Amish Sugar Cookie Recipe AKA The Best Drop Sugar Cookies EVER (2024)

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These Amish Sugar Cookies are by far the BEST sugar cookies I’ve ever eaten! Soft and pillowy perfect cookies.

Amish Sugar Cookie Recipe AKA The Best Drop Sugar Cookies EVER (1)

Welcome to day 1 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies here on Something Swanky! ????

Amish Sugar Cookie Recipe AKA The Best Drop Sugar Cookies EVER (2)

No, you’re not crazy. Yes, you did the math right. No, I’m not going to have time this year to fit in all 12 days of cookies. I’m pretty bummed about it actually. But this year is all about surviving the craziness of moving + the holidays at the same time, and you know what? If we manage to squeeze in 3 or 4 days of Christmas cookies, I think I’m going to be okay. I just loved doing this last year so much, I had to at least get in a little mini version this year!

But you just wait for Christmas 2017, I’ll be pulling out all the stops. Guaranteed.

Ok, let’s get to the star of the show today: these Amish Sugar Cookies. Since we’re not getting in the full 12 days of cookies this year, I’m only sharing the best of the best. And, trust me, these cookies are the cream of the crop.

In fact, I can get a little overexcited about these cookies. I feel like I should warn you up front in all fairness. But just stick with me to the end, and you’ll see why I can’t stop gushing about this seriously amazing recipe!

Amish Sugar Cookie Recipe AKA The Best Drop Sugar Cookies EVER (3)

A little backstory before the gushing starts:

I’ve spent this year trying to come up with fun “family history” activities for my family. I know that might sound a little strange, butwe have had a really great experience with our kids learning about our family’s ancestors and the countries they originated from. My favorite activities, of course, have been the ones that involved food. One time we did a dinner with lots of different foods from many of the countries where our ancestors lived (brats from Germany, macarons from France, empanadas from Mexico, etc).

In preparation for one of these activities, I discovered that my husband has an ancestral connection to the Pennsylvania Dutch/Amish! Of course, I immediately dove into the world of Amish recipes. Expect many more to come, but for today I am sharing my absolute favorite so far: Amish Sugar Cookies.

Amish Sugar Cookie Recipe AKA The Best Drop Sugar Cookies EVER (4)

These cookies are UNREAL. They are so, unbelievably good that I just don’t even have the words to do them justice. Considering there’s not a morsel of chocolate in sight, that is high praise indeed coming from me!

I’m a texture gal, and I typically like a lot ofstuff in my cookies. You know. M&MS and chocolate chips and butterscotch and oatmeal and nuts. That’s normally my cookie happy place. But not this time!

These cookies are remarkably plain. But they’re also remarkably soft. Pillow-likesoft. And deliciously buttery. With delicately crispy edges and a crackly sugar coating, you will absolutely not be able to stop at just one.

Amish Sugar Cookie Recipe AKA The Best Drop Sugar Cookies EVER (5)

I’m also obsessed with how versatile these cookies are! For a festive holiday cookie plate, you could roll them in colored sugar sprinkles instead of plain granulated sugar. You could stick a Hershey Kiss on top (yum, the Candy Candy Hershey Kisses would be amazing) for a holiday blossom cookie.

You could even mix in some M&MS or chocolate chips if you wanted.

But these cookies don’t need it. You’ll fall in love with them just the way they are, I promise. If you only make one of my cookie recipes this year, make sure it’s this one. You won’t regret it!

Amish Sugar Cookie Recipe AKA The Best Drop Sugar Cookies EVER (6)
Amish Sugar Cookie Recipe AKA The Best Drop Sugar Cookies EVER (7)

Amish Sugar Cookies

Yield: 2-3 dozen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

These Amish Sugar Cookies are by far the BEST sugar cookies I've ever eaten! Soft and pillowy perfect cookies.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • granulated sugar for rolling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beattogether the butter, oil, and sugars until light and fluffy.

Mix in the eggs and vanilla.

Mix inthe flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

Scoop dough by 2 tbsp and roll into a ball in the granulated sugar until coated. Place cookie dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes (err on the side of underdone to keep these soft, they should not be brown on top at all). Remove to a wire rack immediately to cool.

Notes

Tip: the vanilla really stands out in this recipe, so use a high quality one! I love this vanilla crush.

