Sugar Cookies Without Baking Soda Or Powder

There are few things better than the smell of soft, buttery sugar cookies baking in the oven. If you are looking for sugar cookies with a crisp edge and a warm chewy center, make sure to leave out baking soda or baking powder.

Instead, add more sugar and increase the temperature of your oven to get that extra-chewy vanilla delicacy. 

Why Is This The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe?

There is an endless battle between soft and fluffy and thin and crispy sugar cookies. For me, the best cookies are those with crispy edges and nice flat shape. I just love cut-out cookies that not only brilliant taste but appearance. 

The key is in balancing the crucial ingredients – butter and sugar.

For softer cookies, you will add more butter, and for the crispy ones, you will add more sugar. These two ingredients have the biggest impact on the texture of cookies, even though there is a really a lot more to its since baking is just a big science experience. 

Can I Make Sugar Cookies Without Baking Soda Or Powder?

You can! This is a recipe with eggs, and the eggs also act as a leavening agent.

In addition, the cookies will not spread too much as they would with the leavening agent. Another bonus is that you will not have a bad aftertaste some products with baking soda or powder may have. 

How To Prevent Cookies From Spreading Apart

Have you ever baked your cookies and ended up with one giant big cookie? Yes, we have all been there. Although that big pile is delicious, it is not very eye-pleasing. So, how can we avoid this?

One of the tricks is to leave out the leavening agent. The leavening agents will make your cookies rise up and spread over the baking sheet.

The second trick is by cooling the dough before baking. Once you have your dough made, you will wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

After rolling and cutting out the cookies, it is time to chill them for the second time. This second chilling part is shorter and only takes 15 minutes.

This will ensure you have not only the good shape but also the ideal texture. The chilled dough is flakier and with a chewy center. 

Will These Cookies Be Flat?

They will be flat as much as you want them to be. It all depends on how much the dough is rolled out.

I always roll out my cookies to ¼-inch thick. Thanks to the egg and a fluffy mix of butter and sugar, the cookies will rise a bit, but will not be tough.

You will get nice and flaky cookies, with a chewy center and crispy edges. 

The Science Behind Perfectly Baked Cookies

Butter – butter is a key ingredient for cookies. Not only because it gives rich flavor, but the butter is also the main reason why your cookies will spread. Still, you will want to control that spread. The chilled dough with butter inside will spread slower during the baking time. Also, make sure you stir your butter well, so it is evenly incorporated inside the dough.

Eggs – eggs will provide moisture and water, which will eventually evaporate during the baking. If you want taller cookies, you can add an extra egg white. If you want fudgier cookies, add an extra egg yolk. 

Sugar – if you are seeking a crisp cookie then use white sugar. Brown sugar has more moisture and those cookies will be softer. Some like the combo of these too, but it is a matter of personal taste.

Flour – you can use all-purpose or cake flour. I always use all-purpose flour, as cookies made with this type of flour hold better in the terms of shape. The cookies made with cake flour may be softer and often fell apart when being lifted from a cookie sheet.

Measuring – I cannot emphasize enough the importance of measuring. While savory dishes can hold up some mistakes, with desserts, you cannot play around. When making any type of dessert, you must measure everything correctly. This will ensure you have the desired results.  

Size – size really matters here. The size impacts the time needed to properly bake the cookies. If you have to bake them for a longer time, they might become too firm and dried out. 

Baking – the ideal temperature is around 350F. Anything less will just dry out the cookies, while the higher temperature will burn the sugar inside the cookies. 

Cooling  – although many people neglect it, cooling is a very important part. The cooling period will allow cookie dough to set up a bit before you can safely transfer them to a serving plate. Always give your cookies some cooling time before serving. 

How To Make Sugar Cookies Without Baking Soda Or Powder

Step 1

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

Step 2

Add egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Step 3

Add flour and salt. Stir until the dough comes together.

Cover the dough with a plastic foil and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Roll out the dough and cut out using a cookie cutter. I use a 2-inch cookie cutter.

Step 4

Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes.

Step 5

Cool the cookies on a wire rack before serving.

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