These sugar cookies without baking powder are soft, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth. These festive, delicate cookies are made with simple pantry staples and no eggs.
No baking powder, no baking soda, no eggs—just simple pantry staples. Think shortbread’s sugar cookie cousin: crisp-edged, tender-centered, and easy to make in one bowl.
📌 Want a sturdier sugar cookie? Try my no-fail sugar cookies or no-spread cut-outs.
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Ingredients
- Butter, unsalted preferably
- Sugar
- Vanilla Extract (can swap another flavor like Fiori di Sicilia or almond, or peppermint)
- Sea salt or kosher salt, like Diamond
- All-purpose flour
- Sanding sugar or additional granulated sugar for rolling
- Non-pareils or sprinkles (optional)
How to Make Drop Sugar Cookies w/o Baking Powder
You need a minimum of ingredients for this easy drop sugar cookie recipe: granulated sugar, butter, flour, salt, and vanilla. No baking powder, no baking soda, and no eggs.
Make these cookies in minutes with or without an electric mixer.
I used my favorite hand mixer for new bakers, but you could mix the dough with a sturdy spatula, too.
- Beat room temperature butter until creamy, about two minutes with a hand mixer.
- Add salt, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until the sugar has been incorporated.
- It's okay if the dough is still a bit grainy from the sugar.
- Stir in the flour until no white streaks remain. Be sure to scrape the bottom and the sides of the bowl.
- Portion into balls of dough.
- Roll the balls in granulated sugar or sanding sugar.
- Flatten the balls using a drinking glass or another flat, clean surface.
- Optional: sprinkle non-pareils or sprinkles over the tops of the cookies. Press the non-pareils into the cookie with your finger pads.
- Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 325°F oven for 20 minutes.
Remove and let cool on your baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before moving to a wire cookie rack to finish cooling.
Because these cookies don't contain a binder, like egg, they will be fragile until they've cooled completely.
This cookie recipe is part of my Desserts to Make When the Cupboard is Bare feature
More sugar cookie recipes for you include Easy Drop Sugar Cookie, Grapefruit Sugar Cookies, Confetti Cookies, Roll-Out Sugar Cookies, and St. Patrick's Day Cookies.
Cookie Baking Advice
You may find these baking posts helpful: from How to Avoid Flat Cookies, How to Freeze Cookie Dough, Room Temperature Butter for Baking to Salted or Unsalted Butter for Cookies? to Do I Need A Cookie Scoop?, Cookie Size Chart to What Should a Beginner Bake? to Where Can I Buy Sprinkles?, Why is my sugar cookie dough too sticky? and Cookie Holidays. What is Sanding Sugar and Do I need Parchment Paper? might also be helpful. This Cuisinart 5-speed is my favorite hand mixer. Why do my hand mixer beaters fall out? Cookie dough freezes great as do already baked cookies but find out what other desserts you can freeze.
: Sugar Cookies Without Baking Powder: A Quick Recipe
Before baking, you can sprinkle with nonpareils or sprinkles and pat them in a bit with your fingertips.
Curious about how baking powder works or want to make your own? Here’s a simple homemade baking powder recipe to keep in your pantry.
Wondering why there’s no baking powder in these sugar cookies? This deep dive into chemical leaveners explains how baking soda and baking powder function differently in baked goods.
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💡 Tips for Success:
- Don’t overmix once the flour is in—this helps keep the cookies tender.
- Let cookies cool completely on the tray before moving. They're delicate while warm!
- Want thicker cookies? Chill the dough for 15–30 minutes before baking.
- Use a light hand when flattening to avoid overly crispy edges.
These sugar cookies without baking powder—and without eggs—are similar to shortbread in texture. If you're looking for more egg-free cookies, try my lemon shortbread hearts or chocolate chip cookies without eggs, too.
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Recipe
Sugar Cookie Recipe Without Baking Powder
Sugar cookies without baking powder or baking soda or eggs are going to be your new favorite. These tasty cookies are made with minimal ingredients so you should be able to make them any time without a trip to the store.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
- ¼ cup granulated or sanding sugar for rolling
- Sprinkles or nonpareils (optional)
Instructions
- Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer.
- Add flour and salt, and continue mixing until well-combined and no white streaks remain.
- Portion the dough into balls. Use a #30 scoop for this one.
- Roll into the remaining quarter cup of granulated sugar or sanding sugar.
- Flatten each ball of dough with the bottom of a drinking glass or the bottom of a flat measuring cup.
- Top with sprinkles or non-pareils, if desired. You’ll have to lightly press the sprinkles into the top of the cookies with your fingertips.
- Bake at 325°F for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
These cookies are fragile while warm because they don't contain any eggs, which is a binder.
These cookies also don't have any baking powder or baking soda in the recipe.
This sugar cookie recipe is meant to be as simple as possible so that you can make a batch when the mood strikes you without running to the store.
You might also like roll-out sugar cookie and an easy sugar cookie glaze that hardens.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 36 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 108Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 14mgSodium 35mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 0gSugar 9gProtein 1g
These sugar cookies without baking powder are proof that simple ingredients can create magic, especially during the holidays.
Leave a comment if you try them, and don't forget to rate the recipe!
Mack says
This doesn’t work
Nat says
What are the measurements for the flour, sugar, vanilla extract?
Nat says
NVM found them