Small batch sugar cookies are perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth. This easy sugar cookie recipe makes just a few cookies, that are topped with a sweet buttery vanilla frosting.
These sugar cookies for two are delicious sugar cookies, for when that late night craving hits, or when you don’t need a full batch of sugar cookies. It’s an easy dough that can be made in one bowl, and without any chilling!
Let me tell you something, so my mother in law makes some of the best sugar cookies. In fact, that is where I got my recipe for the best sugar cookies ever. But sometimes I don’t want a whole big batch of sugar cookies when I’m craving something sweet, so this small batch sugar cookie recipe is the perfect solution.
This recipe makes just about 4 to 6 cookies depending what size you make them, so it’s the perfect amount for one, two, or three people 😉
These sugar cookies for two are pretty perfect. They taste like the traditional sugar cookies I love, and I know you love too.
These sugar cookies are great because the dough can be scooped and rolled into balls and baked like a traditional drop cookie, or you can roll the cookie dough out and cut the cookies into different shapes. Either way they turn into delicious sugar cookies.
The cookies bake up nice and thick, and so soft, with chewy edges. They’re so delicious and perfect for when you’re craving something sweet.
Then you can frost the cookies and decorate them however you’d like. Or just eat them hot out of the oven unfrosted too.
How to make sugar cookies for two?
These sugar cookies for two can be made in one bowl, just a small bowl is great. Cream together your butter and white sugar till nice and smooth. Add in an egg yolk and a dash of vanilla extract and stir well to combine. Add in the salt, and baking soda and the flour, starting with 6 tablespoons. Add in more flour as needed if the dough is too sticky.
Roll out the dough to be about 1/4 inch thick then cut cookies out with a scoop. Or alternatively scoop the dough into about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoon sized balls and roll into a smooth ball. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 8 minutes until the cookies are set and start to turn light golden.
Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Combine all the ingredients for the frosting in a small bowl till you have a nice smooth frosting. Spread frosting evenly over the top of the cookies. Top with sprinkles if desired.
Tips and Tricks:
- Skip the frosting and top your cookies with a small amount of powdered sugar, or eat them plain if desired.
- Use room temperature ingredients for the best results, and the best soft sugar cookies.
- Add 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon almond extract for a nice twist on the cookie flavor.
- Chill the cookie dough wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for about 30 minutes if you want the cookies to hold their shape from cookie cutters even more.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I double this small batch recipe?
If you want extra cookies, you can definitely double this recipe, just make sure to double each of the ingredients on the list as called for. I would however use a a whole egg instead of two egg yolks to not waste any egg whites, unless you want to use them for another recipe.
What makes cookies stay soft and chewy?
Cookies that have a good balance of moisture to dry ingredients will stay soft and chewy for days. These cookies have butter and an egg yolk to keep the cookies nice and soft.
What is a good thickness for sugar cookies?
The best thickness to roll out your sugar cookie dough is about 1/4 inch. That will help your cookies maintain their shape, while keeping them soft in the middle as they bake up with nice crispy edges.
How to store cookies?
While this small batch recipe only makes a few cookies and you might not have any left over, in case you do – the best way to store them is in an airtight container once they are fully baked, cooled, and decorated. They should stay soft and chewy for up to 3 days.
These sugar cookies are soft, delicious, with perfectly chewy edges. And are perfect when you need something sweet just for you, or just for you and a friend.
Looking for more small batch recipes?
- Eggless Cookie Dough
- Small Batch Muddy Buddies
- Small Batch Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies for Two
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Sugar Cookies for Two
Ingredients
- 2 TBS butter (softened)
- 3 TBS sugar
- 1 egg yolk (or 3 TBS egg, about half)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 6-8 TBS flour
For the Frosting
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 drop food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine butter and sugar in a small bowl.
- Add egg yolk and vanilla and stir well.
- Add salt, baking soda and 6 TBS flour and stir to combine.
- Add additional flour 1/2 tablespoon at a time if dough is too sticky.
- Roll out dough to be 1/4 inch thick and cut with cookie cutters or scoop into 1 1/2 to 2 TBS sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for about 8 minutes, or until a light golden color, then remove from oven.
- Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before removing to cool additionally on cooling rack.
