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Our ALL-TIME favorite Sugar Cookie recipe!! These homemade sugar cookies are so soft and have the best, creamy frosting with hints of almond. They can’t be beat!
Sugar cookies are our all-time favorite cookie!! If you feel the same, you’ll love our Sugar Cookie Bars and No Roll Sugar Cookies.
so soft and so good!
I LOVE homemade cookies, and especially frosted sugar cookies, but I’m very picky about how they should be:
- They cannot be crunchy. They have to be super SOFT!
- Frosting to Cookie Ratio needs to be spot on.
- Hints of almond are always a must!
Fortunately, my mom found the BEST Sugar Cookie recipe years ago and the entire family is obsessed. Here’s why:
- So soft! They really are so soft, which is one of our requirements for an amazing sugar cookie.
- Very Simple. This recipe comes together in a cinch, PLUS – there’s no need to chill, which makes them even easier (and quicker).
- Easy to change up. Flavoring can be changed (include almond, no almond, more vanilla, less vanilla) as well as flavored frostings. Also change it up for holidays like Easter and Christmas with colored frosting and sprinkles.
- Great for parties! We love to have cookies made in advance and let kids (and adults) frost and decorate them. This is great all year, but especially for holidays.
Sugar Cookie Ingredients
- Butter – We use unsalted, but salted can be used as well.
- Cream Cheese – This helps the cookies turn out so soft.
- Granulated Sugar – The needed sweetness for this recipe.
- Powdered Sugar – Yes, powdered sugar too! It goes great with the granulated sugar to make these perfectly sweet.
- Almond Extract – If you are not an almond fan, just omit and use Vanilla extract instead.
- Egg
- All-Purpose Flour – Just the right amount. Fluff and scoop to measure so that you get the proper amount and dough is not too try.
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Frosting ingredients: powdered sugar, unsalted butter, milk plus more as needed, vanilla extract, almond extract, food coloring (and sprinkles, if wanted).
How to Make Frosted Sugar Cookies
- CREAM. Make sugar cookies by creaming together the butter, cream cheese, sugars, egg and almond extract in a large bowl. Beat at medium-high speed until fluffy.
- DRY INGREDIENTS. In another bowl, combine all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- COMBINE. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir (or mix with hand mixer or in stand mixer) until soft dough forms.
- ROLL OUT. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin onto a lightly floured surface to about 3/8″ thick. Cut with a cookie cutter (we typically use round cookie cutters but change the shape often for holidays).
- BAKE. Place on baking sheets and bake at 375 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.
PRO TIPS
- When making your dough, do not handle it too much. Over-mixing the dough can make it tough.
- The perfect thickness of the rolled out dough is about 3/8″ thick. Thinner dough will cook too fast, making crunchy cookies.
Recipe Tips + FAQ
How do I know the cookies are done? There should no longer be a shine to the cookie when they are done, but we also like to use a metal spatula to look at the bottom of the cookie. It should be slightly golden brown.
What to do when sugar cookie dough is too sticky? Make sure you use proper techniques when measuring out your flour so that you get the correct amount that the recipe calls for. If you need to add extra flour, sprinkle in a few tablespoons at a time, until you get the right consistency.
our favorite Frosting
Everyone has different preferences on their sugar cookie icing. Some like cream cheese frosting, buttercream frosting or even royal icing.
Because there is cream cheese in the cookie recipe, we like this classic sugar cookie frosting, which includes:
- butter
- powdered sugar
- milk
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
- food coloring (optional) – and sprinkles too!
To make the frosting, mix all the ingredients with a hand mixer. Add more milk until it’s the consistency you desire most. You can add food coloring if you want to and then top it with some delicious jimmy sprinkles, and you’re set!!
NOTE: Keep frosting in the fridge until ready to frost. Stir well before adding to cookies.
Recipe FAQ
- STORE. We recommend storing them in an air-tight container (after the frosting has set) and keep them on the counter.
- How long do they last? They should last for up to 4-5 days. You can extend this by a day or two with putting them in the refrigerator.
- FREEZE. If you’re planning on freezing your cookies, try to freeze them before you add the frosting. They’ll hold up better unfrosted. Either way, stack them in an airtight container separated by sheets of wax paper or parchment paper in the freezer.
For more sugar Cookies:
More Collections: Sugar Cookie Recipes
Frosted Sugar Cookie Recipe
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 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
- To make cookie dough, cream butter, cream cheese, both sugars, 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 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.
- To make frosting, mix all ingredients in a medium bowl with a hand mixer. If too thick, add a little more milk.
- Frost cookies and let set before storing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Kristyn,
I made these tonight and they were the most delicious sugar cookies we’ve ever had!! I did put most of the cookies in the freezer for Christmas time and plan on frosting them once they thaw out. Question? Can I freeze the icing that I made tonight, also? Wasnt sure if it would hold up. Thank you for sharing this recipe! It came out perfectly!! 😊
Carole
Awe, thank you!! You know, I have not tried freezing the frosting. Not sure how it holds up. I’m sorry, I wish I knew 🙂
Excelente!! My grandkids love it
Yay! I am so glad they did! Thank you for trying them!
These are the BEST sugar cookies ever!
Awe, thank you so much for saying that!
Do you use all purpose or self rising flour?
I use all-purpose 🙂
Will this recipe hold christmas cookie cutter shapes such as candy cane, snow man, snow flake? Or is it too soft for these types of shapes?
Yes, they could 🙂 Enjoy!
These were absolutely fabulous! I made them for my mom’s 90th birthday. They were a huge hit!
Oh, yay! I am so glad! Thank you for letting me know!
Hi, im going to make this recipe soon. Do you think it would work if i put baking m&m in the batter?
I haven’t personally tried, but it should 🙂
Okay, thank you so much!! 🙂
When I make cut-out sugar cookies, I like to add Orange flavoring to the frosting. Yum. I bet the almond is good, too.
That would be good! Thanks for sharing 🙂
It said plus video in the link but I don’t see any video
does anyone know if “pure vanilla extract” will do the job??
It sure will 🙂 Enjoy!!