Gordon Ramsay’s sugar cookie recipe uses just five ingredients: butter, caster sugar, egg, plain flour, and a pinch of mixed spice. You roll the dough out, cut your shapes, and bake at 180°C for 10–15 minutes until pale golden. They hold their shape perfectly because the dough rests for 30 minutes before it goes near the oven.
The recipe comes from the “Just for Kids” chapter in Make It Easy, where Ramsay says “cooking with children is pure magic. I love to see the joy on their faces as they see the product of their work.” He designed these specifically for cutting into shapes and decorating, which is why the dough is forgiving enough for small hands.
The technique most people get wrong is overworking the dough. Ramsay starts with a metal spoon, then switches to his hands only at the end to bring it together. One to two minutes of kneading and no more, because working the flour too much makes the cookies tough instead of crisp.
Gordon Ramsay’s Sugar Cookies
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy20-24
cookies40
minutes15
minutes120
kcal55
minutesFrom Gordon Ramsay’s Make It Easy. Simple cut-out sugar cookies with mixed spice, designed for decorating with kids. At Christmas, Ramsay cuts festive shapes and hangs them on the tree.
Ingredients
- For the cookies:
125g unsalted butter, softened
125g caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
250g plain flour
½ tsp ground mixed spice
- To decorate:
150g icing sugar
Coloured sugar
Silver balls (optional)
Directions
- Cream the butter and sugar: Beat together in a bowl until creamy and soft. Gradually beat in the egg.
- Mix the dough: Sift the flour and mixed spice together, then work into the mixture using a metal spoon to begin with, then your hands. Gather together and knead for 1–2 minutes until smooth.
- Chill: Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Roll and cut: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F)/Gas 4. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Divide the dough into 4 portions and re-wrap all but one. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 5–7mm thickness. Cut out shapes with biscuit cutters. At Christmas, use festive cutters and make a hole near the top with a skewer for hanging. Place on the lined sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake: Cook for 10–15 minutes until pale golden in colour. Leave on the sheet for a few minutes to firm up, then lift onto a wire rack to cool.
- Decorate: Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a smooth, thin glaze. Brush over the cookies with a pastry brush and sprinkle with coloured sugar and silver balls. Leave on the rack until the icing is dry.
FAQs
Can you make these as Christmas cookies?
Ramsay specifically says to use festive cutters at Christmas: trees, stars, and other shapes. He also suggests making a hole near the top with a skewer before baking so you can thread ribbon through and hang them on the tree.
The mixed spice already gives them a warm, festive flavour without being as heavy as gingerbread. They’re light enough to eat a few without feeling overwhelmed, which matters when they’re hanging on the tree and everyone keeps pulling them off.
Why does Ramsay knead sugar cookie dough when most recipes say not to?
Most sugar cookie recipes warn against kneading because overworking develops gluten, which makes cookies tough. Ramsay kneads for just 1–2 minutes, barely enough to bring the dough together into a smooth ball.
The difference is between a quick knead to unify the dough and aggressive working that turns it elastic. His comes together cleanly and rolls without cracking. Skip the knead and you’ll get a crumbly dough that falls apart when you try to cut shapes.
Why divide the dough into four portions?
Ramsay wraps three portions and keeps them cold while he rolls out one at a time. This is the detail most recipes skip and it makes the biggest difference.
Warm dough sticks to the surface, stretches when you lift the shapes, and loses its edges in the oven. Working in quarters means each portion stays cold right up until it goes on the baking sheet. If you want your peanut butter and jam cookies to hold their thumbprint shape, the same principle applies: cold dough keeps clean edges.
Why mixed spice and not just vanilla?
Most sugar cookie recipes use vanilla extract as the only flavouring. Ramsay adds half a teaspoon of mixed spice instead, which is a British blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, coriander, and ginger.
It’s subtle enough that you wouldn’t call these spiced cookies, but it gives them warmth that plain vanilla doesn’t. The spice also means these work for Christmas, autumn, or any time you want something slightly more interesting than a plain butter biscuit. All five are covered in our Gordon Ramsay cookie recipes guide. If you want to go richer instead of spiced, his chocolate chip cookies from Bread Street Kitchen take the opposite route with dark chocolate chunks and walnuts.
