This GIANT sugar cookie is perfection. It’s a single, large cookie that bakes up to about 8-9 inches in diameter. It has a soft, buttery center and it’s topped with fluffy buttercream icing. Plus, it’s totally customizable depending on what you want–peppermint? Almond? Lemon? Orange? Sure! Feel free to play around with flavorings, citrus zests, and fun toppings. This recipe makes one giant cookie approximately 9-inches in diameter. Make sure to browse our tips for the best cookie ever!
A few tips for the best Giant Cookie!
Because we’re working with very small ingredients, it’s super important to measure everything EXTREMELY carefully. Make sure you’re lightly spooning flour into measuring cups and leveling with a knife.
Use Our Template
Here is a great template you can use to get the perfect sized cookie. It has 3 circles on it, and all our giant cookie recipes include a recommended baking size. To use this template, place it directly on your baking sheet and then cover it with parchment paper (do not bake directly on the template!). Press your cookie dough down, using the template as a guide.
After Baking, Reshape your Cookie
This is one of my favorite pro-tips (I actually do this with regular sized cookies, too!). In order to get a perfectly round shape, as soon as your cookie comes out of the oven (you only have a short window of time to do this) use a large spatula to gently press the edges in to shape your cookie into a perfect circle. The guide comes in handy for this, too!
Let it cool completely!
Before you frost, make sure it cools on a baking rack completely. Our favorite tool to have on hand for moving around giant cookies is a giant spatula, like this one.
Tips for Packaging
One of our favorite ways to package a giant cookie is in a blank pizza box. You can find them on Amazon or often at restaurant supply stores. I’ve found 9″ is usually the perfect size, but if you want a little more wiggle room, 10″ is a good option as well.
Cookies are full of butter, so make sure to line your cardboard box with parchment paper (as opposed to tissue paper or no paper) so it doesn’t leave grease spots in your box! You can sometimes even find cute printed parchment papers, often called “deli sheets” online.
Related Recipes
Check out The Best Sugar Cookies for a regular sized batch of these cookies.
If you’re looking for more big giant cookies, you can find them all right here:
Big Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie
Big Giant Double Chocolate Fudge Cookie
Big Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookie
Big Giant Chocolate Crinkle Cookie
Big Giant Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookie
Big Giant Peanut Butter Cookie
Big Giant Snickerdoodle Cookie
Giant Peppermint Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cookie
Giant Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookie
Giant Chocolate Cadbury Egg Cookie
Big Giant Chocolate Sandwich Cookie (Homemade Oreo!)
Giant Sugar Cookie
Ingredients
Cookie
- 1/2 cup real butter super soft
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg yolk from large or extra large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour make sure to lightly spoon into measuring cup and level!
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Icing
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract*
- 1-2 tablespoons cream or milk
Additional ingredient:
- 2 tablespoons sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla until smooth. Add flour, baking powder and salt all at once and mix to combine.
TIP: Dough will look crumbly at first, that's normal! Keep mixing, for longer than you think you need to and it will come together. When everything is well incorporated, you can use clean hands to pull it all together.
- Form dough into one large ball and sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over it. Roll to coat.
- Place dough ball on prepared baking sheet and gently press to 7" in diameter. Smooth edges with hands so here are no craggily edges that can get overcooked. If your hands melted the sugar into the dough, sprinkle a little extra on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until set on the edges and slightly soft in the middle.
- Note: All ovens cook differently and baking time can vary depending on how you pressed your cookie down so set your timer but keep an eye on it and go by look over time!
Tip: If your edges are getting browned, it's probably been in there too long!
- Remove from oven and let cool completely.
- While cooling, mix up all frosting ingredients until light and fluffy. Add as much liquid as you need (a tiny bit at a time) until it is the consistency you like.
- When cookie is completely cool, frost and decorate if desired!
Questions & Reviews
I feel a bit silly asking this, but when you say ‘real’ butter, do you mean regular butter, not margarine? If so, is salted or non salted better?
And do you use a stand mixer with such small amounts?
No silly questions, here! Yes, real butter (as opposed to margarine) and you can always assume salted butter unless specified otherwise. You’ll want to just use a hand mixer for this small batch!
How do I make this in advance? Should I make it til the chill stage? Or freeze the finished cookie? Making it for my kids for valentines and would love to make it before the day!
Either way! You bake the cookies, cool completely, and then freeze between layers of parchment. Or if you want to bake fresh, you can pat the dough out into the circle, and then freeze the unbaked dough between layers of parchment. Just let it sit in the fridge ovenight to defrost before baking.
Can I need to go in advance to keep it in the fridge till ready to bake it?
Yes!
Can you use a 9″ spring form pan to make it round?
sure!
Great recipe! Made this for my friend for her birthday because she prefers cookies over cake and she loved it!
I’ve made these for the past 3 years as gifts. My husband insisted that I make it the first year, and now all his coworkers expect it! I triple the recipe, then divide the dough into 3 cookies before baking. Works great when I need to make a bunch of gifts! Always looks impressive!!
Fabulous! Thanks for the recipe and tips. I made a double batch to make a 10.5” cookies plus some regular size cookies. I used 1/2 vanilla & 1/2 almond flavoring in both the dough and the frosting. It all turned out perfect.
Why just egg yolk? What happens if you use the whole egg?
I think you’d have too much liquid and your cookie dough would be really loose.
Can this recipe be doubled to make a cookie twice as big and turn out the same? Thanks
I’ve never tried so I’m not sure!
Very excited to make this. Maybe instead of cut out cookies this year?? Seems so much easier!! Also, my favorite way to measure flour is to weigh it. Then zero guessing. Question, can I leave out rolling in sugar? Does it make it have sugar crunchies on the outside? I prefer not to have that texture. Thank you!!
You are welcome to skip rolling in sugar 🙂