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10 Tips – Roll Perfect Sugar Cookies

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Cookies look best when they are cut perfectly. But not all cookie dough is easy to manage. Some spread out with thin edges, which can be a nightmare when decorating, especially with royal icing. Some puff up and have air pockets and can’t be used for decorating. 
These 10 tips will help you roll perfect sugar cookies every single time.

A stack of sugar cookies on a table.
10 Tips to Rolling Perfect Sugar Cookies Every Single Time

Those of you that bake cookies often know how frustrating it can be when your cookie dough is soft and you need to move it around. The fear of losing that shape when moving the cookies from the working board to the cookie. Now multiply that if you live in a hot and humid place like me. I know!!

I’ve baked and decorated my fair share of cookies. And I can tell you that these 10 tips to roll perfect sugar cookies every single time come from experience and a lot of trial and error.

You can use the tips below with a sugar cookie recipe including my sugar cookie recipes – (don’t worry I have linked them for you at the bottom of this post again)

Use this no-spread gingerbread dough to decorate sugar cookies this ChristmasNO Spread Gingerbread Sugar Cookies16
A stack of vanilla sugar cookies on a table.No Chill Vanilla Sugar Cookies19
Two stacks of gluten-free sugar cookies on a table.Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Rice Flour Sugar Cookies1
A stack of different shaped vanilla sugar cookies on a table.No Spread Vanilla Sugar Cookies9

How to roll and cut cookies perfectly

1. Prepare your cookie dough as per recipe.

2. Wrap sugar dough in plastic/cling wrap and form a disc. Let set in the fridge for a while until almost firm but not hard.

Cookie dough wrapped in plastic.
10 Tips – Rolling Sugar Cookies Perfectly Every Single Time

3. Use a rolling pin with spacers to ensure even thickness.

Tip – If you do not have a rolling pin with spacers – it’s OK too! Just roll the cookie dough with your regular rolling pin. But cut the cookies an inch away from the outer edges. Why? The normal tendency when trying to roll the dough is the outer edges are thinner than the center.

Rolled cookie dough.
10 Tips – Rolling Sugar Cookies Perfectly Every Single Time

4. Most cookies use a ¼ inch or 60 mm thick spacers as a guide. Cut cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking tray.
Tip – If the cookie dough is soft – do not cut the cookies yet. Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking tray and chill the cookie sheet for 10 minutes.

5. And, if you live in hot and humid weather – always roll cookie dough between two sheets of parchment papers and chill it.

Rolled cookie dough.
10 Tips – Rolling Sugar Cookies Perfectly Every Single Time

6.  Cookies with kids or freezing cookie dough.

  • Chilling cookie dough between two parchment papers makes a great way to manage cookie projects with kids. Kids love to handle cookies and the chilled dough helps keep the shapes.
  • Freezing cookie dough between two parchment papers is also a great way to prepare huge batches of cookies. If you need large batches of cookies for a project, instead of doing them all on one day – just divide the workload so you can bake them closer to the date you need them.

Tip – Peel off both the papers and release the sheet of dough from the parchment paper first. Its easier to release the sheet from the whole disc as compared to individual cookies.

Rolled cookie dough.
10 Tips – Rolling Sugar Cookies Perfectly Every Single Time

7.  If necessary, chill the cookie sheets for a few minutes to firm. Once the sheets are firm, cut out the shapes.

Unbaked sugar cookies on a baking tray.
10 Tips – Rolling Sugar Cookies Perfectly Every Single Time

8. Press the cookie cutter into the dough, lift out and clean the edges. A gentle push will release the shape out.

9. Shapes are easier to handle when they are firm. They can be moved around from workspace to baking sheets without losing shape.

Gingerbread cookies on a wooden board.
10 Tips – Rolling Sugar Cookies Perfectly Every Single Time

10. Cookies bake best when cold, the chilled butter prevents them from spreading too much. So, chill cookies while you preheat the oven.

If you have to make cookie pops, insert the stick into the chilled cookie just before baking – this will ensure you do not distort the cookie shape.

Tip –  I dip my cookie stick in egg white. Place my hand on the cookie as shown and slide the stick right under the cookie. Because the dough is cold it won’t lose shape. The egg white helps the cookie stick slide easily but most importantly sticks to the cookie-like glue.

This was this week’s – Tip Thursday

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10 Tips How to Roll and Cut Cookies Perfectly

Now, these tips work for all cookie dough. Even the ones that do not need rolling. Chill your dough before forming the shapes as well as before you bake them. I promise you will be a happy cookie baker.

