20 Minute No Mixer Sugar Cookies

Wanna make soft and chewy sugar cookies in less than 20 minutes? This is the perfect recipe for you! With no need to use a mixer, these homemade vanilla sugar cookies can be made in just one bowl. Plus there is no chill time which means the entire prep takes about 5 minutes to put together. The end result is a buttery, soft, chewy cookie that is perfect to make for the holidays or anytime you crave something sweet.

The holiday season is always busy, so why should making cookies take up so much time? When I set out to make the ultimate sugar cookie, I wanted to make them a little bit different than the others I have seen.

These are the type of sugar cookies that are soft and chewy, rolled in sugar, and have a hint of vanilla. If you want the type you can roll out and decorate, try my no chill quick cut out sugar cookies!

Most other recipes call for softened butter, and/or a chill time. As a trained pastry chef, I have made dozens of homemade cookie recipes and wanted to simplify the sugar cookie making process to make them as fast and easy as possible without sacrificing flavor.

Here’s what makes these the easiest and best sugar cookies:

• I use melted butter in the recipe so no need to wait for butter to soften.
• You don’t need to use a mixer, all you need is one bowl and a whisk.
• There is no chill time!
• Prep time is 5 minutes.
• Cook time is only 10 minutes!

Plus another bonus is that these are made in one bowl so it makes clean up a breeze!

Seriously, I tested this recipe 5 times to make sure it was perfect. The cookies have slightly crispy edges, a very soft center and are covered in sugar that you can taste in every bite.

For the holidays I would make these along with my gingersnap cookies, chocolate brownie cookies (also 20 minute recipe!!), cranberry orange shortbread cookies, and eggnog snickerdoodle cookies.

You can probably make even more because they are all easy to make. If you have 15-20 minutes right now, let me show you how to make these amazing sugar cookies!

Notes on ingredients

These cookies use very simple pantry baking staples like:

• butter
• white sugar
• eggs
• all purpose flour
• vanilla
• baking soda
• corn starch
• kosher salt

I like to use melted butter because this way you dont have to wait for it to soften, plus when you use melted butter in a cookie recipe it makes it more gooey in texture, not cake like.

You’ll notice that I use baking soda and no baking powder in this recipe. When I tested it with baking powder, I found the cookie to be too cake like. Substituting that for baking soda allowed for a more soft and chewy texture.

Same goes for the corn starch. Adding it to the recipe keeps the cookie soft and adds a touch more moisture to the batter to keep it from drying out.

Recipe Method

Prep the oven and sheets- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. You’ll have to use them again as this recipe makes 26 cookies, and you’ll line 8 per sheet.

Make the batter- Melt the butter in a medium microwaveable safe bowl, 30 seconds at a time. Add the sugar and whisk in until melted. Next, add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and whisk for 30 seconds to 1 minute to combine well. Add in the flour, corn starch, baking powder, and kosher salt, and whisk to combine.

Scoop and roll dough– Place 1/4 cup of white sugar on a shallow bowl or plate with a lip. Using a 1 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop out the dough and roll it in the sugar well. Shape the dough into a ball and place it on the parchment paper. Repeat, lining 8 cookies per sheet.

Pro tip- Add a sprinkle more of sugar on top of each ball of dough once they are all placed on the sheet. This will help keep all the sugar from melting into the cookie and will give it that sugar texture on top.

Bake- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. When they come out, immediately scoot them with a round cookie cutter thats larger than the cookie (see below for the pic and explanation). This will make the cookies perfectly round and even softer on the inside. It must be done when the cookies are still very hot!

Then sprinkle with more sugar on top of each cookie. Let cool!

Measuring ingredients

My preferred way to measure ingredients is by using a kitchen scale. It really provides the most accurate measurements, plus instead of using different sized measuring cups, I just grab whatever I find in my drawer and use it as a scoop to pour into the bowl while its on the scale.

This cuts down on washing dishes too, as I just put the bowl I am mixing in on top of the scale and weigh as I go. You can see the measurements in grams below, to do this too!

Cookie scoop

If you dont have one you can use a kitchen tablespoon but I highly recommend using a 1tbsp cookie scoop. I use it to scoop out all my cookie recipes! This is not the same as an ice cream scoop. An ice cream scoop is about 3 tbsp and would be too big for this recipe.

Cookie dough texture

Right when you mix the dough together it might look like its not holding well together, thats because the butter was melted and hot. As the butter cools it will thicken up. I like using melted butter in this recipe because I find that the sugar sticks better to the dough because it is still a little bit warm.

Storage and freezing instructions

Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. You can totally make these in advance and freeze the cookies. Add them to a zip top bag and squeeze out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 2 months.

I cannot wait for these cookies to change your life, no need to have to wait 2 hours for cookie dough to chill, YAY!

I love when you share my recipes!!