Amish Melt in Your Mouth Sugar Cookies

Name: Melt in Your Mouth Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter (softened); 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 cup white granulated sugar; 1 cup powdered sugar; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 2 eggs; 4½ cups all purpose flour; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon cream of tartar; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup butter (softened); 5 cups powdered (sugar); ¼ cup milk (whole is preferred but whatever you have on hand)

20 minutes

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By: Julie Blanner24 Comments
Updated: 2/22/21

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A simple and sweet buttery Melt in Your Mouth Sugar Cookie with a soft, tender bite. This easy recipe, also known as Amish Sugar Cookies, is made with staple ingredients in just a few minutes!

If you’re looking for the lightest, most buttery sugar cookies ever, you’re in the right place.

A single Amish sugar cookie frosted with sprinkles on a marble surface.

I’ve long been a fan of all the sugar cookies. Well, if we’re being honest here, I’m a fan of most cookies! I’ve spent years perfect my favorite sugar cookie recipes and sharing them here.

In fact, I think there’s a sugar cookie for every season and occasion. You’ll find pumpkin sugar cookies, apple butter sugar cookies, cinnamon sugar cookies, and so many more.

They are popular for a reason, right? Beloved by kids and adults alike, sugar cookies are a favorite for any occasion. Today’s sugar cookie recipe is not only incredibly delicious and soft, it’s so easy to make.

Three melt in your mouth sugar cookies frosted with Valentine's sprinkles on a marble surface.

These aren’t cut-out sugar cookies. They are simple round little fluffy cookies that simply need a little refrigeration after you throw the dough together. They are worth every single calorie, I promise!

You can top them with a creamy Buttercream Frosting, Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting or enjoy them as-is. Add your favorite sprinkles and you’re all set! Any which way you eat them, they’re going to be a fast favorite.

This recipe for melt in your mouth sugar cookies really is the best! They are so simple and easy to make, but these frosted sugar cookies will leave you wanting more! They’re perfect for all of your Christmas cookie exchanges and make the perfect festive treat.

Two melt in your mouth sugar cookies frosted with sprinkles on a marble surface.

Why You’ll Love Amish Sugar Cookies

Soft and delicate
Incredibly moist
Melt in your mouth
Take just a few minutes hands on time
No special cookie cutters or tools involved
Perfect for any holiday or occasion

Originally published in February 2015, updated with additional photos, step by step photos, variations and video January 2021.

You just need a handful of pantry staple ingredients to make these yummy cookies!

Butter – Unsalted butter is preferred. If you use salted butter, omit the salt in this recipe. Learn how to soften butter quickly!
Vegetable Oil – The combination of both butter and oil is what makes these sugar cookies melt-in-your-mouth.
White Granulated Sugar – Sweetens while adding a slight crunch.
Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioners’ sugar, the addition of powdered sugar makes these cookies incredibly soft and delicate.
Vanilla Extract – For a hint of flavor. You can substitute your favorite extract, or make your own homemade vanilla extract.
Eggs – The binding agent.
Flour – All purpose flour.
Salt – Omit if using salted butter.
Cream of Tartar – Reacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide making these cookies light and fluffy. Don’t have cream of tartar? no problem! You can substitute using 2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar. You can find my complete list of baking substitutions here.
Baking Soda – The leavening agent.

You can find my full list of baking substitutions here.

The ingredients laid out for Amish sugar cookies on a marble surface.

Softened Butter – Salted or unsalted. I generally use salted because it’s what we have on hand, and we like a little salt mixed with the sweet for balance.
Powdered Sugar – Also known as confectioners’ sugar.
Milk – I like to use whole milk here, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

Variations

Peppermint Cookies – Simply substitute vanilla extract with peppermint extract and top with crushed peppermint.
Lemon Cookies – Substitute vanilla with lemon extract. Add lemon juice and zest to the buttercream frosting.

How to Make Melt in Your Mouth Amish Sugar Cookies

Combine Dry Ingredients – In a medium mixing bowl whisk dry ingredients together to ensure a nice, even rise, without and clumps.
Combine Wet Ingredients – In a large mixing bowl combine butter, oil and sugar and beat until smooth. Add egg until just combined.
Gradually Incorporate – Gradually add dry mixture to wet mixture until just incorporated.
Chill Dough – Cover dough and refrigerate 1+ hours. This is a key step to prevent over-spreading.
Preheat Oven
Make Dough Balls – Use a cookie scoop for consistent cookie size or a tablespoon and roll into large golf ball sized dough balls. Drop six on each cookie sheet spaced to allow spread. These cookies will rise with a pretty peak, but you can flatten them just before baking if you prefer for a thinner cookie.
Bake – Bake until just slightly golden on the edges and the center of the cookie has set.
Cool – Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet one minute. Transfer to a wire rack to prevent them from continuing to bake on the cookie sheet. Allow them to cool completely.
Frost – Ice with your favorite buttercream or recipe included in recipe card.

Amish sugar cookies on a wire cooling rack.

For the Frosting

Beat butter until smooth.
Gradually add powdered sugar, followed by milk.

A white bowl of frosting with a spread across the top for Amish sugar cookies

Scaling up, down or substituting? You’ll love this printable Measurement Conversion Chart!

Shortcuts

Use Store-bought Buttercream Icing
Soften butter quickly with my favorite tips!

How do you keep sugar cookies soft?

Luckily, the butter in this sugar cookie recipe will do most of the work for you, to retain moisture and softness. Store these melt in your mouth sugar cookies in an airtight container to retain the soft texture.

What does cream of tartar do in baking?

The cream of tartar in these soft sugar cookies helps stop the sugar from crystallizing. It also adds another layer of soft and chewy texture and the acidity balances out the sweetness of the cookies.

A single melt in your mouth sugar cookie frosted with sprinkles on a marble surface.

Tips

Chill Dough – Refrigerating the cookie dough prevents them from spreading too much. You could add more flour, but it would result in a denser cookie losing the melt in your mouth quality that makes these stand above the rest.
Easy Cleanup – To make clean up a breeze, I like to line my cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Use a Cookie Scoop – Using a cookie scoop results in picture perfect cookies that are consistent in size. It also prevents some cookies from over or under baking because they’re all the same size.
Don’t Over Bake – Bake until just set and slightly golden on the edges and transfer to cool. Cookies will continue to bake on a hot cookie sheet, making them harder and crunchier.
Allow Cookies to Cool – Let the cookies completely cool before icing so the icing doesn’t melt off or the cookies don’t crumble.

Serving Suggestions

These melt in your mouth sugar cookies are delicious with a variety of incredible frosting options! Try them with any of the following:

Two melt in your mouth sugar cookies frosted with Valentine's sprinkles on a marble surface.

Amish Sugar Cookies keep incredibly well! You can freeze the dough or cookies to enjoy them months later!

How to Store

At Room Temperature – these Amish sugar cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
Refrigerate – Generally, sugar cookies don’t require refrigeration and it often causes the frosting to hard and colors to bleed.
Freeze – Yes, you can freeze these cookies! It’s best to freeze them without frosting. Simply wrap in an airtight container and freeze for up to six months. Likewise, you can freeze the dough for up to 6 months. Make dough balls, line in an airtight container and freeze.