My FAVORITE Roll and Cut Cookies

This Roll and Cut cookie dough works great with cookie cutters because it doesn’t spread and tastes delicious! Plus you can get my simple icing recipe or use your own.

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UPDATED: 1/2/2026

While my husband isn’t a big treat guy, over the last almost 2 decades, he’s eaten his fair share of these cookies. I learned to make these simple cookies growing up.  For sake of a better name, they were called “Good Roll and Cut Cookies”.  Creative?  No.  Descriptive?  Yes.  These cookies are perfect for…you guessed it: rolling out and cutting with cookie cutters.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve made these, but I would venture to say I’ve made them more than any other cookie recipe I own.  The reason is that they are super simple, they make a decent amount and you can use them any time of year.  They are definitely my go-to for cookie cutter cookies, especially these cute Valentine’s conversation heart cookies.

What You’ll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities, full instructions and tips for success.

Roll and Cut Cookies

• Flour
• White Sugar
• Vanilla
• Butter
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Egg
• Food coloring – Gel or liquid work fine. For more details, check the recipe FAQs at the bottom of this post.

Recommended Baking Supplies

• Hand Mixer
• Glass Mixing Bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Metal Cookie Sheet
• Silicone Baking Mat
• Wire cooling rack
• Cookie cutters (I like this set because it is comfortable to push down on.)
• Rolling pin

How to Make Roll and Cut Cookies

For the Dough

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream your butter and sugar.  Make sure your butter is softened but not melted.  You can use a hand mixer or a metal spoon.

Add the vanilla and egg and mix well.  Add the flour, baking powder and salt and combine.

Divide the dough in half and form one half into a ball shape.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  Flour your surface well.  (I use my flour sifter.)  Place the ball in the middle of the flour.  Roll the dough out to about 1/8″ thick.

*PRO TIP* Get a piece of plastic wrap and lay it over the top of the dough.  Then roll the dough out using your rolling pin.  The dough won’t stick to the plastic wrap!  Doing it this way also means you don’t have to use any flour on the top of the dough, which will lead to less crumbly cookies.  (This also works great when rolling out pie crust!)

 

Then place your cookie cutters on the dough.  I try to make as many cookies as possible out of each sheet of dough. This means I’m not adding too much flour to the dough each time it gets rolled out.  Using a spatula, place your cookies on your cookie sheet.

I use a silicone baking mat whenever I’m making cookies. I love that it can be reused and helps prevent the cookies from sticking to the pan or getting burnt on the bottom.  I use these.

Place cookies in oven for 6-8 minutes.  You don’t want them to brown.  If you’re not sure they are done, softly press on one and if it still soft, keep it in for a little longer.  They will feel mostly firm when they are done.

Take them out and let them rest for a minute or two. Then place them on a cooling rack or muslin type cooling cloth.

The amount of cookies you get out of each batch of this dough will vary since the size of the cookie cutters used varies.  I generally get between 2-4 dozen.

Allow them to cool completely.  If you want to frost them the same day, you can leave them out.  If you want to wait a day, store them in an airtight container on the counter.

For the Icing

In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.  You can stir by hand or with a hand mixer.  There is not an official recipe I use for this, but more of a how does it look and taste?  I’ve included approximate measurements, but it will vary a little.

You will know that it is the right consistency when you scoop some onto a spoon and when you let it fall back into the bowl, it goes in a steady stream, almost like syrup, but a little thicker.  The flavor is up to you.  I like mine not to to be overly sweet so I add a little more vanilla so it has more of a flavor.

If you want to do different colors, get a few small bowls and divide it out, then add the color.  When you are adding your food coloring, keep in mind that you may have to add a little more powdered sugar since the amount of food coloring you add will affect the consistency.

*PRO TIP* Since this icing/frosting is more on the runny side, use a small spoon to frost the cookies instead of a knife.  I scoop a little onto my spoon, pour it in the middle of the cookie and spread outwards, leaving a space between the edge of the cookie and my frosting.

Then I add any sprinkles or other cookie decorations I want since it will begin to set fairly quickly–within 2-3 minutes.  Make sure to stir up your frosting, as it will probably start to form a thin “crust” on the top, but it’s nothing to worry about and should mix right back in.

Let your cookies sit out and set for about an hour or so before putting them back in a container.  If you have to stack them, put a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper between each layer so they don’t stick to each other.  Store them in an airtight container either in the fridge or on the counter for up to a week.

One more thing…

These cookies actually taste better after they’ve been sitting for a day or so.  The reason why is that the frosting and the cookie have time to set up together and the sweetness of the frosting is balanced out by the not very sweetness of the cookie.  Trust me on this.

Tips for Success

Work in batches. If you are making different shapes, bake all the same shapes on the same baking sheet. If this isn’t do-able, try to bake similar sizes together. When the first half of the dough is done, then pull out the second half and roll it out.

Use plastic wrap. I mentioned this above as a pro tip but it’s worth saying again because it’s such a great hack! If you have to add flour to your dough so it doesn’t stick to your rolling pin, then eventually you will end up with dry dough. The less flour you have to use, the better your cookies will taste. So use a piece of plastic wrap laid over the top of your dough before rolling it out. And bonus–you get smooth cookie tops!

Keep dough cool. Because of the high butter content of these cookies, the dough can get soft really quickly. By keeping the dough in a cool place, such as the fridge when it’s not being used, it will help prevent melting. A slightly stiffer dough is also helpful for moving the cut shapes to the baking sheet.

Don’t overbake. These cookies do not need long in the oven, only 6-8 minutes. I always start on the lower end with a 6 minute bake time but never go more than 8 minutes. If they are browning, you are cooking them for too long.

Recipe FAQs

How should I store the roll and cut cookies?

Store your baked and decorated cookies in an airtight container. Cookies that don’t have icing can be stacked on top of each other, but should still be kept in an airtight container if you are waiting more than a few hours before decorating. Once they have icing on them, they need to set before being stored. Place a layer of wax paper or parchment paper between the layers to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Can I substitute almond extract for the vanilla in the icing?

Yes, however, I’d recommend starting with 1/2 tsp of almond extract and tasting it before adding more.

Should I use gel or liquid food coloring for the icing?

I have used both types of food coloring for my icings and haven’t noticed a big difference. The gel is more concentrated color so you don’t have to use as much. But if all you have is liquid color, then you can also use that. Depending on how much food coloring is used, you may need to add more powdered sugar to thicken it up.

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