Amish sugar cookies are soft, buttery sugar cookies with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s hard to resist! They’re super simple to make without any chilling. Think of these as a no-fuss alternative to classic cut-out sugar cookies!
Why I Love Amish Sugar Cookies
Old-fashioned Amish sugar cookies are one of my favorite cookie recipes. They’re soft-baked and buttery, made with a combination of vegetable oil, butter, powdered sugar, AND granulated sugar, for a texture that (literally) melts in your mouth. Versions of Amish sugar cookies have been circulating since the 1700s when they originated with the Pennsylvania Dutch. But here’s what makes this recipe the best:
- Soft-baked. I love that these cookies bake up thick and soft without being cakey, and they’re not too sweet, either.
- Easy to make. Amish sugar cookies are drop cookies with zero chilling time. You don’t even need to roll out and cut the dough. Just mix and drop the dough onto a baking sheet, and bake!
- Perfect for any occasion. Whether I’m baking these soft sugar cookies throughout the year or during the holidays, they’re always a hit! Amish sugar cookies are an old-timey, classic cookie recipe that looks great on a Christmas cookie platter.
If you love homemade sugar cookies and the melt-in-your-mouth texture of meltaways and Snickerdoodle cookies, wait until you try this Amish sugar cookies recipe.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The combination of ingredients sets Amish sugar cookies apart from other sugar cookie recipes. Below are some quick notes on what you’ll need to grab from the pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card after the post for a printable list.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted, at room temperature.
- Vegetable Oil – Or another neutral oil, such as canola.
- Sugar – The secret to Amish sugar cookies’ tender texture is the combination of granulated sugar and powdered sugar in the dough. If you don’t have powdered sugar, blitz granulated sugar in the blender to make a smooth powder.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract, and not the imitation kind.
- Cream of Tartar – Almost every Amish cookie recipe features cream of tartar. Similar to snickerdoodles, cream of tartar gives these cookies a light and fluffy rise and a hint of tang.
- Eggs – Bring these to room temperature, too.
- Dry Ingredients – Your baking essentials, like flour, salt, and baking soda for leavening. Check the date on your baking soda to make sure it’s fresh and not expired.
How to Make Amish Sugar Cookies
These are drop cookies, meaning that all you need to do is mix the dough before you scoop the cookies out onto a sheet to bake. It’s super easy and you can have them ready for the oven in minutes. Follow the steps below to make perfect Amish sugar cookies, and scroll down to the recipe card for the printable recipe directions.
- Prepare the cookie dough. Start by creaming the butter and oil with both types of sugar. Next, add the eggs, vanilla, and dry ingredients. Mix until the dough is just combined.
- Scoop! Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the dough into balls. Place the cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake. Finally, bake the sugar cookies in a 350°F oven for 10-12 minutes, until they’re golden at the edges. Afterward, let them rest on the baking sheet for a bit before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Make the Cookie Dough Ahead
If you’d like to prepare your Amish sugar cookie dough in advance, I recommend freezing. Scoop the dough balls onto a baking sheet, and place the whole sheet into the freezer to flash-freeze. Once solid, transfer the cookie dough to an airtight, freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake the cookies directly from frozen, adding an extra couple of minutes to the baking time.
Tips and Variations
- Use a cookie scoop. I use my large cookie scoop when portioning the dough. It makes each cookie the perfect size and height.
- Don’t overbake. These Amish sugar cookies will only be slightly golden when they leave the oven. They may even appear underbaked, and that’s fine! The cookies finish baking while they rest on the cookie sheet. Whatever you do, make sure not to overbake these cookies. You can bake out the magic (by magic, I mean their irresistibly soft, tender texture).
- Use brown sugar. For a variation of this recipe made with brown sugar, check out my Amish cinnamon brown sugar cookies.
How to Store
- At room temperature. Store these Amish sugar cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freeze. Once these cookies have completely cooled, you can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Use pieces of parchment in between layers. Thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to serve.
More Sugar Cookie Recipes
Amish Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 24 large cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Amish
Description
Amish sugar cookies are rich, buttery sugar cookies with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s hard to resist! They’re super simple to make without any chilling.
Ingredients
- 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
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In your mixing bowl cream together butter, oil and both sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Add in baking soda, cream of tartar and salt and mix in.
- Turn mixer to low and add in flour, mixing until combined.
- 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.
- 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
Holy cow, these are awesome!!! Decided to make them for Valentine’s Day but now I’m thinking they won’t last that long in our house. Great recipe as usual 🙂
Just made these this weekend, and they turned out great! Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Shelly! These cookies look and sound perfect. I plan on making these for a shower I’m hosting on Sunday. Can I make the dough two days in advance and then either freeze or refrigerate them for two days until I’m ready to bake? Thanks!!
I had high hopes for these cookies. When I saw the recipe and how pretty they are, I was hoping to have finally found my “go-to” sugar cookie recipe to use for many years to come. I was sadly disappointed. I agree that they are “melt in your mouth”, but only because they crumble so easily that they practically turn to powder form as soon as you put them in your mouth. I have made cookies many times and never had any turn out quite like this. They had good flavor and were easy to prepare, but I think I will continue my search for a good sugar cookie recipe.
then you did it wrong..
I am in search of a perfect treat to put in little cellophane bags tied with a brown and turquoise ribbon. I’m planning to hand them out with my new Spring catalog. Does your creative mind have any ideas for me??:))
Drool. Darn diet.
Making these as we speak! Omg! How could I not!? They look so yummy. Btw, I make a mess with sprinkles all the time. Always finding a sprinkle later that I forgot to clean up. 🙂
I made these a day or so after your post, AMAZING. The guys at work at themselves into a coma. My daughter doesn’t eat chocolate, peanut butter or nuts, my son eats all of them so finding a cookie they both love is great. I added chocolate chips to a few. Until we bake again!!!
Omigosh! I’m baking off my last sheet of these right now, and of course I’ve already sampled the cooled ones. These cookies are CRAZY good. They are legit the best sugar cookies I’ve ever had. Thank you for sharing the recipe with us! 🙂
I LOVE this! SO glad you like them!
Do you sift the powdered sugar?
Nope, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt!