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
Actually I live in a Amish community, they buy their soap at the store and they are as addicted to angry birds as you and me when they get a chance. They also state that the Amish shows are fake specially Amish Mafia and they are not rue Amish on that show which I hope you knew that.
why did you post this? of course they wouldn’t admit to having a mafia.. which they do.
I tend to be a fairly healthy eater (I cannot survive a day without having AT LEAST 5 giant servings of healthy veggies), but I have a sweet-tooth, too, which plagues me terribly. So I’m always trying to balance between being healthy and letting myself live a little. I am NOT a fan of those so-called “healthy cookies” that have the texture of a roofing shingle. I want a true, indulgent cookie that is soft and delicious and tasty, and not particularly nutritious, but also not over-the-top ridiculous either. Over my many years of conducting this balancing act, I have read that you can eliminate as much as 33% of the oil in virtually any recipe and still get the same results, and I’ve also read (somewhere else) that you can replace as much as half of the oil with unsweetened applesauce. I have actually modified several recipes in my files using BOTH of those rules-of-thumb; and with great results. In fact, my amazing carrot cake recipe (which originally calls for 1-1/2 cups of oil) is actually noticeably better with 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of applesauce instead (I first eliminated 33% of the oil, taking it down to 1 cup, and then replaced 50% of that amount with applesauce). I have also started replacing half of the butter in my favorite chocolate chip cookie with applesauce, and I seriously think they are better (and considering that I’ve had at least 20 people recently tell me that my cookies are the best they’ve ever had and that they wish I’d start a bakery, I will assume that I’m not the only one who feels that way.) So, the point of this rambling is…I’m wondering if perhaps some of the oil or some of the butter in this recipe could be eliminated and/or replaced with applesauce.
Is there a way to make this without the oil? I don’t like the oil in my baking recipes. I wanted to try these but I can’t since there’s oil.
not this recipe specifically, sorry 🙁
OH YUMMM!!!! I wonder if they could be made with coconut oil instead of veg oil??
I bet that would work great!
Thank you for beautifully presenting these recipes. The photography is lovely. Can’t wait to make these cookies for son’s grad party 🙂
These look like just the right treat to fill our sad empty cookie jar. I have one question, though, could I replace the veg oil with equal amount of shortening? I’m just not feeling like going to the store. Thanks!
Could these be rolled out and cut with cookie cutter?
You could but you wouldn’t have super sharp edges as they will spread a bit!
I make these a lot. They are so delicious and addictive. I just roll them in my hands and then roll them in sugar or sugar and cinnamon. then smash them with a glass dipped in sugar. They turn out perfectly round.
These look amazing! I think these would be the perfect treat for my son to bring to school on his birthday this week! I can’t wait..Yum!
Hi….am very new to cooking and new to ur page too…i was very happy to get such a wonderful recipe.am planning to bake this during this weekend.can i ask a doubt?it may be childish. veg oil means sunflower oil and oliv oil??can i use sunflower oil??i would appreciate if u could clarify 🙂
Thank u
Yes, sunflower oil would work!