For the Frosting:
- Combine all ingredients for frosting (add more milk or more powdered sugar if too thick or too thin) and frost cookies once cool.
Nutrition
Sugar cookies for two first posted on September 5, 2013. Photos updated on March 2, 2020.
Elena says
I am honestly really upset that I found this recipe because I have made these SO many times after dinner when I have a sweet tooth. Absolutely delicious! And terrible for my health because they are so easy to whip up, I just make them on a whim! The first few times I made them I brought out my electric mixer, then I realized I don’t even need that! I just use a fork and bowl! So easy! I do use a small batch buttercream recipe instead of the icing in the recipe, but that’s just my preference. The sweet buttercream is perfect. Otherwise, I would likely add a little more sugar to the recipe. But this is my go-to.
Aimee says
Haha I’m so sorry to upset you – glad you love them 😉
Felice says
I just made these for the first time and don’t even need to write an original thought because I agree. I will say mine went a little flat, but I also baked them longer than the recipe intended. Absolutely delicious and so easy!!
Sarah says
The eggs taste is insane. I feel like I just ate scrambled eggs not a sugar cookie.
Aimee says
Sorry you didn’t like them, your egg yolk must’ve been larger than the ones I use
Deanna Johnson says
So, next time, I will probably add more sugar. I used one tablespoon monkfruit and one tablespoon brown sugar for the sugar it called for. Otherwise, these are really good! I also used one tablespoon coconut oil in place of one of the tablespoons of butter. The dough was sticky, but I planned to drop them anyway. I added chopped candied orange peel to a little bit of the batter, and I put a ball of marzipan in the middle of some other ones. They all turned out great!
Aimee says
I’ve found monk fruit isn’t as sweet as sugar when used 1 to 1, but I’m glad you still liked them and they didn’t go to flat for you! Candied orange and marzipan sounds super yummy to add to them too!
Melony says
Mine came out cake like? I used all purpose flour. The texture was spongey.
Ellen says
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out as you hoped. We usually use all purpose flour, unless indicated otherwise. I can’t tell why yours was spongey. But here are a few tips that might help if you choose to make these again. Softened butter not melted. Cream the butter first. Make sure you used baking soda and not baking powder. Use the lesser end of flour instead of more. Too much air whipped into the batter. Too much egg. So many factors to consider. Again, sorry it wasn’t a favorite but hopefully one of these tips will help if you try again or we hope you will try some of our other recipes and find them to your liking.
Shrutika jain says
What can i use instead of egg or egg yolk in this recipe?
Aimee says
Cookies need some sort of egg yo help them stick together, and help them rise when baking. I can’t safely give an egg substitute for any of our cookie recipes as I haven’t tested them out. You could try an egg replacer like flax seed with water to make a flax egg, but I can’t say if it will work for sure.
Salma says
I used yogurt instead of the egg.
Archithaa says
it came out perfectly.i Usually don’t write reviews but this came out amazing so i wanted you to know
Aimee says
Yay I’m so glad to hear that!
Sally Ronning says
I’m fussy about cookies, so I was sceptical. But I tried a drop cookies. Excellent! Great flavor.
Isabella says
I been wanting to try these !!! Especially the proportion size! Is there any substitution that I can Use other than baking soda or baking powder ?
Aimee says
I don’t know if any substitute for baking soda or baking powder, personally. Your cookies won’t rise and will be too flat without them
Sally says
Cream of tartar
Kate says
This sweet recipe is perfect! Made them with my 4 year old and couldn’t be any happier. The taste delicious! Thank you for sharing this!
Ellen says
So awesome. What a great experience for the two of you together. Thanks for letting us know.
Morgan says
Absolutely perfect! I made these cookies earlier today and it made a nice small match which is perfect for any sugar craving. I changed the sugar to 2tbsp white sugar, 1tbsp brown sugar to make them a little softer and chewier! Best small batch recipe I’ve found yet!
Anna says
Im 13 and this came out perfectly, it was easy and perfect for me and my siblings. If you younger or don’t have as much baking experience then this would be am amazing recipe for awesome cookies.
