Frosted Sugar Cookies are the classic sugar cookies everyone loves… soft, thick and topped with a sweet, buttery frosting. They are perfect for holidays, birthdays, cookie swaps, and any time you want a fun baking project with cute cookie cutters and colorful frosting.
What makes this recipe so amazing and delicious is the cream cheese in the dough. It keeps the cookies extra soft and gives them that bakery-style texture, while the almond extract adds that signature sweet sugar cookie flavor. The frosting spreads easily, sets up nicely, and is simple to color and customize for any occasion.
Fortunately, my mom found the BEST sugar cookie recipe decades 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 you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Very simple. Simple steps, PLUS – no chill time!
- Bakery style. They bake up thick, soft, and tender with a bakery-style texture.
- Cream cheese keeps them soft. It adds moisture and tenderness so cookies do not dry out quickly.
- Thick roll prevents over-baking. Rolling to about ⅜ inch helps cookies stay soft in the center.
Frosted Sugar Cookies Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, softened (¾ cup): Adds richness and helps whip air into the dough for a soft bite.
- Cream cheese, softened (1, 8-ounce package): Keeps cookies tender for days and adds subtle tang.
- Granulated sugar (1 cup): Sweetens and helps edges set pale and soft.
- Powdered sugar (½ cup): Creates a fine, melt in your mouth crumb.
- Almond extract (1 teaspoon): Signature bakery note that pairs beautifully with frosting.
- Egg (1): Binds the dough and supports clean cut shapes.
- All-purpose flour (2¾ cups): Provides structure so cookies hold detail.
- Baking powder (½ teaspoon): Gentle lift for a soft, tender interior.
- Salt (½ teaspoon): Balances sweetness and brightens flavor.
Frosting
- Powdered sugar for frosting (4½ cups): Whisks smooth and sets with a soft sheen. Sifted to remove lumps
- Unsalted butter for frosting (⅓ cup): Makes the frosting creamy and spreadable.
- Milk for frosting (¼ cup, plus more as needed): Adjusts to a smooth, spreadable consistency.
- Vanilla extract for frosting (½ teaspoon): Adds warm, classic aroma.
- Almond extract for frosting (½ teaspoon): Echoes the cookie flavor for a cohesive bite.
- Food coloring: Tints frosting for festive, customizable designs. We prefer gel food coloring.
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:
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Roll to about ⅜ inch for soft, thick cookies; chill dough 20 minutes if it feels sticky.
- Bake just until set and pale, pull before browning to keep the crumb tender.
- Let cookies cool completely, then make the frosting thick and creamy; add milk a teaspoon at a time until it spreads easily and holds soft swirls.
- For clean edges, dip cutters in flour and lift straight up between cuts.
Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
Video
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.
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.
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This recipe was originally published August 2012.
These sugar cookies were a homerun! My daughter’s friends could not stop raving about them, we had to hide these tasty treats they were going so fast!
The sugar cookies are the absolute best!
These were the best cookies! So soft and tender! The whole family loved them!
The absolute best sugar cookies I have ever had!!
This recipe was very easy and the cookies turned out so tasty, soft, and the frosting was nice and sweet. :). Will definitely make this sugar cookie recipe again. Even though the dough was a bit sticky, it wasn’t hard to roll out with a nicely floured surface and a little bit of flour here and there. Highly recommend and thank you for sharing this recipe!
Just now making this recipe and my resulting dough is way too soft to even think about rolling and cutting into shapes. Should it have been 4 oz cream cheese?
Maye because you put too much of the butter softened
These really ARE the best sugar cookies. My family raves about them. I’ve even made them with a royal icing for more detailed decorating, and they worked perfectly. These come together super fast because you don’t have to wait for the dough to chill. They do have a sticky dough, but I just cover my counter with a sprinkle of flour and then sprinkle flour as I roll out. They bake beautifully, and they don’t spread and lose their shape. I go back to this recipe every time. They are so addicting. Great recipe. Always recommend it.
I am making these cookies now. I used proper measuring techniques for the flour but my dough was very sticky. I ended up adding 8 extra tablespoons of flour and I’m still not sure the dough will be not be sticky to roll and cut. Is the amount of flour in the recipe accurate?
It is! The dough may be a bit sticky, but it sounds like you added in flour just the right way. You can also try chilling the dough. And then of course rolling onto a floured surface. Hope you enjoy the cookies!!
These sugar cookies were the perfect texture and were perfect! My family absolutely loved them!
Hi, I’m just wondering if you chilled your dough at all. In the video it skipped that rolling process. I don’t know about anyone else but I get a lot of my information from all steps to help me with the consistency though the whole process
I tried this recipe and it turned out good. Thanks for the recipe.