Thin and Crispy Sugar Cookies

Hey Friends! I got an email from a reader asking for a recipe for Tate’s style thin and crispy sugar cookies and I’m so glad I jumped right on it ~ these cookies are amazing!

1. These thin and crispy sugar cookies have good genes ~ they’re just a few tweaks away from our wildly popular Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
2. It’s an easy no-chill and no-roll drop cookie dough.
3. This is a classic recipe for cookie purists who appreciate a crisp snappy texture and that classic sugar cookie flavor.

The secrets to thin and crispy cookies

• The ratio of more sugar and butter to flour is key ~ white sugar encourages spread and crispness while fat helps the cookies spread.
• Don’t chill your dough ~ baking room-temp dough allows it to spread more quickly in the oven.
• Gently flatten with the bottom of a glass before baking to encourage even spreading.
• Bake at a lower temperature (like 325F) ~ it lets cookies spread before setting, creating thinner, crunchier results.
• Under-creaming or no creaming: Less aeration = more spread so I don’t over cream my butter and sugar, I just get them well blended.
• Use baking soda only ~ not baking powder. Soda encourages spread while powder puffs.
• Bake long enough ~ your oven may differ from mine, so do a test cookie and let it cool to check.
• Give them a rap ~ immediately after your cookies come out of the oven give the pan a sharp rap on a hard surface, this will deflate any puffiness.

Keep thin and crispy cookies crispy!

In regular weather these cookies will stay crisp, but even well-baked thin and crispy cookies can go soft if left out in a humid day ~ sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from the air.

1. Bake them fully. Go just past pale ~ light golden brown at the edges. If they’re underbaked at all, they’ll soften overnight no matter what you do.
2. Cool them completely on a rack. Any warmth trapped in the container = steam = chewy.
3. Store them in a truly airtight container at room temp ~ no fridge, with layers separated by parchment so they don’t stick together and re-soften each other.
4. Add a moisture absorber. Easiest version: a little dish of uncooked rice or a food-safe desiccant pack in the container. That keeps the environment dry and the cookies crisp.
5. Re-crisp: 300F oven, 3-4 minutes on a bare sheet pan, then cool on a rack. They’ll snap again.

How do my thin and crispy cookies compare to Tates?

Tate’s cookies are among the highest quality cookies you’ll find in any store, and my thin and crispy cookies are made with all natural ingredients and no preservatives, just like the commercial brand. But mine are slightly larger and more consistent in shape and size, which is nice. Oh, and mine are much cheaper!

yield

• mine: 3 dozen + cookies
• Tate’s: 14 cookies per bag

calories

• mine: about 100 calories each
• Tate’s: about 70 calories each (remember mine are bigger and more uniform)

cost

• mine: about 15 cents, or without the vanilla bean: 9 cents per cookie.
• Tate’s: @45 cents per cookie per Tate’s website.

Thin and Crispy Sugar Cookies

No ratings yet

Thin and Crispy Sugar Cookies are a Tate's style crunchy cookie that are deliciously easy (it's a no-chill no-roll drop cookie dough.)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes minutes

Cook Time:15 minutes minutes

Total Time:25 minutes minutes

Servings: 36 cookies

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• baking sheet
• parchment paper

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, soft butter is important for these cookies to spread properly. See my post on How to Bring Cold ingredients to Room Temperature for tips. DO NOT USE MELTED BUTTER.
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 large egg, room temp if possible
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds only
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour*
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Note: the parchment paper is important for preventing sticking, and getting the right texture in these cookies. Don't substitute silicone mats.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or with electric beaters, cream together the 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature and 1 1/2 cups white sugar until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Be sure to get any butter off the bottom of the bowl and get that incorporated as well.
• Add the 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and seeds of 1 vanilla bean to the butter mixture, and mix until well combined.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour*, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Add the flour to the bowl and mix on low until everything is combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to get everything well incoporated. Note: do not chill this dough at this point ~ you want it soft so it spreads in the oven.
• Scoop the cookie dough into balls a little more than 1 tablespoon, and roll them into a ball. Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar for a light crunch. Place evenly on your cookie sheet, leaving about 2-3 inches between each cookie to allow for spreading in the oven.
• Use the back of a small glass to gently press down on each cookie to partially flatten them to about 1/2 inch thick. This helps them spread evenly and prevents doming. (I like to coat the bottom of the glass with a bit of sugar before each press.
• Bake for about 14-15 minutes until the cookies are starting to turn golden brown in spots. I highly recommend doing a couple of test cookies to determine the best time for your oven. Give the pan a sharp rap on a hard surface immediately after removing from the oven. This will help flatten them.
• Allow to partially cool on the baking sheet, they will be soft and delicate when they come out of the oven but will crisp up as they cool. Then transfer to a baking rack to completely cool.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate, as that can cause cookies to soften.

Notes

*I formulate my recipes using US standard cups and measure my flour with the fluff, scoop and level method. If you use weight, my flour weight for this recipe is 240g.

We tested and retested these cookies and feel that they are just perfect. They bake up reliably uniform, with that thin, crisp texture you’re looking for. They are buttery with a toffee/caramel flavor, and not greasy at all. We love ’em!

If the air in your kitchen is humid the cookies can soften overnight. See post for fixes.

NEW FEATURE! Click here to add your own private notes.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: baking, cookies, dessert

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie · Calories: 102 kcal · Carbohydrates: 13 g · Protein: 1 g · Fat: 5 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Trans Fat: 0.2 g · Cholesterol: 19 mg · Sodium: 83 mg · Potassium: 10 mg · Fiber: 0.2 g · Sugar: 8 g · Vitamin A: 165 IU · Calcium: 3 mg · Iron: 0.3 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Did You Make This?We love seeing what you’ve made! Tag us on social media at @theviewfromgreatisland for a chance to be featured.