Aimee says
So glad you liked them! Way to go! <3
Kacee says
I rolled the dough out and then buttered it and sprinkled it with cinnamon-sugar, then rolled it into a log and sliced it to make cinnamon roll cookies. They were AMAZING! The dough was so fast and simple to make too.
Aimee says
Ooh that sounds so good! Glad you liked them!
Wayne Sapp says
Made these for my girlfriend for valentine’s day, Turned out perfect, she loved them! I rolled it into one giant cookie in a heart shape & decorated it.
Katie says
wayyy too much salt! I didn’t ice them- I suppose the icing usually covers the taste, but even so I would have expected them to be able to stand alone. The texture was great… may try these again some day but with 1/8 tsp salt at most.
KB says
The recipe calls for 1/8 tsp
Janet says
I’m so incompetent at baking, but I really wanted to try baking some sugar cookies. They turned out spectacular and I credit this page. Thank you for this recipe!
Aimee says
Yay Janet! That’s wonderful news, I’m so glad you liked them!
Sarahe says
Loved these cookies! I followed the recipe and used 7 tbs of flour, I rolled them into balls and it made 9 cookies! So tasty, spread some buttercream frosting on top. Perfect Sunday afternoon treat!
Thanks for sharing!
Aimee Berrett says
I’m so glad you like them! I guess I must make enormous cookies to only get 4 or 5, more for me, right? 😉
MyNameAint Cecilia says
They turned out perfect and delicious! Definitely trying this again.
aimee @ like mother like daughter says
So glad that you liked them Cecilia! Whenever I make them I wish I had more since they are so good, but glad I don’t so its easier to resist 😉
Jessica Jackson says
These turned out great. I followed the recipe exactly except for the frosting, using 6 Tbs flour. I tried to barely mix the flour in with a fork and stuck them in the freezer for a couple minutes before baking to avoid melting the butter. I don’t know if it made a difference, but these were great. The batch made 8 cookies about 2.5″ diameter when cooked. They were super fluffy, you can see them here as there doesn’t appear to be a way to upload a photo in the comments: http://aisleofmate.tumblr.com/post/82653625981/emergency-cookies-made-as-we-try-to-finish-up-our
I want to try them with chocolate chips and adding cinnamon for snicker doodles! I might reduce the salt slightly as they’re addictive in the current state. My boyfriend asked why I made so few (portions!) and if we’d have more for tomorrow. And now he’s reminded me they’re really good a week later, so I have to say thank you so much!
Aimee Berrett says
I am so glad that you liked them. They are based off of a full sugar cookie recipe, that makes about 3 dozen sugar cookies. You should be able to find the recipe on our site if you happen to want to make a few more – the dough does freeze pretty well too. And you could definitely make your own adjustments and make snickerdoodles or chocolate chips, but we do actually have our own recipes for those – here are the links if you are interested: http://lmld.org/2013/08/19/snickerdoodle-cookies-for-two/ and http://lmld.org/2013/04/05/chocolate-chip-cookies-for-two/
Veronica S. says
Yum! I thought this actually made only 2 cookies so I went and doubled it! Now I have 6 HUGE cookies… that’s perfect for just two people, right? 😉
Aimee Berrett says
Haha Veronica, I made 5 small/normal sized cookies with the recipe but 6 giant cookies sound even better!!
crazyforcrust says
I love it!! The perfect small recipe.
Aimee Berrett says
Thank you Dorothy!
Britney @ The Princess & Her Cowboys says
This is awesome! The only recipe I have for sugar cookies makes enough to feed a small army. Thanks for sharing!
Aimee Berrett says
Haha, this recipe definitely only makes a few, but its perfect when you just need a quick sugar fix!
triedandtasty says
Get outta here.. sugar cookies for two now?? These recipes are AWESOME!!! {especially for a glutton like myself hee hee}
Aimee Berrett says
Thanks Yvonne. I’m a total cookie addict, so I need these!
marissa | Rae Gun Ramblings says
Yay I love these perfect portion recipes! pinned
Amber Brady says
Those look so thick & soft! And I too like the icing color 🙂
Aimee Berrett says
Thanks Amber! They were both thick and soft 🙂
Aimee says
These look great (and I LOVE that icing color)! I pinned this to try later 🙂
Aimee Berrett says
Thanks Aimee! I just combined blue and red food coloring 🙂