Chocolate Chip Cut Out Sugar Cookies (No Spread, Easy to Decorate)

Name: Chocolate Chip Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 1 h 45 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 2 h
Ingredients: 12 tablespoons butter (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature; 3 cups + 2 tablespoons (380 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; 2/3 cup (150 grams) white sugar; 1/2 cup (90 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 1 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder; 2 cold, large eggs, straight from the fridge; ½ cup (100 grams) mini chocolate chips; 6 cups (750 grams) powdered sugar; 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) of unsalted butter, room temperature; ½ cup (150 grams) heavy cream* (See notes); 4 teaspoons vanilla extract; Pinch of salt; Lemon juice to cut sweetness; Food gels to dye your frosting

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These chocolate chip cut out sugar cookies are soft, easy to roll, and designed to hold their shape when baked. Made with mini chocolate chips and a no-chill dough, they’re perfect for using with cookie cutters and decorating with buttercream. If you’ve ever wanted chocolate chip cookies that you can roll out, cut into shapes, and dress up for holidays and special occasions, this recipe is a must!

Overhead image of chocolate chip cut out cookies with buttercream frosting sitting on a wire rack. Parchment paper is on top of the rack and beneath the cookies.

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❤️ Why These Chocolate Chip Cut Out Cookies Work
📋 Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cut Out Cookies
Best Results: Baking in Grams
✅ Why These Cookies Are Perfect for Cookie Cutters
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
🎥 Video Tutorial: Decorating Idea
📖 How to Make Chocolate Chip Cut Out Cookies
💡 Expert Tip for Rolling Out Dough
🧁 Optional Buttercream Instructions
💖 Optional Ways to Decorate these Chocolate Sugar Cookies
❓ Recipe FAQ and Troubleshooting
Cookie Storage and Freezing Instructions
Tips for Perfect Cut Out Cookies
More Cookies Recipes
Chocolate Chip Cut Out Sugar Cookies

If you're looking for inspiration for ways to decorate these cookies, I have some seasonal cookie guides that are fun and easy to follow.

My Easter bunny cookie decorating with buttercream, pumpkin cut-out cookies or Christmas tree sugar cookies with buttercream are all simple in detail but leave you with impressive, themed cookies!

Overhead image of baked chocolate chip cut out cookies sitting on a wire rack.

❤️ Why These Chocolate Chip Cut Out Cookies Work

No chill dough - Many cookie recipes don't work well unless you chill the cookie dough first. I never have the patience for that! I try to make all my cookie recipes no chill. That's true here, too.
Easy to prepare in advance - Whether you're making these cookies during the holidays or another busy season of life, this recipe is one you can easily prepare and bake in advance. These sugar cookies freeze well. They maintain their freshness in an airtight container weeks (or even a month or two!) in advance.
A fun twist on classic sugar cookies - Traditional sugar cookies are a delicious and iconic treat. But adding chocolate chips to the dough is a nice twist and change of pace for a different kind of cookie.

📋 Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cut Out Cookies

The recipe card contains all the steps for making this easy chocolate chip cut out cookie recipe. You likely already have these basic ingredients, but below are highlights:

Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste – Vanilla adds a sweet taste and aroma to these chewy chocolate chip cookies.
Brown sugar – This ingredient adds chewiness to this spin on regular sugar cookies.
Optional buttercream frosting - These cookies are great without frosting, but I include optional instructions for making my almond buttercream, my favorite way to decorate cookies. Royal icing would work, too.
Mini chocolate chips - Mini chips disperse into the cookie dough more easily than regular-sized ones. Plus, when you roll out the cookies, you'll have an easier time cutting through smaller chips.

Best Results: Baking in Grams

If you’re not already, use a kitchen scale for accuracy in baking.

While I include cups and grams in my recipe cards, weighing your ingredients and writing or following a recipe using a standard metric like grams ensures consistency.

I highly recommend investing $30 or less in a kitchen scale.

These cookies have a soft texture that you can easily handle and roll. The shapes do not spread while baking, so your cut out cookies keep crisp, clean edges.

And best of all, you don't need to chill the dough first. I've formulated this recipe so you can bypass that pesky step and eat your cookies faster. 🙂

Recipe Substitutions and Variations

Decorate these cookies - Take the base of this recipe for cookie dough with chocolate chips but use holiday cookie cutters for a seasonal change! At Christmas time, my wreath sugar cookies are a simple option.
Spiced sugar cookies - In my pumpkin sugar cookie tutorial, we use a spiced blend for more seasonal flavors. Feel free to explore adding your favorite spices to this dough if you want something a bit different.

🎥 Video Tutorial: Decorating Idea

This versatile recipe is fun to use all-year long. For a snowflake cookie in winter months, I use sparkling sugar and buttercream to elevate the look of these cookies.

📖 How to Make Chocolate Chip Cut Out Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350°F and dive into the steps here.

Creamed butter and sugar for dirty chai cake.

Cream: Using a hand or stand mixer with a bowl and paddle attachment, cream room temperature butter, vanilla extract, and sugars for 3 minutes.

Mixing bowl full of chocolate chip sugar cookie dough.

Mix Dough: Scrape down the bowl, then mix in salt, baking powder, eggs, and flour on medium speed for 1 minute. Add mini chips and mix until dough forms (it may look crumbly at first).

Set of hands using a pin to roll out chocolate chip sugar cookie dough on a floured surface.

Roll Out Dough: Divide sugar cookie dough into halves or thirds. Roll each portion on a floured silicone mat to ¼-inch thickness.

