Sugar cookies are a popular form of baked treat, with thousands of varieties being found all over the world. In your local store alone, you can find a staggering range of options that all fall into the definition of “sugar cookie.”
This means it can be challenging to find the best sugar cookies for general snacking, a family gathering, or for a late-night comfort food binge. This has become even more challenging with the availability of having cookies delivered directly to your door by companies like Amazon.
Top 5 America’s Test Kitchen Sugar Cookies: Editor Choice
We took some time to sift through the immense amount of options available online and have brought you our top 10 choices for the best sugar cookies.
The 10 America’s Test Kitchen Sugar Cookies Review:
1. Great American Cookies Baked Fresh By The Dozen
One problem with getting your cookies pre-packaged from the grocery store, let alone online, is you’re highly unlikely to ever get a batch of fresh-baked cookies.
The Great American Cookie Store has created the perfect solution for those wanting convenience and fresh-baked cookies at the same time. When you order these cookies, you’ll know that they’ve been fresh-baked the day they were shipped from the factory.
Every cookie you receive was freshly baked in a controlled facility located in Georgia and is topped with delicious sugar cookies. You can’t get cookies fresher than these unless you bake them yourself.
Pros
- Fresh baked and shipped daily
- Respected history of cookie production since 1977
- Four delicious flavors available
Cons
- Convenience and flavor come at a price higher than that of other options.
2. Extra Soft Delicious Frosted Sugar Cookies By Fresh Brand
If you ask us, the best sugar cookies are light, fluffy, and deliciously frosted. This offering from Fresh Brand fits all those points and has the added benefit of being Kosher.
Those suffering from peanuts or tree nuts have nothing to worry about, thanks to the strict manufacturing policy adhered to by the Fresh Band bakery.
This style of cookie has been a popular favorite among snack lovers of all ages. They stand out with their unique soft texture, the signature frosting cover, and the ability to be enjoyed by anyone, thanks to their ease of consumption.
Pros
- Kosher
- No risk of peanut or tree nut allergens
- Satisfaction is guaranteed or your money back
Cons
- Only ten cookies to a container
3. Nut-Free, Vegan Mini Sugar Cookies from DIVVIES
Sometimes what you want isn’t a large cookie but a single-bite snack that is both delicious and free from animal products. DIVVIES provides an option that hits all these points in spades with their dozen pack of mini-cookies created using a purely vegan recipe.
These are perfect both for the selective eater and for those suffering from a range of common allergies. This is due to their being free of dairy, egg, nuts, and GMO products and produced in a registered Kosher facility. This entire package of cookies weighs in at just six ounces, meaning each cookie is just a half-an-ounce of joy each.
Pros
- Kosher
- Free from many common allergens
- No animal products used
Cons
- Small portion size means they go fast
4. Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies From Amazon Brand
Simple is sometimes best, and that’s definitely true when it comes to this offering from Happy Belly. Coming in a standard package of 12 cookies weighing in at just over an ounce each, you’ll get nearly a pound of deliciousness in this 15oz package.
These cookies are known for their soft and chewy texture that makes them a pleasure to snack on. Their simplicity means that when you bite into one, all you’re going to experience is a light, buttery, and sweet flavor that will have you coming back for seconds, thirds, and possibly the whole container.
Pros
- Larger cookies at over an ounce each
- Soft, chewy texture that’s great for snacking
- Simple recipe delivers a sweet bite with no extras
Cons
- Non-Kosher
5. Pepperidge Farm Sugar Cookies
Do you remember when a visit to grandma’s house always included a freshly baked tray of cookies? Pepperidge Farms remembers. These cookies come in four containers holding 15 cookies each and are a prime example of the quality that comes out of Pepperidge Farms.
Pepperidge Farms is known for its expansive range of high-quality cookies in a broad range of flavors spanning the simple sugar cookie to the luxurious Milano Dark Chocolates.
With such a repertoire for having delicious flavor, it’s unsurprising that many people claim Pepperidge Farms offering as the best sugar cookies to be had.
Pros
- Created by a respected company with a history of quality
- Satisfaction guaranteed with the number provided on containers
- Comes in a 60 cookie bulk pack
Cons
- Smaller orders not available with this production
6. Two Bag Pack Of Polvorones Powdered Sugar Dusted Vegan Sugar Cookies
Everyone loves sugar cookies, though standard recipes can be hard to enjoy for those with voluntarily or medically enforced eating restrictions.
These vegan cookies are a great solution to those concerns and come with the benefit of being based on a traditional Mexican recipe by the La Monarca Bakery. Each of these packages weighs in at almost a pound each, containing somewhere around a dozen cookies per package.
La Monarca Bakery has a long-standing reputation for excellence, and these cookies are an excellent demonstration of why especially when enjoyed with a piping hot cup of coffee.
Pros
- Light, flaky, delicious cookie dusted with sugar
- Vegan recipe
- Great when paired with coffee
Cons
- Sugar dusting makes them messy to enjoy on the go
7. Sprinkle Mini-Sugar Cookies From Our Specialty – Two Pack
When you order these delicious sugar cookies, you’ll receive two packs of approximately 24 cookies that are as adorable as they are tasty. Each cookie contains a sprinkling of color sugar that gives them a festive look.
