will my cookies stay crisp?

I believe the answer to this question depends on your royal icing recipe, but I’ll be honest I’m not 100% sure! I use a royal icing recipe that contains lemon juice, which I’m told is the reason that my cookies always soften more after the icing dries. So don’t use my royal icing recipe if you want crisp cookies! But also, as mentioned above, this particular cookie recipe does best when just baked enough (not to the browned/crisp stage).

How long do the cookies stay fresh?

I usually try to get cookies in bellies within 1 week of baking the cookies. If the cookies aren’t going to be eaten within a week, then I like to freeze them. I also always heat seal my cookies in food grade cellophane bags, which makes them last longer. I’ve had several people eat my cookies after a month on the counter and they said they’re still good! I personally wouldn’t want to eat them after a month on the counter, but good for them 😉

Can the baked cookies (iced or uniced) be frozen?

The short answer is yes! Baked cookies can either be frozen uniced (I call these “naked” cookies) or they cab be frozen iced (the icing must be COMPLETELY dry). Either way, I recommend layering the cookies in between PARCHMENT (not wax) paper in a tupperware container (unless you heat seat them like I do, then you don’t need to do this!). When you’re ready to defrost, you MUST leave the cookies in the tupperware on the container until they are fully defrosted. If you take them out too early when they’re iced the icing will melt/bleed as it defrosts. I usually give them at least 6 hours to defrost.

Here are some recipe alternatives for dietary restrictions:

• SIMPLER RECIPE WITHOUT CORNSTARCH: check out Sweet Sugarbelle’s basic recipe
• VEGAN: go to this page on my blog to purchase the Borderlands Bakery recipe
• GLUTEN FREE: I’ve never tried gluten free myself, but here are two suggestions:
  • I’ve heard that you can substitute a gluten free blend 1:1 with flour in my recipe AND add 2 tbsp butter (otherwise it’s too dry).
  • I hear King Arthur Gluten Free Flour Measure for Measure is good!
  • This looks like a good recipe to try (please note: I’ve never tried it!)

Hope you enjoyed these no spread sugar cookies! Please do let me know below what you’d love to see pictures of and what questions you still have! This will help guide me as I continue to update this post 🙂

Up next: we move on to royal icing! The next two posts will be: 1) What is royal icing? AND 2) My recipe for royal icing!

[Until then: if you’re looking for more reading, check out my posts on my introduction, my life background before cookies, how I got into royal icing cookies and all of the cookies I made before I became a cookie video queen!]

Want to try cookie decorating?

Try out one of my online cookie decorating classes!

More topics to cover in depth about royal icing:

• What Is Royal Icing: A Beginner’s Guide
• My royal icing recipe
• How to store royal icing (more detailed instructions)
• Royal icing consistencies
• Troubleshooting Royal Icing: Common Problems While Cookie Decorating
• How much icing per cookie – coming soon!
• All of my favorite tools for decorating with royal icing

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