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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.
Hi there I just made these cookies and they are ao sticky that I can even touch them with out it sticking on my fingers :/ should I add more flour?
Mine turned out the same thing, sticky
Hi, thanks for this recipe! I want to make these for Easter this weekend and had two questions: Does the dough need to be refrigerated (and for how long if so) and does it have to be rolled out or could I just drop them onto a cookie sheet? If you had time to answer, that would be great!! Thanks! 🙂
For this particular recipe I recommend rolling out (and not too think… 3/8″ is usually perfect)… I do have a recipe for Drop Sugar Cookies but have not posted that yet. And this recipe does not need to be refrigerated. Good luck!!!
I’m making these cookies with a group and have to ask if the cream cheese amount is just a misprint? Your recipe is recommending “1 package (3oz) cream cheese (softened)”, but cream cheese is usually sold in an 8oz package. They’ll be part of a Get-Well Soon package… I’m going to try the recipe with 8oz first and hope for the best. Thank you for sharing!
Whoops – you’re right. That’s a typo – it’s 8 oz. cream cheese. 😉
I made these for my family last night. They turned out great! They were so soft. The icing was great too, I made mine purple. (:
This recipe is an all-time favorite!! And we are HUGE fans of soft sugar cookies. 😀 Glad your family liked them!
You can never go wrong with sugar cookies! They look delicious!
Oh, they are delicious, Katie! If you love sugar cookies, you’ll love this recipe – my FAV!
Cream cheese usually comes in 8 oz. packages. Do we use the whole package or just 3 ounces? Thanks. I’d love to make these with my kids.
que niñas más lindas, que pinta tienen todas tus recetas, tus fotos!!!waw…. un beso desde España!! 🙂
Gracias! Creo que es muy bueno hay personas en Espana que vienen a mi blog. 🙂
Hi! I just wanted to let you know that you don’t specify when to add the egg and extract in the directions. 🙂 I am sure it is right after you cream the butter and sugars but I thought I would let you know! These look soo yummy- we are going to try them this afternoon! Hope you have a great day!
I’m not sure if you’ve already answered this, but is it just 3 oz. of cream cheese, or do you use the whole 8 oz. block?
I also agree with adding almond extract. It makes all the difference. Almond extract added to angel food cake mix makes a huge difference also.