Soft Amish Sugar Cookies (Old-Fashioned Drop Cookies)

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These soft Amish Sugar Cookies are old-fashioned drop cookies with a tender, melt-in-your-mouth center and a slight crisp around the edges. You just scoop the dough right onto the baking sheet, so you won’t need a rolling pin or cookie cutters, and they bake in 8-10 minutes. They’re perfect for Christmas cookie exchanges, bake sales, lunch boxes, or any ordinary Tuesday when your family needs a treat. This easy recipe makes a huge batch from simple ingredients, so they’re great for the holidays or a bake sale!

Amish Sugar Cookies

Walk into just about any little Amish bakery, and you’ll find these sugar cookies waiting in the case. I’m a Mississippi girl, so those bakeries aren’t exactly around the corner from me (sadly!), but when we visit Kentucky on mission trips, I always hit up the Amish bakery for sugar cookies and Oatmeal Whoopie Pies. 

There are lots of versions of the sugar cookie out there, and some Amish cookies are super soft, almost like cake. I love those too! But I’m really partial to this recipe from a popular Amish cookbook. They have a very slightly crisp edge and a soft, chewy cookie center.

The first thing you’ll notice is the wrinkly textured top on each cookie. Don’t worry, that’s completely normal! It comes from the powdered sugar and cream of tartar in the dough, and it’s perfectly okay!

More Sugar Cookie Recipes

• Perfect Sugar Cookies
• Bakery Style Sugar Cookies (this is a huge, classic cookie!)
• Perfect Cut-Out Sugar Cookies 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

They have the best texture. You get that little bit of crispness on the outside and a soft, tender texture on the inside. I LOVE that combination, and it makes them pretty  much a perfect cookie!

There’s no rolling or cutting. As much as I love a pretty cut-out sugar cookie, some days I just don’t have the time. These are drop cookies, so your cookie scoop does all the work.

They make a big batch. After raising six kids and cooking a million meals, I know how handy a big batch of cookies can be. You’ll get 48 cookies, which is enough for your family, your neighbors, and that cookie exchange you forgot you signed up for.

Tools Needed

You don’t need anything fancy for this simple sugar cookie recipe.

• Electric mixer or stand mixer
• Large bowl and a separate medium bowl
• Whisk
• Cookie scoop
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Spatula
• Wire rack

Ingredients

These Amish cookies use basic ingredients you probably already have on hand.

• Butter: softened to room temperature, not melted. Salted or unsalted both work, but there’s no extra salt in this recipe, so salted adds a nice little balance.
• Vegetable oil: canola oil works too. This is a big part of what keeps the cookies so soft!
• Granulated sugar: you’ll use some in the dough and a little more for sprinkling on top.
• Powdered sugar: this helps give the cookies their tender bite and pretty tops.
• Vanilla extract: use whatever vanilla you have on hand.
• Eggs
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Cream of tartar: you’ll find this in the spice aisle.

Find the full recipe with ingredient measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Make Amish Sugar Cookies

This dough comes together quickly, and I promise you can do this! It’s an old recipe that is tried and true!

1. Heat the oven to 375°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Add the butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until the wet ingredients are smooth. You could also do this in the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each one until it’s combined.

4. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar together in a separate bowl.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until combined.
6. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix just until the flour disappears. Try not to overmix here, because that can cost you some of that soft texture.

7. Use a cookie scoop to drop 1 to 1 ½-inch cookie dough balls onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little room between them.
8. Sprinkle a pinch of granulated sugar over each cookie.

9. Bake for 8-10 minutes, just until the edges start to turn a light golden brown. The centers will still look soft, and that’s what you want!
10. Use a spatula to move the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Pro Tips

• Soften the butter ahead of time. Room temperature butter blends smoothly with the oil, while melted butter can leave you with flatter cookies.
• Watch the baking time. Pull them closer to 8 minutes for softer cookies, or give them closer to 10 minutes for crispy edges.
• Use a cookie scoop. Keeping the cookies the same size helps them all bake evenly (and it’s so much faster than two spoons).
• Let hot baking sheets cool between batches, or use a fresh sheet of parchment on a cool pan. Dough on a hot pan starts to spread before it ever gets to the oven.
• Don’t try to smooth out the tops! That texture is what makes these look like the real thing.