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Amish Sugar Cookie Recipe AKA The Best Drop Sugar Cookies EVER (2024)

FAQs

What is a Nazareth sugar cookie? ›

The sugar cookie is believed to have originated in the mid-1700s in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. German Protestant settlers created a round, crumbly and buttery cookie that came to be known as the Nazareth cookie. Jumbles are the earliest form of sugar cookies.

What does extra sugar do to cookies? ›

By adding extra sugar, you can bake the cookies to a slightly higher temperature without over-baking, which will allow for a crispier final cookie as well as deeper flavor development.

What is the most preferred sugar used in cookies? ›

1. Granulated sugar. Using granulated white sugar will result in a flatter, crispier and lighter-colored cookie. Granulated sugar is hygroscopic, so it attracts and absorbs the liquid in the dough.

How do you keep sugar on top of sugar cookies? ›

Decorate After Baking

In order to add colored sugar to baked cookies, the sugar needs something to adhere to. Icing is the perfect choice. Bake and cool the cookies as directed by the recipe. Ice the very cool cookies with your favorite icing and top with your choice of colored sugar.

What is a Navy Seal sugar cookie? ›

McRaven describes the experience of Navy SEAL trainees who are subject — often randomly — to a punishment where they are directed to get wet and sandy on the beaches. By the time they are finished the trainees, covered in sand, look like “sugar cookies.”

Why do you put cornstarch in sugar cookies? ›

The science is simple: According to the flour authorities over at Bob's Red Mill, cornstarch can help “soften the rigid proteins of the flour, resulting in a light and chewy dessert.” “The cornstarch complements the flour in absorbing the liquids, but won't develop gluten structure like the flour will,” stresses ...

Is it better to use powdered sugar or granulated sugar in sugar cookies? ›

Powdered sugar has a much finer texture and a higher cornstarch content, which can absorb moisture and lead to a drier, crumbly cookie texture. If you use powdered sugar in place of granulated sugar, you'll likely end up with cookies that are more cake-like and less chewy.

Can I use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar in cookies? ›

Can powdered sugar be substituted for granulated sugar in recipes? A. It is not recommended to substitute powdered sugar for granulated sugar. Since powdered sugar has a much finer texture, and it contains a small percentage of cornstarch to prevent caking, substituting can give you unexpected results.

What is the best sweetener for baking cookies? ›

A combination of maple syrup and honey works best for muffins and cookies; typically swapping out even amounts to replace sugar in a recipe will work. Agave nectar is also okay, but it makes baked goods less tender and does have a noticeably different flavor.

What is the best flour for cookies? ›

All-purpose flour is the most commonly used flour in cookie recipes due to its moderate protein content (usually around 10-12%). This balanced protein level makes it versatile enough to produce both soft and chewy cookies as well as slightly crisp ones.

Why are my sugar cookies always hard? ›

Working the dough too much.

bad habit of mixing in the dry ingredients until they were completely incorporated. And then mixing the dough even more, for no good reason. Thankfully I was eventually steered in the right direction. Over-working the dough yields a tough cookie, which is not at all what you want.

When should I put sprinkles on sugar cookies? ›

Dip cookie dough rounds in sprinkles or sugar before baking. On ungreased cookie sheet, place cookie dough rounds about 2 inches apart. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

How do you keep sugar cookies from going flat? ›

Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Coating your baking sheet with nonstick spray or butter creates an overly greasy foundation, causing the cookies to spread. I always recommend a silicone baking mat because they grip onto the bottom of your cookie dough, preventing the cookies from spreading too much.

Why are they called Jesus cookies? ›

She found a delicious recipe for gluten-free “Jesus cookies.” My daughters call those really puffy, soft sugar cookies with lots of icing and sprinkles you find in the grocery store “Jesus cookies” because they seemed to get them during Sunday School A LOT.

What is the difference between shortbread and sugar cookies? ›

The main difference between these two cookies is the ingredients and the ratios of the ingredients. Sugar cookies typically contain eggs, while shortbread cookies do not. Shortbread also has a higher ratio of butter to flour and are usually more crumbly and tender as a result.

What state is known for Moravian sugar cookies? ›

The cookie is especially popular around, and usually associated with, Christmas in communities with a strong Moravian background such as Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which still maintain the two largest Moravian communities in the United States.

What is the communion cookie made of? ›

Catholic Church

In the Roman Rite, unleavened bread is used as in the Jewish Passover or Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Code of Canon Law requires that the hosts be made from wheat flour and water only, and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling.

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