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Cream cheese sugar cookies are a melt-in-your-mouth cutout cookie. Easy to make and fun to decorate!
EXTRA Soft!
It’s no surprise that we love sugar cookies; they’re basically considered a food group in the Luna family. We have over a dozen sugar cookie recipes on the site and this cream cheese version is one we go to when we want extra soft cookies.
Today’s cream cheese sugar cookies are not only soft and tender, but they’re chewy with incredible flavor. The kids love to cut out shapes and we all love to take part in decorating! You can even make these cookies several days ahead for easy party prep. We love to top them with Sugar Cookie Frosting or Royal Icing Recipe and you’re ready to decorate!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Make ahead. Leave the dough chilled in the fridge, or bake the cookies and store them in an airtight container for easy prep!
- Special occasion. Shape and decorate this easy cookie recipe for any and all special occasions and holidays.
- Delicious. The cream cheese and almond extract give these cookies a great flavor and they really hold their shape!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
CHILL TIME: 2 hours
BAKE TIME: 8 minutes
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened – How to Soften Butter Quickly
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon almond extract – or omit the almond and increase the vanilla to 1½ teaspoons
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk – How to Separate Egg Whites
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour – How to Measure Flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- frosting ideas – Sugar Cookie Frosting, Royal Icing Recipe, or Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- optional – festive sprinkles
How to Make Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
- DOUGH. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat 1 cup sugar, 1 cup butter, and 3 ounces cream cheese until well blended.
- Add 1 teaspoon almond extract, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 egg yolk, and mix until combined. Add 2¼ cups flour and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix to form a soft dough.
- Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm.
- PREP. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- ROLL & CUT. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thick. Cut the dough into desired shapes with cookie cutters (or the top of a cup), placing one inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
- BAKE. Bake 8-10 minutes, until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely before frosting.
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Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sugar, butter, and cream cheese until well blended. Add the almond extract, vanilla extract, and egg yolk, and mix until combined.
- Add the flour and salt, and mix to form a soft dough. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thick. Cut the dough into desired shapes with cookie cutters (or the top of a cup), placing one inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake 8-10 minutes, until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely before frosting.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for 2-3 days. For longer storage, wrap again with foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Let the frosting set before stacking and storing frosted cookies.
Store frosted or unfrosted. Wrap them individually, or separate layers with wax paper and store them in a freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months.
I chilled my dough overnight, rolled them out, cut them and then baked them and they spread. So on the second batch I cut them out, froze them for 30 minutes and then baked and they spread again. What am I doing wrong? 🙁
I’m sorry to hear your cookies are spreading. There are so many different factors that can play into cookies spreading. Chilling the dough is definitely the right thing to do to prevent that. I’d also suggest making sure you are using either parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Using quality baking sheets also helps. Another tip is to make sure you are correctly measuring the flour and not over-mixing the dough. I know factors like oven temperatures, altitudes, temperatures of your kitchen, etc. can also play a role in cookies spreading. So it may continue to take a little trial and error. Best of luck!!
I’m excited to try these! Could I bake them in a mold? I have a cookie tray with heart shaped molds that I think would be cool, but I’m not sure how to adjust the recipe or if I would need to.
I haven’t tried baking them in molds, so I can’t say what adjustments would need to be made. Always start with the lowest time, then you can add time.
Best sugar cookie recipe ever!!
Awe, thank you for saying that!
These are fabulous!! Keep their shape,frost well& taste great!!!
Happy you think so 🙂 Thank you!
Super yummy and I think would be great with your flood frosting recipe.
Kid pleaser! I’ve made a lot of sugar cookies and this one is great for cutout designs. Good flavor and perfect to hold the layers of decor the kids add.
These are so soft and delicious!!!
Never did try it with cream cheese gonna definitely have to try this recipe
First sugar cookie recipe I’ve tried with cream cheese – they’re quite tasty and held their shape very well! Requires some planning due to the chill time, but well worth it. Make sure you make extra – we ate quite a few before getting around to frosting them!
This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe by far!