Description
These bite-sized sugar cookies bake up light, crisp, and rich with buttery flavor, then practically dissolve the moment you bite into them. They’re ideal for holiday trays, gifting tins, or setting out in a bowl when you want something people can’t stop snacking on. Small cookies, big personality.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened but still slightly cool
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup neutral oil (canola or vegetable works best)
- 1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour (measured by spooning and leveling)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided (for coating and finishing)
Instructions
-
Heat the oven
Set your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. -
Cream the base
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with both sugars until smooth and fluffy. Pour in the oil and mix again, scraping down the bowl as needed. -
Add flavor and egg
Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. The mixture may look slightly separated — that’s totally fine. -
Mix dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. -
Combine
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix just until a soft dough forms. Don’t overwork it. -
Prep the sugar coating
Set aside about ¼ cup of the sugar for sprinkling after baking. Place the remaining sugar in a shallow container wide enough to roll dough balls easily. -
Scoop and coat
Scoop dough into small portions (about 2 teaspoons each). Drop several dough portions at a time into the sugar container and gently toss until coated. -
Flatten
Arrange the sugared dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between them. Press each one flat using the bottom of a glass or a cookie stamp. -
Bake
Bake for 9–12 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and the edges look set but not browned. They’ll firm up as they cool. -
Finish and cool
Remove the baking sheets from the oven and immediately sprinkle the warm cookies with the reserved sugar. Let them cool completely before storing.
Notes
Tools:
A small cookie scoop makes portioning fast and consistent, but two teaspoons work just as well. No cookie stamp? A drinking glass does the job.
Dough texture:
This dough is intentionally soft thanks to the butter-and-oil combo. Rolling the dough in sugar makes it easier to handle and shape.
Efficient baking:
Bake one tray while prepping the next. With three pans rotating, you can easily make 90–100 cookies in about 40 minutes.
Baking sheets:
If you’re working with fewer pans, let them cool fully before adding new dough. Warm pans cause spreading.
Storage:
-
Room temperature: up to 3 days
-
Refrigerator: up to 5 days
-
Freezer: up to 2 months
These cookies freeze exceptionally well and keep their crisp texture after thawing.
Nutrition
- Calories: 40kcal
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 31mg
- Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 0.1g
- Protein: 0.4g
- Cholesterol: 5mg