Snowflake Christmas cookies.
10 Tips How to Roll and Cut Cookies Perfectly

Best timeline for decorating cookies

One of the things we like to do is start a project and expect to get done with it in one go. Start to finish. Often, that attitude makes us compromise on time that a project needs. In this case, it’s the chilling time. However, if you plan your project a little in advance you will find that you not only complete your project on time but do a great job with it, and most importantly, have fun doing it.

So don’t start the project last minute.

  1. Prepare your cookie dough – divide into two or three, wrap in cling wrap and leave in the fridge. Go on with your day. Find something else to do. Get a cup of coffee.
  2. Roll cookie dough onto sheets of parchment paper – if you enjoy good weather – cut them out and place them on a cookie sheet or chill the sheets first then cut them later.
    You can doublestack cookies between parchment papers to save space and trays in the fridge. Let cookies chill before you bake.
    Most rolled cookies can stay in the fridge for up to two days if wrapped well. So no haste, bake them when you have time.
  3. Always bake cookies when you can give it the attention it needs and with a kitchen timer on hand.
    A rule of thumb for me – never trust yourself when it comes to baking cookies. They bake so fast that often that one extra minute can ruin all your hard work.
    So, preheat the oven – when you place the first tray input the timer for 10 minutes – often cookies bake at 10 or 11 minutes if cut at the thickness of 1/4 inch.
  4. Remove, cool on the rack and then store well in a cookie jar. Never leave cookies out too long after they are cooled – store them in a cookie jar so they stay crisp and don’t dry out.
Cookies decorated to look like lady shoes.
10 Tips How to Roll and Cut Cookies Perfectly

The Best Sugar Cookies Recipe

This sugar cookies recipe has a classic taste, crispy texture, and perfect sweetness. This recipe uses less sugar and butter than other recipes, but the end result is a soft, fluffy, tasty sugar cookie that’s just as pleasing to the palate.
Check out this recipe
A stack of sugar cookies.

Eggless Vanilla Sugar Cookies

These eggless vanilla sugar cookies are light, airy with a shortbread texture that melts in the mouth. Perfect cookies to decorate with frosting or snack with a cup of coffee.
Check out this recipe
Stack of vanilla sugar cookies on the table

The Best Chocolate Sugar Cookie Recipe

his recipe produces perfect no-spread chocolate sugar cookies. What’s the secret? No leavening and chilling the dough well before cutting. These are quick and easy to prepare, and most of all delicious.
Check out this recipe
A stack of sugar cookies on the table.

Eggless Chocolate Sugar Cookies

These rich, dark and delicious eggless chocolate sugar cookies are an addiction. With their light and fluffy texture combined with the dark chocolate that just melts in the mouth. A simple, easy and effortless recipe that will have you making these more often than you plan.
Check out this recipe
A stack of chocolate cookies on a table.

No-Spread Sugar Cookies

If you are looking for the best no-spread sugar cookie that bakes perfectly every single time, this is it!! These cookies do not spread no matter what the shape. They are soft and chewy with a shortbread texture that melts in your mouth. A simple and easy recipe with just 5 ingredients, 5 minutes to mix, and 10 minutes to bake.
Check out this recipe
Sugar cookies that do not spread on a black board.

No Chill Sugar Cookies

This is one of my favorite sugar cookie dough recipes because they are my no-spread, no-chill sugar cookies. Soft, chewy cookies made with just four main ingredients that take 10 minutes to prep, 10 minutes to cut shapes, and 10 minutes to bake.
Check out this recipe
Cookies spread on a table.

Gingerbread Sugar Cookies

Do you want sugar cookies with a wonderful gingerbread flavor? Then these gingerbread sugar cookies are for you. While they are delicious on their own they are also the perfect canvas to decorate with royal icing or fondant.
Check out this recipe
fondant decorated sugar cookies on a table

Rice Flour Sugar Cookies (naturally gluten-free)

These rice flour sugar cookies are also gluten-free sugar cookies because rice flour is naturally gluten-free. Also, the recipe has no eggs, so the color of these cookies is white. As kids, we called them 'snow white cookies'. Just like sugar cookies, these rice flour sugar cookies are crisp and crumbly. They hold their shape well and can be used to make beautifully frosted cookies.
Check out this recipe
A stack of gluten-free sugar cookies on a table.

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3 Comments

  1. Hi, `I’m going to try this recipe, it looks perfect. Ive got 500 cookies to make so hopefully
    your recipe will work for me. Can I make gluten free cookies with this recipe substituting all purpose flour for gluten free? Thanks for recipe. Paula

    1. Thanks Paula. Yes, I hope you enjoy it. Everybody seems to have great success with it. It’s very delicious too!

  2. amazing!! thank u SO much for sharing all ur tricks n tips! will try them out tom!

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