Perfect Sugar Cookies Recipe – the best chewy sugar cookies with vanilla cream cheese frosting and festive sprinkles!
Perfect Sugar Cookies with sweet vanilla cream cheese frosting make an appearance on our holiday table each year. This is the cookie we leave for Santa ( along with oats for the reindeer! ). They are chewy, with slightly crispy edges and can be dressed up for any theme and occasion. I adapted my Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies recipe to get the same perfect texture and look. These cookies are bound to become a family favorite!
These Sugar Cookies are perfect for a few reasons: they are super easy to make, the can be frosted and decorated with sprinkles or enjoyed plain. They are chewy, sweet with slightly crackly tops and frosted with my favorite cream cheese frosting.
HOW TO MAKE PERFECT SUGAR COOKIES?
Sugar cookies are most often made with white granulated sugar, butter, egg, flavor extract, flour and baking soda. It is important to let the butter soften in room temperature before creaming for the best texture of the cookie. Creaming butter and sugar for 3 minutes lets the mixture aerate and bake properly. I also highly recommend using almond extract along vanilla extract. It gives the cookies delicious flavor! The ready dough can be scooped, rolled in your hands into a smooth ball and placed on a baking sheet ( cookie nr. 1) ; rolled in your hands, placed on baking sheet and gently pressed with a bottom of a glass ( cookie nr. 2 ) OR dropped right at the baking sheet ( cookie nr. 3) and baked. Cookie nr.2 will be bigger which gives you more surface to decorate. You can also roll the dough balls in white granulated sugar before placing on baking sheet. My favorite frosting for cookies is made with cream cheese and not an overwhelming amount of powdered sugar, just enough to make the frosting spreadable.
MORE CHRISTMAS COOKIES:
Soft M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
PERFECT SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE:
The best chewy sugar cookies with vanilla cream cheese frosting and festive sprinkles!
This recipe makes 24 cookies.
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened ( 12 tablespoons )
- 1.5 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour see note
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 oz. cream cheese softened
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1.5 cup powdered sugar see note
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric hand mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time and cream for 3 minutes.
- Add egg and both extracts to butter mixture and mix until incorporated.
Add dry ingredients, in 3 parts, to butter mixture and mix until incorporated.
- Scoop the dough with a medium size cookie scoop ( 1 and 1/2 tablespoon size ) and roll in your hands into a smooth ball. Place cookie balls on a prepared baking sheet. If desired, press gently with the bottom of a glass ( see note ).
- Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes ( see note ).
- Cool for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
- To make frosting: in a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and mix well. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and beat for 2 to 3 minutes. You don't have to use all 2 cups, just until you are happy with the texture.
- Frost completely cooled cookies and decorate with sprinkles OR enjoy plain.
Baking time for these cookies is between 8 to 10 minutes. Every oven is different so check the cookies at 8 minutes and if needed add one minute at a time. For me the magic number was exactly 9 minutes.
To properly measure out flour: stir the flour a few times in the container you keep it in, then spoon into measuring cup and level out with knife.
Please note that the butter should be really soft, not just room temperature to touch. It should be so soft, that you need a knife to scrape it off the wrapper. It will ensure proper creaming with sugar.
I use 1 and 1/2 cups of powdered sugar in my frosting but you can use as much as 2 cups, just until you reached the desired texture.
You can roll the dough balls in white granulated sugar before placing on baking sheet. My favorite frosting for cookies is made with cream cheese and not an overwhelming amount of powdered sugar, just enough to make the frosting spreadable.
Shannon says
December 12, 2018 at 3:13 pmHi Anna,
These are amazing and so easy! I’m wondering what food coloring you used to get that pretty blue frosting? I love it with the snowflake sprinkles. Soooo cute!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
December 14, 2018 at 6:51 pmHi Shannon! I am so happy to know you love the cookies! I always use gel food coloring by Wilton. I think I got a set in Hobby Lobby. Hope this helps!
Kaleigh says
November 19, 2018 at 6:48 pmThese look delicious. Do you think they would keep well in the freezer?
Thanks!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
November 20, 2018 at 1:32 amHi Kaleigh! Yep, you can make the dough, scoop it and freeze. When you are ready, just let them sit in room temperature while the oven preheats. Hope this helps!
Suzanna Starr Williams says
November 15, 2018 at 1:50 pmTried these today and they were just what I was looking for! Thank you!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
November 15, 2018 at 8:59 pmThat’s wonderful! Thank you so much, Suzanna!
kelly says
January 31, 2018 at 9:59 amHello, wondering if this frosting stiffen up enough to individually pack them in little gift bags? Thanks for recipe!
Hannah says
January 27, 2018 at 2:30 pmI just want you to know that I have searched FOR YEARS for a copycat Pillsbury Sugar Cookie recipe! This is perfect! I have never been so happy with a recipe. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!! 🙂
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
January 27, 2018 at 3:27 pmHi Hannah! THANK YOU so much for this sweet comment! It made my day! I am so happy to know you love this recipe. I was thrilled to make it and share it on my blog. Thank you for trying it and for coming back to let me know. Have a beautiful day!
Megan says
December 24, 2017 at 2:07 pmHi! Can I roll this dough out and use cookie cutters on it?
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
December 26, 2017 at 4:41 pmHi Megan! I don’t think it will hold the shape well. So sorry!
Yolanda says
December 23, 2017 at 7:07 pmWas looking for a quick recipe to make to, I’m a last-minute kind a gal, 😋 glad I found this one! I’ll make these before I prep everything for Christmas dinner, God bless and Merry Christmas 🌲🍪🌌🎄🎁🕎✡️✝️☪️☮️
Jessica says
December 19, 2017 at 8:35 pmJust made these for a Christmas cookie exchange I’m having with my sisters this weekend, this recipe is fool proof and I just took my first batch out of the oven. They turned out perfect! Now I’m waiting to frost them until tomorrow. Thanks for this recipe, this will be my go to for the years to come I’m sure!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
December 21, 2017 at 1:06 amHi Jessica! YAY!! That’s awesome! I am so happy you made these cookies and love them! Thank you so much for the feedback! Merry Christmas!