Marbled Sugar Cookies

EASY marbled sugar cookies! This simple cookie recipe creates soft and chewy sugar cookies that hold their shape. The taste isn't overly sweet and they need no icing; perfect for Valentine's Day, Easter, Christmas, birthdays or just because!

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Oh sugar cookies. They truly are my favorite cookie!

I'm sharing a new variation today, which uses freeze dried berries to give them the marbled look. I used strawberries, but raspberries or blueberries also work wonderfully!

why you will love these marbled sugar cookies

• A simple dough that comes together in minutes!
• The cookies get a flavor boost from freeze dried berries, which also gives them the lovely marbled effect!
• The sugar cookie cut outs keep their shape when you bake them!
• No frosting or icing is needed!
• You can freeze the cookies for up to a couple months!

Ingredients needed for this cookie recipe

Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.

• All-purpose flour ~ use your favorite brand. If you don't use a scale for measurement {this is the one I use}, be sure to use the spoon and level method to help eliminate the risk of using too much flour.
• Baking powder ~ you will want to use an aluminum free baking powder. Yes, it does make a difference in the final taste of the cookie. I only use aluminum free in my kitchen.
• Unsalted butter ~ since sugar cookies don't have a lot of ingredients, I love using a high quality butter such as Plugrá or Kerrygold for the best flavor.
• Kosher salt ~ just a little to balance the flavors.
• Granulated sugar ~ brings the sweetness to the cookie and helps with structure.
• Confectioners' sugar ~ adds sweetness and softness to the cookies.
• Egg ~ adds structure and helps to bind all the ingredients together. You just need one large egg.
• Vanilla ~ pure vanilla extract for flavor.
• Freeze dried strawberries ~ One 1 ounce bag, crushed to a powder consistency is needed. I prefer to sift the crushed berries through a fine sieve to remove most of the seeds. Freeze dried berries can be found in most grocery stores with the dried fruit. I typically buy mine at Trader Joe's or Target. You can substitute freeze dried raspberries or freeze dried blueberries.
• Food coloring ~ optional, but can be used to enhance the color of the dough.

how to make sugar cookie dough

Start by whisking together the flour and aluminum free baking powder, then set aside. Next cream the butter and salt together before adding the sugars, followed by the egg and vanilla.

Then on low, mix in the flour. When the dough has started to come together, but is still showing some flour, remove about half of the dough from the mixing bowl to another bowl and finish mixing in any remaining flour with a spatula. 

Next add the freeze dried strawberry powder to the remaining dough in the mixing bowl and mix until combined {if you want to enhance the color, you can add a drop or two of food coloring}.  The dough should be soft, but not sticky.

how do you make a marbled effect?

Drop small balls of dough next to each other, alternating between the vanilla dough and the strawberry dough until all the dough has been used.  Gently press the dough into a ball.  Wrap the marbled sugar cookies dough ball in plastic wrap and press into a 1 inch thick disk.  Then chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.

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Once the dough has chilled, roll it out to about ¼ inch thickness. Please don't be tempted to make them thinner. The thickness of the cookie helps to create the soft and chewy texture in the final cookie. I use this Williams Sonoma rolling pin, but many of my cookie friends swear by this rolling pin.

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video tutorial

do these cookies need a glaze?

They really don't, which adds to the ease of this recipe! The cookies are sweet, but not super sweet. The addition of the freeze dried berries gives them just enough something, something that they are perfect without an icing or glaze.

Many marbled sugar cookie recipes are just a sugar cookie dipped in a marbled glaze, but this recipe gives you the marbled look without one.

If you absolutely feel like you want to put a glaze on them, I recommend the glaze from my homemade animal graham crackers. If you want the glaze to be marbled, add a drop or two of food coloring to the glaze and use a toothpick to swirl it through the glaze.

tips for the best sugar cookies

• Start with room temperature butter and a room temperature egg. This usually takes 1-2 hours of sitting on the counter {depending on the temperature in your kitchen}. To test, your finger should make an indent without sinking or sliding down into the butter. The butter should not be warm to the touch or shiny or greasy.
• After crushing the freeze dried berries {I use my Cuisinart mini prep}, sift the berries through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
• Chill the dough. This recipe requires a minimum of 30 minutes; I typcially go somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes of chill time. This marbled sugar cookies dough can chill for up to three days. If it is chilled longer than 1-2 hours, allow it to sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes to warm up before rolling out.
• Roll the cookies about ¼ inch thick. If you roll them too thin, they will not be as soft and chewy. When rolling the cookie dough, I like to treat it like pie crust and gently roll it, turning the dough after every pass of the rolling pin. This helps to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter.
• Try not to overwork the dough. Overworked dough = tough cookies.
• If the dough seems warm after you've rolled and cut out the cookies, pop it in the freezer or refrigerator for 10 minutes to cool back down before baking them.
• Do not over bake the cookies!! It takes about 8 minutes for the cookies to bake. They should not have brown edges, but will appear slightly puffy on top when they are done. Allow them to cool on the pan for 2 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

troubleshooting for cut out sugar cookies

• Help, my dough is crumbly! The dough should be soft, but not sticky when it goes in for a chill. If the dough seems dry and crumbly you likely added too much flour or overworked the dough. Add a little egg white {start with one tablespoon} and gently work it into the dough until it is soft, but not sticky.
• Help, my dough is super hard after chilling! If the dough chills for more than an hour or two it will need time to warm up on the counter before rolling. Let it sit out for 10-20 minutes before rolling it out.
• Help, my dough is crumbling when I try to roll it! If the cookie dough is too cold, it will crumble when you go to roll it out. Let it warm slightly on the counter for 10-20 minutes and try again.
• Help, my cookies spread when they baked! Your dough likely got too warm when you rolled it out. You can always pop the cut out dough in the freezer or refrigerator for a 10 minute chill before baking them. {I have never had to do this, but my kitchen doesn't get overly warm most of the year}.
• Help, my cookies aren't soft after they cooled! Most likely they were over baked. This sugar cookie recipe only needs about 8 minutes in the oven. The edges should not be browned, but the cookies will be slightly puffy in the middle when they are done.

Remember to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram if you make these Marbled Sugar Cookies. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!

more sugar cookie recipes

• Lemon Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
• Red Velvet Sugar Cookies {no chill}
• Sprinkle Cookies
• Always Perfect Sugar Cookies
• Sugar Cookie Bars
• Soft Almond Sugar Cookies
• Sugar Cookie Sandwiches

If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating.  I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!