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Our ALL-TIME favorite frosted sugar cookies are so soft and have the best, creamy frosting with hints of almond!
So Soft and So Good!
We LOVE homemade cookies, especially frosted sugar cookies, but we are very picky about how they should be. They need to be soft, not crunchy, the frosting-to-cookie ratio should be spot on, and hints of almond are always a must!
Fortunately, my mom found the BEST sugar cookie recipe years ago and we’ve been making it ever since! If you love sugar cookies as much as we do, you’ll also love our Sugar Cookie Bars and No Roll Sugar Cookies.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Very simple. The steps are simple, PLUS – there’s no need to chill, which makes these frosted cookies even easier (and quicker).
- Celebrations. Adjust the colored frosting and sprinkles for holidays like Easter and Christmas.
- Great for parties! We love to have cookies made in advance and let kids (and adults) frost and decorate them.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
BAKE TIME: 10 minutes
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened – We use unsalted, but salted can be used just omit the added salt.
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract – or use 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour – How to Measure Flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 4½ cups powdered sugar – sifted to remove lumps
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter softened – see How to Soften Butter Quickly
- ¼ cup milk – plus more as needed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- food coloring – We prefer gel food coloring
- optional sprinkles
How to Make Frosted Sugar Cookies
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease baking sheets and set aside.
- BATTER. Cream ¾ cup unsalted butter, 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon almond extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 egg in a large bowl or stand mixer until fluffy.
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 ¾ cups flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and stir until a soft dough forms.
- SHAPE. Use a rolling pin to roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅜ inch thick (roll thinner for more crunchy sugar cookies). Cut with cookie cutters (or the top of a cup). Overworking the dough can result in a tough cookie.
- BAKE. Bake on the prepared cookie sheet for 9–12 minutes. Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to cool.
- FROSTING. Mix 4½ cups powdered sugar, ⅓ cup unsalted butter softened, ¼ cup milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon (along with food coloring if desired). Add milk as needed to adjust the consistency. Frost cookies and let set before storing. Be sure to check out our Sugar Cookie Frosting recipe for more tips and tricks.
- Other frostings we like:
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Frosted Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 egg
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 4½ cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup milk, plus more as needed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
- Cream butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, powederd sugar, almond extract, and egg in a large bowl or stand mixer until fluffy.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and stir until a soft dough forms.
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅜ inch thick (roll thinner for more crunchy sugar cookies).
- Cut with cookie cutters (or the top of a cup) and bake for 9–12 minutes on the prepared cookie sheet. Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to cool.
Frosting
- Mix powdered sugar, butter, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a medium bowl with a hand mixer. Adjust the consistency by adding a little more milk. Add food coloring, if desired.
- Frost cookies and let set before storing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days or place the wrapped dough in a freezer Ziploc and freeze for 3 months.
Frosting. Store the frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 weeks or freeze for 3 months.
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. If frosted, allow frosting to set, and separate layers with wax or parchment paper.
We make these every year so soft and yummy.
These are so good.. made them for a work party and they were a big hit!!
These are the best sugar cookies! I’m not an almond fan so I use vanilla extract instead but they are so easy and yummy!
I love a good sugar cookie! These are perfect!
These look so good! Will definitely be adding to my Pinterest!
We make and decorate sugar cookies ever year. I’ve tried so many recipes. These are delicious! A definite keeper.
do you have metric measurements for this recipe?
I do not. Sorry about that! There are several metric conversion charts that can be found on the internet that use a metric converter to convert measurements for you. If you search “metric conversion charts” you can find the one that you like the best. Hope this helps!
Thanks for your reply! I’m looking forward to trying. I’m intrigued with the cream cheese!
You are so welcome!! Hope you like them!
Anyone know if the cookies spread much in the oven (how close can i put them together)? Also, is the icing pipe-able, and does it set up hard so you can stack them after being iced Thanks in advance!
They don’t spread really greater than the size of cutting them out & the icing doesn’t get hard, so I wouldn’t really stack them. You can try adding more powdered sugar to make them easier to pipe.
Thanks for your reply! I’m looking forward to trying. I’m intrigued with the cream cheese!
This is now my go-to sugar cookie recipe! It’s amazing and I get so many compliments! I even get orders to make these for friend’s events! I do chill my dough prior to rolling out. I prefer overnight. Then I sprinkle just enough flour on both sides of the dough while rolling it out so that it doesn’t stick to the counter or rolling pin. I do like mine just a bit thicker than the recipe mentions. It’s everyone’s favorite part- how thick and soft they are! If you’ve had trouble with the recipe, try again. This one is a keeper!!
Thank you so much!! How awesome that you even get cookie orders with the recipe. I love how soft they are too! Thanks so much for sharing. Glad you love the recipe. 🙂
These cookies were so easy to make and delicious. The frosting is amazing and my kiddos had the best time decorating.