Description
These Best Frosted Sugar Cookies are tender, soft, and perfectly sweet with a creamy, smooth cream cheese frosting. Lightly crisp edges and pale centers make these classic cookies ideal for any celebration or everyday treat. The dough is chilled for thicker, more flavorful cookies, then baked to soft perfection and topped with luscious cream cheese frosting, which can be customized with gel food coloring and sprinkles for a festive touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup Butter (softened)
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 1 large Egg
- 1 large Egg Yolk
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 3/4 cups Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3/4 teaspoon Salt
Frosting
- 1/2 cup Butter (softened)
- 1 (8-ounce) pkg. Cream Cheese (softened)
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1/4 teaspoon Almond Extract (optional)
- Gel Food Coloring and Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together for a full 4 minutes until the mixture becomes light in color, fluffy in texture, and smooth, creating a perfect base for the cookies.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until fully combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing and a homogenous dough.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients, mixing just until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing to prevent tough cookies.
- Chill the Dough: Cover or wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour. This firms the butter and helps reduce spreading, while enhancing flavor and texture for thicker, softer cookies.
- Roll and Cut Shapes: Lightly flour a work surface and roll the chilled dough to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Dip cookie cutters in flour, cut shapes, and transfer cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet. If dough softens, chill cut cookies for 10 minutes before baking.
- Bake: Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 8–10 minutes until edges are set, centers look slightly soft and pale, and bottoms are just barely golden. Avoid overbaking to keep them tender.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make Frosting: In a bowl, cream together softened butter and cream cheese for 3 minutes until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add almond extract if using, and gel food coloring as desired.
- Frost the Cookies: Once cookies are fully cooled, spread frosting using an offset spatula in soft swirling motions, then decorate with colored frosting or festive sprinkles according to your preference.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is essential to prevent excessive spreading and to improve flavor and texture.
- Do not overbake the cookies; slight underbaking ensures a tender texture.
- For best results, use room temperature butter and cream cheese for frosting to achieve smooth consistency.
- Gel food coloring is recommended to avoid thinning the frosting.
- Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator if frosted, to maintain freshness.
