Addictive Mini Sugar Cookies Recipe

Introduction

These addicting mini sugar cookies are perfectly soft, sweet, and coated in sparkling sugar. Easy to make and delightful to share, they’re a classic treat that melts in your mouth with every bite.

Ingredients

• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool to the touch
• ½ cup (115g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
• ½ cup (108g) canola or vegetable oil
• 1¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 large egg
• 2⅓ cups (291g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup (173g) granulated sugar, divided (for rolling and sprinkling)

Instructions

1. Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Read the tips below before starting.
2. Step 2: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until combined. Add the oil and continue beating, scraping the sides and bottom as needed. Then add the egg, vanilla, and almond extracts. The mixture may look curdled, but that’s normal.
3. Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients, beating until fully combined. Scrape the bowl as needed.
4. Step 4: Set aside ¼ cup of granulated sugar for sprinkling after baking. Place ½ cup of sugar in a wide, flat container for rolling the dough balls.
5. Step 5: Scoop the dough into 2-teaspoon portions (a heaping 1-teaspoon cookie scoop works well). Drop about 8-10 dough balls into the sugar container and gently toss or shake to coat them completely.
6. Step 6: Arrange the sugar-coated dough balls a couple of inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, about 30 per sheet. Use a cookie stamp or the bottom of a glass to gently flatten each dough ball.
7. Step 7: Bake for 9-12 minutes, until the cookies puff and set around the edges. Remove from the oven, place the pans on wire racks, and immediately sprinkle the tops with the reserved sugar. Let cool completely before storing.

Tips & Variations

• If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use two small spoons to portion the dough.
• Without a cookie stamp, gently press the dough balls with the bottom of a drinking glass to flatten.
• Because the dough is soft from butter and oil, rolling in sugar helps with handling and adds extra sweetness.
• Bake in batches if you have limited baking sheets, ensuring sheets are cool before placing new dough.

Storage

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. To keep them fresh longer, freeze the cookies in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in a warm oven or eat at room temperature for best texture.

How to Serve

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I substitute the canola or vegetable oil with another fat?

You can try using melted coconut oil for a slight flavor twist, but keep it in liquid form when mixing. Avoid butter substitutes since the recipe already includes butter and oil for texture.

How do I know when the cookies are done baking?

The cookies are ready when they have puffed up and begun to set around the edges but still look slightly soft in the middle. They will firm up as they cool, so avoid overbaking to keep them tender.

Addictive Mini Sugar Cookies Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.7 from 137 reviews

These Addicting Mini Sugar Cookies are soft and tender with a delightful sugar-crisp coating. Made with a unique blend of butter and oil, vanilla and almond extracts, and rolled generously in sugar, these cookies bake up perfectly in 9-12 minutes. Ideal as bite-sized treats for any occasion, they are easy to scoop and flatten using simple tools, and come out beautifully golden and lightly cracked around the edges with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

• Author: Isla
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes per batch
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: Approximately 90–100 mini cookies 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Wet Ingredients

• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool to the touch
• ½ cup (115g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
• ½ cup (108g) canola or vegetable oil
• 1¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 large egg

Dry Ingredients

• 2⅓ cups (291g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ teaspoon salt

For Rolling and Topping

• ¾ cup (173g) granulated sugar, divided (½ cup for rolling dough balls, ¼ cup for sprinkling on baked cookies)

Instructions

1. Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure the baking sheets are completely cool if reused for subsequent batches.
2. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until combined. Add the canola or vegetable oil and continue beating, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Then mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until fully incorporated, noting the mixture may look slightly curdled.
3. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agents and salt.
4. Incorporate Dry into Wet: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, beating just until combined. Scrape the bowl’s sides and bottom as necessary to ensure even mixing without overworking the dough.
5. Prepare Sugar Coating: Reserve ¼ cup of the granulated sugar for sprinkling on the baked cookies. Place the remaining ½ cup sugar in a wide, shallow container suitable for tossing the dough balls in sugar.
6. Scoop and Coat Dough Balls: Using a 1-teaspoon cookie scoop (heaping to make 2 teaspoons per ball) or two small spoons, portion out dough balls about 2 teaspoons each. Drop 8-10 dough balls at a time into the sugar container and gently shake or use your fingers to fully coat them with sugar.
7. Arrange and Flatten Dough: Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart, arranging roughly 30 per sheet. Press down on each dough ball using a cookie stamp or the bottom of a glass to flatten slightly.
8. Bake: Bake each tray for 9-12 minutes, or until the cookies have puffed and just start to set around the edges. The cookies will still be soft but will firm up as they cool.
9. Sugar Topping and Cooling: Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, sprinkle the tops with the reserved ¼ cup granulated sugar. Transfer pans to wire racks and allow cookies to cool completely before storing.
10. Batch Baking Tips: If baking multiple batches, cool the baking sheets completely before reusing to prevent the dough from spreading too much. Bake one pan at a time and prepare subsequent batches while earlier ones bake for efficiency.

Notes

• Equipment: A 1-teaspoon cookie scoop and a cookie stamp help with even portioning and flattening. If unavailable, two small spoons and the bottom of a drinking glass can be used instead.
• Dough Texture: The dough is quite soft due to the combination of butter and oil. Rolling the dough balls in sugar before baking helps make them easier to handle and adds a delightful crispy sugar coat.
• Baking Strategy: Use three baking sheets and bake batches sequentially, scooping dough for the next batch while the current one bakes, to save time.
• Baking Sheets: Do not put dough on a warm baking sheet, cool completely between batches to maintain cookie shape and texture.

Keywords: mini sugar cookies, soft sugar cookies, easy sugar cookies, homemade mini cookies, sugar-coated cookies, bite-sized cookies