Variations

My favorite way to eat these is plain, but they’re so easy to change up, and you can make them your own.

• Frosted: spread on your favorite icing. My Perfect Crusting Vanilla Buttercream Frosting or this strawberry frosting would both be so yummy.
• Powdered sugar: dust the cooled cookies with a little powdered sugar for a pretty, snowy finish.
• Holiday cookies: swap the granulated sugar on top for colored sugar or green sprinkles during the holiday season.
• Almond: use a little almond extract in place of some of the vanilla.
• Lemon sugar cookie: add some lemon zest to the dough and a splash of lemon juice to your frosting.

Serving Suggestions

I was eating one of these when it hit me that it would be fantastic as a little strawberry shortcake! Slice some fresh strawberries, toss them with a spoonful of sugar, and let them sit until they get juicy. Then spoon them over a cookie and top it with fresh whipped cream.

These are also lovely on a Christmas cookie tray with Cream Cheese Mints and Chocolate Covered Cherries. Or just pour a Sugar Cookie Latte or a cold glass of milk and call it a good day 🙂

Storage Instructions

These cookies are at their very best when they’re fresh, so this isn’t one to leave in the cookie jar all week. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two, because after that they start to get dry and crumbly.

To keep them longer, freeze them! Lay the cooled cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm, then move them to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Put wax paper between the layers so they don’t stick together.

I love that you can take out just one at a time, and they’re perfect for tucking into lunch boxes.

FAQ

What makes Amish sugar cookies different from regular sugar cookies?

The combination of oil, powdered sugar, and cream of tartar gives them a softer, more delicate crumb than classic sugar cookies. Old-fashioned drop cookies like this are a favorite in Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch baking.

Can I use this dough for cut-out cookies?

I wouldn’t. This dough is too soft to roll out, so save your cookie cutters for a sturdier dough. The upside is that you get to skip the rolling pin!

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

Absolutely. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill it for up to a day. You can also freeze cookie dough balls on a baking sheet, move them to a freezer bag, and bake them from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time.

Do I have to use cream of tartar?

Yes, I really recommend it. It helps give these cookies their tender texture and pretty tops, and a little jar will last you a long time.

Are these good for Christmas cookie exchanges?

Yes! They make a big batch, and they’re soft and pretty. Just bake them close to the exchange or thaw them from the freezer that morning so they’re nice and fresh.

I hope these soft Amish sugar cookies become one of your favorite cookies, too! Leave them plain, frost them, or pile them high with strawberries and cream… whatever your family loves is the right way to do it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tried this recipe? Please take a moment to leave a comment and a star rating – it helps me grow my blog, and I’d be so grateful!

More Cookie Recipes

​Looking for a different kind of cookie? Here are some of my favorites!

• Lemon Blueberry Cookies (Soft & Chewy)
• Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pecan Praline Cookies: The 1986 Winner’s Recipe
• Easy Pie Crust Cookies with Cinnamon & Sugar
• Easy Meringue Cookies

Recipe Card: Amish Sugar Cookies

These soft Amish sugar cookies have a slightly crisp edge, a tender center, and a pretty textured top. It’s an easy drop cookie recipe that makes a big batch with no rolling required!

Prep time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 8 minutes

Total time: 23 minutes

Makes: 48 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each one is combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar.
5. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until no flour remains, being careful not to over mix.
6. Using a cookie scoop, drop 1 to 1 ½-inch balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
7. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of granulated sugar.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges just begin to turn light golden brown.
9. Use a spatula to move the cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Notes

• The textured tops are normal and come from the powdered sugar and cream of tartar.
• The cookies are best fresh. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
• Leave them plain, frost them with your favorite icing, or dust them with powdered sugar.

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