Great American Sugar Cookie Copycat Recipe
Soft and chewy sugar cookies tossed in rainbow sugar and a dash of flaky salt—they taste exactly like the Great American classic (dare I say even better?), and now you can bake them at home!
Great American Sugar Cookies
I would be remiss if I didn’t include this recipe in my Elevated Nostalgia series. If you’ve ever gone to the mall, you know exactly what I’m talking about—the irresistible smell of fresh sugar cookies wafting through the air and guiding you to those iconic rainbow letters of the Great American Cookie Company.
I’m normally a chocolate chip cookie kind of gal, but their sugar cookies are perfection—super soft, chewy, and with just the right amount of sweetness and crunch from the rainbow sugar sprinkles. And the good news? You don’t have to wait for a mall trip anymore! After a bit of recipe tests, I’ve nailed down a copycat recipe that’s unbelievably close to the original.
These cookies are melt-in-your-mouth soft and stay chewy for days (if they last that long!). No fancy ingredients required — just a few pantry staples, a bit of chill time, and a quick bake in the oven. Whether you’re baking for a party, making Christmas cookie boxes, or just craving that nostalgic Great American taste, this recipe is your new go-to!
Ingredients in Great American Sugar Cookies
Just like any sugar cookie, this recipe relies on your classic baking staples. For a quick breakdown, here’s everything you should add to the grocery list:
- Unsalted butter. I prefer unsalted butter in baking, since I can better control the total amount of salt in the recipe.
- Sugar and light brown sugar. For a balance of chew and spread in a classic sugar cookie.
- Light corn syrup. This is the key to cookies that stay soft for days—since corn syrup is a liquid sweetener, it locks moisture into the cookies and keeps them shelf-stable for longer.
- Egg and egg yolk. An extra egg yolk adds extra softness and chewiness.
- Vanilla extract and lemon extract. When doing my research for this recipe, I was curious to find lemon extract listed on the Great American ingredient labels. After giving it a try, though, it’s easy to see why. Though you only use a small amount, the lemon extract is what makes this recipe taste identical to the original. If you can’t find any where you live, you can substitute it with almond extract or more vanilla, but keep in mind that the cookies will have a slightly different flavor profile.
- All-purpose flour. To thicken the dough and bind everything together.
- Cornstarch. To help the cookies stay tender.
- Baking powder and baking soda. For the perfect balance of puff and spread.
- Kosher salt. As always, any baked good needs a dash of salt to balance everything out.
- Rainbow sanding sugar. Though sprinkles can work in a pinch, you really need rainbow sanding sugar to get that iconic Great American cookie look! I got mine from Amazon.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
As far as cookie recipes go, this one is pretty straightforward, but here are a few of my favorite tips to help you along the way!
- Use room temperature ingredients. Ensuring that all of the ingredients are at room temperature makes a massive difference and helps everything seamlessly incorporate.
- Don’t overmix the dough. The longer you mix any dough with wheat flour, the more gluten and strength you create. While this is great for breads like sourdough and cinnamon rolls that need structure, it’s the opposite of what we want in a tender cookie!
- Don’t overbake. No matter how amazing the dough is, any cookie can become dry when you bake it for too long. Luckily, the corn syrup in this recipe helps out a lot, but the key to perfectly soft cookies is to take them out of the oven once golden brown on the edges. As they cool on the baking sheet, the center of the cookies will continue to cook and set.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Whether you’re baking for a party or prepping Christmas cookie boxes, this is the perfect recipe to make ahead of time. If well-wrapped, the sugar cookie dough can chill in the fridge for up to 3-5 days before baking.
However, if you don’t feel like baking off an entire batch, one of my favorite baking hacks is to freeze the leftover cookie dough! Once the dough is prepared, just scoop and toss the cookies in sanding sugar, then place them onto a baking sheet and freeze for an hour or so. Once firm to the touch, transfer the dough to a plastic bag and keep in the freezer for 3-6 months.
Whenever you want to bake, grab as many cookies as you want and follow the recipe as written! There’s no need to thaw the dough (though they might need an extra minute or two in the oven to finish cooking).
still hungry? Check out my other cookie recipes!
Be sure to tag me on Instagram if you give this recipe a try—happy baking!
Great American Sugar Cookie Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup softened butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract use ¼ teaspoon for a more subtle lemon flavor
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup rainbow sanding sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the corn syrup, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and lemon extract, mixing until well combined.
- Pour in the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until a dough forms with no more streaks of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Fill a bowl with the rainbow sanding sugar and set aside. When ready to bake, remove the cookie dough from the fridge and portion it out using a 1 to 1.5 ounce cookie scoop.
- Roll each ball of cookie dough between your hands until smooth, then toss in the rainbow sanding sugar until coated all over.
- Evenly space the cookie dough onto the baking sheet with a 2'' gap between each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through.
- Remove the cookies from the oven once golden brown on the edges, but do not overbake (they will set more as they cool). Once out of the oven, sprinkle the cookies with flaky salt and allow to cool before serving.
1st time baker. The recipe and instructions were simple and easy to follow. Loved how the came out so delicious! I did look at other reviews and made adjustments. I used 1/4 tsp of lemon extract and baked at 350 for the same amount of time.
These are great, but perhaps a bit too much lemon! I would cut the lemon in half next time I make them!
This recipe is so perfect and nostalgic! These are better than the original 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a couple times now and they always hit the craving I have for the og cookies. Everyone I make them for also raves about them. I love this recipe!!
Thanks for the review——so glad you loved the recipe!
Great recipe, its pretty close to the one I use to have but misplaced so I’m glad I stumbled on this one. The only thing I changed was instead of the lemon extract I use Lorann’s Princess Emulsion, it gives that citrus-y and nutty flavor with more depth that matches the GAC version
This recipe was amazing! Tasted just like great American cookie! I did reduce the lemon extract to 1/4 teaspoon and baked at 350 instead of 375 and they came out perfect 🙂
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I was hesitant to make because of the 3 star overall rating but these are amazing! I omitted the lemon extract and added more vanilla instead and they turned out perfectly. I’m extremely impressed. Will absolutely be making again in the future !😋😋 whoever said they were like a biscuit must have really messed up this recipe lol
Did not taste even remotely like a sugar cookie… more like a biscuit with sprinkles on it
These cookies taste great and I’m definitely bringing them to my family’s cookie party! They don’t taste like the Great American Cookies. The ones I made taste very lemon-y. I’d give 5 stars if I wasn’t expecting the Great American Cookies because they really are delicious.
Pretty good but not as good as the original. I burnt my first batch so I would recommend only baking for about 6-8 minutes. Love the flavor of the lemon extract though. I would make again, but I would definitely bake for a shorter amount of time to get a more gooey cookie. Mine were also a bit puffier, so I would try to find a way to make them thinner like the original.
I’ve been hunting down a good recipe for these cookie for years! Thank you for creating and sharing this. Can’t wait to try during the holidays this year!