Small Batch Sugar Cookies

These classic Small Batch Sugar Cookies are 6 buttery cookies with crispy edges and a soft and chewy middle. The best part is you don’t need to soften the butter or chill the dough, so you can make them as a last minute cookie to eat or add to your Christmas cookie tray.

As someone who loves to bake, I’m all about small batch cookie recipes.

And since it’s now December, cookie season is upon us!

It may seem counterintuitive to bake small batch cookies for a big festive holiday like Christmas, but it allows a single household like me to whip up multiple flavors without having TOO many leftovers.

One of the first cookies I made when I first learned how to bake are classic sugar cookies – the kind that are crispy on the edges while soft and chewy in the middle. Right before baking, you roll them in sugar for a subtle crunch.

Since then, I have perfected the recipe and scaled them down to make 6 Small Batch Sugar Cookies using basic pantry ingredients.

I call this my easy sugar cookie recipe because these are drop sugar cookies. That means there is no rolling or cutting involved! All you do is make, scoop, bake.

No creaming the butter and no chilling the dough beforehand.

In fact, you can whisk the dough by hand without a stand mixer as long as you whisk hard enough to blend the sugar and melted butter together.

Eat them right away or save a few in the freezer.

And although sugar cookies aren’t strictly a Christmas cookie, roll them up in some red and green sprinkles and voila – instant holiday favorite.

Whether you make your small batch of sugar cookies as an everyday cookie or for your Christmas cookie plate, they’ll bring joy to your kitchen all year round.

What are drop cookies?

Drop cookies are a type of cookie dough where you drop spoonfuls of dough onto your baking sheet. Some popular drop cookies are small batch chocolate chip cookies, small batch peanut butter cookies, and now these small batch sugar cookies.

Although you can scoop them by hand with a spoon, I prefer using a #40 cookie scoop to ensure each cookie is the same size.

You do not need to roll and cut out cookies like you would with my small batch gingerbread cookies, chocolate chip cut out cookies, and red velvet sugar cookies.

I’m working on a recipe for cut out sugar cookies, but they’re not ready to publish yet.

Need your sugar cookie fix even faster? Check out my Microwave Sugar Cookie which is ready in under 5 minutes.

Ingredients For Small Batch Sugar Cookies

You only need a few basic pantry ingredients to bake up the perfect sugar cookies for two! They are:

• All-purpose flour: Due to the limited amount of liquid in the dough, it’s especially important to measure your flour using the spoon and level method rather than the scoop and pack method. Learn more about how to measure flour.
• Baking soda: Gives the cookies crisp edges and a soft middle.
• Salt: It brings out the flavor of the cookie, especially since you’re using unsalted butter.
• Granulated Sugar: Adding white sugar contributes to the cookie’s chewy texture. Plus rolling the dough in sugar before baking adds a nice subtle crunch.
• Butter: Using unsalted allows you to control the amount of salt in such a small batch of cookies. It also helps the dough spread while baking.
• Egg yolk: Using a whole egg adds too much moisture, causing the cookies to be more cakey than chewy. Using an egg yolk not only cuts down on that, it helps bind the dough together.
• Vanilla: Much like salt, vanilla brings out the other flavors in dessert.

What To Do With Leftover Egg Whites

This small batch sugar cookie recipe uses 1 egg yolk, which leaves you with 1 leftover egg white.

I know it’s annoying not to use the whole egg, but I promise you they taste much better with a yolk only!

If you’re not sure what to do with them, here is a list of recipes using leftover egg whites including flourless chocolate cookies and baked coconut shrimp (hey we still need to eat dinner after cookie baking).

How To Make Small Batch Sugar Cookies

Making your small batch sugar cookie recipe is SO easy, you don’t technically need a mixer! Whether you still use your trusted stand mixer or whisk by hand, here’s how to make sugar cookies:

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Beat sugar and melted butter together until smooth and sugar has dissolved.
3. Add egg yolk and vanilla.
4. Stir in flour mixture until a soft dough forms.
5. Scoop dough into balls then roll into sugar.
6. Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. They’ll be a little puffed but will deflate once cool.

Store leftover sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze them for up to 3 months (more on that below).

How To Decorate Drop Sugar Cookies

You don’t typically decorate drop sugar cookies as all you do is roll around in granulated sugar before baking.

However, you can definitely decorate them for the holidays such as Christmas or Halloween using sprinkles!

Use colored sugar, nonpareil sprinkles, or jimmie sprinkles.

How To Freeze Drop Sugar Cookies

This easy sugar cookie recipe freezes really well, whether you’re getting ahead on holiday baking or you’re one person who doesn’t want to eat all 6 cookies at once.

There are two ways you can freeze sugar cookies for up to 3 months:

1. Freeze before baking: After scooping the dough but before rolling in sugar, place them on a baking sheet or a plate and refrigerate for 1 hour. Once firm, transfer the dough to a freezer-safe bag. When ready to bake, let the dough thaw for about 30 minutes, roll in sugar, push down with a fork, then bake as directly.
2. Freeze after baking: Once the cookies have cooled completely, place them on a baking sheet or plate then freeze for 1 hour. Once firm, transfer the cookies to a freezer-safe bag. When ready to eat, let them sit out on the counter until they reach room temperature.

More Small Batch Cookie Recipes

If you enjoyed these classic sugar cookies, check out my other small batch cookie recipes:

• Peanut Butter Cookie Cups
• Snickerdoodle Recipe Without Cream Of Tartar
• M&M Cookie recipe
• Chocolate Sugar Cookies
• Cheesecake Cookies
• Orange Cookies