Round cookie cutter making the shapes for chocolate chip sugar cookie dough.

Cut Shapes: Use cookie cutters to create shapes, peeling away excess dough. Seasonal shapes work well for holidays.

Discs of sugar cookie dough, unbaked and on a cookie sheet.

Transfer to Baking Sheet: Place cookies on ungreased aluminum sheets or silicone mats, leaving 2 inches of space between them.

Baked sugar cookie with chocolate chips, sitting on a cookie sheet.

Bake: Bake for 11-14 minutes until the edges of the cookies are faint golden brown. Larger cookies take longer; smaller ones bake faster.

Baked sugar cookies with chocolate chips, cooling on a wire rack.

Cool: Let baked cookies sit on the cookie sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

💡 Expert Tip for Rolling Out Dough

Flour a silicone mat on your counter.

Divide the dough into halves or thirds and roll each portion separately—smaller batches are easier to handle and ensure even thickness.

🧁 Optional Buttercream Instructions

For a little extra sweetness or if you enjoy cookie decorating, it's fun to add frosting to these already delicious sugar cookies.

Mixing bowl of butter and powdered sugar to make almond frosting.

Mix the buttercream base: In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, combine unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and salt. Start mixing on low to prevent a sugar cloud, then beat on high for about 3 minutes. Taste test here; add a splash of lemon juice to reduce sweetness until flavor is to your liking.

Smooth the buttercream: Use a rubber spatula to drag from the center to the sides of the bowl, smoothing out any air bubbles or tears. Repeat for 3–4 minutes to achieve the right consistency. It should be creamy and fairly easy to spread.

Color and prepare the frosting: If you want colored buttercream, separate it into bowls. After making the colors of your choice, transfer each color to separate piping bags, ready for decorating your chocolate chip sugar cookies.

💖 Optional Ways to Decorate these Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Once cookies have cooled on a wire rack, place frosting into a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice. Pipe white buttercream or the color of your choice onto the cookies. Press chocolate chips into the frosting while it's still soft.

Baked and frosted chocolate chip cut out cookies.

I baked and frosted few different heart-shaped cookies for Valentine's Day, dipping some in a plate of light pink sanding sugar.

Or shape these cookies into snowflakes and dress them up with sparkling sugar.

You could also make small cookie sandwiches with buttercream between them. There are lots of possibilities!

Chocolate chip cut out cookies with buttercream in between them to create mini cookie sandwiches.

❓ Recipe FAQ and Troubleshooting

How do you keep cut-out cookies from spreading?

Cookies can spread if the dough is too moist or has an excessive amount of baking soda.

If you follow this recipe, though, you won't have spreading issues.

Generally, adding a bit of baking powder or flour to a cookie's dough can help prevent them from spreading as much. Chilling dough before baking it is another method to prevent spreading.

What kind of chocolate chips should I use?

While the regular chocolate chips will work, I strongly encourage you to use minis.

I prefer this size because they disperse more readily throughout the batter. This gives you more chocolate bits in every bite.

Can you roll out chocolate chip cookie dough?

This dough is a an easy-to-manage sugar cookie. It rolls and cuts very nicely. Using mini chips helps here, too, as cookie cutters have no issues cutting through this size of chocolate chips.

Do these cookies hold their shape?

These cookies hold their shape from cutting to baking. Choose any design that you want for a special occasion, holiday, or everyday baking.

Overhead image of chocolate chip cut out cookies with buttercream frosting.

Room temperature - These chocolate chip sugar cookies will stay fresh at room temperature (around 70°F) for 3-4 days.
Refrigerating - If you plan to eat them over the course of about a week, I'd keep them in the refrigerator between servings.
Freezing and make-ahead instructions - The cookies also freeze well, frosted or unfrosted. Cookies will retain their flavor for about three months in the freezer. Let them come to room temperature before serving.

Storing frosted cookies

If you've already frosted them, give the buttercream time to form a crust before freezing. This hardened texture will form if the room is not too hot or humid (room temperature or slightly cooler is great) and keeps the design from getting smudged.
After buttercream has formed a crust on your cookies, place them in a single layer in an airtight container. Gently add wax or parchment paper on top of the first cookie layer so any frosting doesn't get caught on other cookies or frosting but paper instead.
Continue filling container with cookies, separating each layer with paper.

Tips for Perfect Cut Out Cookies

Below are some tips to keep in mind when making these chocolate chip cut out cookies:

Metal cookie cutters - For the sharpest designs, metal cookie cutters work best. However, plastic is still a good option and one I often use.
Flour on hand - If your sugar cookie dough sticks to your rolling pin, add more flour to your workspace. You'll continue to use this throughout the process.
Prep your space - Before diving into the recipe, clear your workspace and set out all your ingredients in front of you. This will make it less likely that you’ll forget to leave something important out of your mixing bowl!

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More Cookies Recipes

Below are some additional cookie recipes to try. No decorating required:

🍪 This big batch of chocolate chip cookies is great when you're hosting a meal and providing dessert for a big group!
Alternatively, these small batch brown butter chocolate chip cookies are essentially the little sister to the recipe above it! On top of giving you just the right amount of cookies (8ish) for a smaller get-together, this recipe uses a no-chill dough AND no electric mixer needed to bake a batch!
🌈 If you're ISO a cookie recipe that brings all the party vibes, treat yourself to these funfetti Oreo cookies. With rainbow sprinkles and Oreos in every bite, these colorful cookies are perfect for special occasions like birthdays.
🍵 These matcha white chocolate cookies are a beautiful green hue and so soft and chewy.