Each of the cookies contained herein is soft and delicious when the package arrives, making them perfect for sugar cookie lovers of all ages. Their miniature size means you don’t have to blow your diet to enjoy a cookie now and then, as well as making them easier to share due to each pack containing two dozen.
Pros
- Each container has 24 cookies, for a total of 48 per order
- Brightly colored sprinkles make them a playful snack for kids
- Free from nut and peanut allergens and made with real sugar
Cons
- Fresh ingredients result in a short 14-day shelf-life
8. One Dozen Festive Frosted Snowman Cookies
Cookies like this make it hard to wait until the holidays to enjoy a sweet and frosted snowman sugar cookie? This pack of twelve cookies is prepared by the Merlino Banking Company, with each snowman decorated by hand.
This ensures that every snowman has their own unique touch, giving them a homemade feel that will have your guests coming back for more. Anyone who loves sugar cookies knows that they come in two distinct categories, soft and chewy and delightfully crisp and flaky.
These cookies fall into the latter category and are coated with a delicious thin layer of royal icing. This creates a wonderfully sweet experience that’s hard to beat.
Pros
- Delicious royal icing brings additional taste and flavor
- Perfect addition to any holiday celebration
- Hand-painted design is unique for each cookie
Cons
- Only available seasonally.
9. Delicious 18 Count White Iced Sugar Cookies
The only thing better than a dozen delicious sugar cookies waiting for you to tuck into them is a dozen and a half all wrapped up and ready to go. These cookies are known for their rich vanilla flavor and distinctive white icing with brightly colored sprinkles.
Every bite is like tucking into a sweet cloud of cookies, and it’s not unusual for the entire batch to disappear not long after opening the container. Ibake is a company known for providing high-quality baked goods with a guarantee of freshness and flavor.
Pros
- An abundant pack of 18 cookies
- Rich icing and white flavor creates a multitextured experience
- Great for sharing with classes, coworkers, and family
Cons
- Higher price point than comparable cookies
10. Tin Of Royal Dansk Sugar Butter Cookies
The case of Schrodingers cookies happens every time a tin of these is found in a grandparent’s home. Are they going to contain cookies? Or sewing supplies. These cookies are commonly considered to be one of the best luxury-grade sugar butter cookies to grace the market.
Their container is iconic, and their flavor unforgettable. While not a soft sugar cookie, they are deliciously flaky and crisp and are a mouth full of wonder in every bite.
When it comes to the perfect crisp sugar cookie, Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookies set the standard. One cannot ignore the reasonable pricing of this delicious treat or the versatile nature of its packaging.
Pros
- Versatile container that keeps cookies fresh and crisp
- A range of delicious flavors and styles
- Delicious with tea or coffee
Cons
- No guarantees of allergen controls at the facility
Buying Guide: What to Consider When Choosing Sugar Cookies
Buying sugar cookies is often about more than having a delicious favored snack. For many people, sugar cookies, and specifically the best sugar cookies, are about more than flavor.
They’re a callback to childhood experiences; they’re comfort, and intimate moments with family and friends; they are a special moment set aside in shared delight. This can make picking out the ‘perfect’ sugar cookie a little tricky, but we have some standards that we use to break it down.
- Flavor – At the top of our buying guide list for cookies is flavor. A good cookie has to have a pleasant flavor that’s not too cloyingly sweet and tastes clean and natural. Some cookies suffer from an overabundance of artificial flavoring that leaves an odd taste afterward.
- Texture – This one can be controversial, given that sugar cookies come in two forms. Flaky and crispy and soft and chewy. This is largely a matter of preference, but we generally believe that the best sugar cookies embody their chosen texture well. A flaky cookie that’s dry and crumbly is no better than a soft cookie that lacks body.
- Appearance – As with any food, the shape and appearance of a cookie can have a direct impact on how much we enjoy it. The lackluster appearance of some cookies lowers our expectations and can negatively impact our experience of the cookie.
- Value – The overall value of the cookie, both in the quality of its ingredients and the number of cookies you get in a container, is the final determiner. The best cookie in the world may not be worth the price tag they slap on it. Conversely, a super-cheap cookie that comes in abundant quantity can be great for that all-night munch fest.
Each of these conditions was taken into consideration when selecting our final verdict.
Final Verdict
This was a challenging decision, and in the end, we had to come down to two choices. There were cookies listed above that just couldn’t compete with each other, as they are two entirely different experiences. When it comes to crispy, flaky sugar cookies, the Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookies won out.
While Pepperidge Farm was a strong contender, they just lacked the classic depth of flavor that comes with the Royal Dansk cookies. Dollar for dollar, the value was superior with them as well. When it comes to the softer, chewier form of cookie, we settled on the Great American Cookie company’s offering.
The commitment to deliver fresh baked cookies to customers ordering remotely just pushed them over the edge for pure quality. The fact that they have a solid reputation as a bakery and their cookies are undeniably delicious sealed the deal.