Use Room Temperature Ingredients Start with butter and eggs at room temperature. This ensures the dough mixes evenly, helping to achieve a soft, tender texture.
Cream Butter and Sugar Well Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This step incorporates air into the dough, which helps create a soft, airy texture for the cookies once baked.
Chill the Dough Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking helps the cookies maintain their shape and prevents spreading too much.
Don’t Overbake To keep the cookies chewy, make sure to slightly underbake them. Remove them from the oven when the edges are set, but the centers are still soft.
Use Granulated Sugar for Rolling Rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar before baking gives the cookies a lovely sparkle and slightly crispy exterior, which contrasts beautifully with the soft and chewy interior.
Let Them Cool on the Baking Sheet Allow the sugar cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes after removing them from the oven.