Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

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These sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting are so soft! They are the perfect cookie for Valentine’s Day. This is our favorite recipe for cut out sugar cookies. You can make these sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting for any holiday!

This weekend Julia and I did some Valentine’s Day baking! We stayed in our pj’s, listened to the rain falling outside, and laughed together in the kitchen. My little baker was a great help in cutting out these heart-shaped cookies, frosting them, and sprinkling them with cute and colorful heart sprinkles. Me? I soaked up every minute of our kitchen time together.

I gave Julia her own sheet of cookies to frost and sprinkle, and I especially loved how she divvied up the rest of the cookies between the two of us: “Next I’ll do that pan, Mom, and you can do that one. Then we can share that last one.” My little sweetheart is always thinking ahead and planning (just like her mother).

I almost didn’t share these cookies here because I myself am a little overwhelmed with all of the Valentine’s Day treats popping up around the blog world right now, and I know the last thing you probably need is another pink and red treat to look at. But… I decided to go ahead anyways because I wanted to write about the fun together time that Julia and I had making these.

Ok, friends. About these cookies. These are the most amazing melt-in-your-mouth delicious sugar cookies you will ever eat. I think it’s the confectioners’ sugar in the recipe that gives the cookies their light, melt-in-your-mouth (I know, I couldn’t help saying it again because it’s so true) texture. And the cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement: light, and not overly sweet.

If you’re like me and taste is your first priority when it comes to sugar cookies, then you will love these. They have the BEST flavor of any sugar cookies I’ve tried. And they are so pretty with frosting and sprinkles!

If you are looking for a sugar cookie recipe that will yield perfect-looking cookies that never spread, then you might be disappointed by these. They do spread a little during baking, but this is minimized by some pre-bake chill time in the fridge.

These cookies are soft and light. If I was making cookies for a class of preschoolers, I might choose a different recipe since these cookies are pretty delicate.

Tips for making these sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting:

A rolling pin with removable measurement rings makes it easy to roll dough to a uniform thickness.
Before you bake the cookies, chill the cut out cookies on a cookie sheet for 15-30 minutes. This helps to minimize spreading.
Be careful to not over-bake these cookies. The bottoms should be barely golden when they are done. They take about 7 minutes to bake, less if you cut your cookies small.
Make sure that your cream cheese is well softened (room temperature is best) before making the frosting.
I like to store these cookies in the refrigerator (because of the cream cheese in the frosting). I let them come to room temperature before serving.

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope in the coming week you can spend some time with those you love most.

5 from 1 rating

Servings: 24 cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 7 minutes mins

Chill Time: 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 52 minutes mins

These sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting are so soft! They are the perfect cookie for Valentine's Day. This is our favorite recipe for cut out sugar cookies. You can make these sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting for any holiday!

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Ingredients

For the cookies:

▢ 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
▢ 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, powdered sugar
▢ 1 egg
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
▢ 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
▢ 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the cream cheese frosting:

▢ 3 ounces cream cheese, well softened
▢ 1 tablespoon milk
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 2 cups confectioners sugar, plus up to 1/2 cup more as needed
▢ food coloring, if desired, to color frosting

Instructions

Make the cookies:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar until combined. Add the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until well combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Slowly add the flour mixture to the mixer and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Divide the dough in half and form each half into a disk. Wrap each disk tightly with plastic wrap; cover and chill at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough ¼-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing a few inches apart. Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes before baking, to reduce spreading.
Bake in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are barely golden on the bottom. Let cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting:

Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, milk, and vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, beating until well combined, until you reach your desired consistency and sweetness. Add a few drops of food coloring, if desired, to color the frosting.
Spread frosting in an even layer on cookies.
Store frosted cookies in the refrigerator.

Notes

*Yes, you will have enough frosting for all of the cookies with just 3 ounces of cream cheese.

Source: Recipe from my mom, originally adapted from Betty Crocker.

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 199kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 61mg, Potassium: 44mg, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 295IU, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 0.6mg

Nutrition information is an estimate.

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

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16 comments on “Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting”

Maria — February 10, 2014 @ 8:18 pm Reply
That is the cutest picture of your gal with cheek in hand and a gorgeous smile! Precious!!!
- Kristine — February 10, 2014 @ 8:42 pm Reply
  Awww, thank you!
Dina — February 11, 2014 @ 8:50 am Reply
they sound yummy and are so pretty!
Dorcas — January 22, 2015 @ 1:09 pm Reply
I can’t wait to try these. Have you ever made this with salted butter? I rarely have the need for unsalted so I don’t usually buy it, especially since its so expensive. I normally lessen the amount of salt I add but I see this recipe doesn’t call for it.
- Kristine — January 22, 2015 @ 2:12 pm Reply
  I’ve never tried these with salted butter, so I can’t say for sure, but I think they would be fine since there’s no other salt in the dough. I hope you love them as much as we do!
Kelly — January 30, 2015 @ 9:40 am Reply
I don’t have cream of tartar..will it affect the cookie drastically?
- Kristine — January 31, 2015 @ 9:32 am Reply
  I haven’t tried omitting the cream of tartar, so I really can’t say for sure. I’m sure the cookies would still taste good, they might just not be exactly the same texture.
Beth — February 10, 2015 @ 5:26 am Reply
You sound like an awesome mom Kristine! I want a little to help me bake cookies!! 🙂
- Kristine — February 10, 2015 @ 10:25 am Reply
  Thanks, Beth! One of my favorite parts of being a mom is getting to do things like baking and cooking with my kids. 🙂
Dliche — March 4, 2016 @ 4:31 am Reply
So excited to try this one! kids will love this..
- Kristine — March 4, 2016 @ 5:39 am Reply
  Thank you, Dliche! I hope your kids do love these! It’s fun to make them together. 🙂
Ali — December 24, 2019 @ 8:33 pm Reply
I have mixed this recipe up three times and the dough is hard as a rock within one hour of chilling every time. Such a disappointment, and waste of ingredients!!
- Kristine — December 26, 2019 @ 3:45 pm Reply
  I’m sorry you were disappointed with this recipe. If the dough is too firm to roll out after chilling, just let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes and it will soften. I’ve made this recipe many, many times, and it has always worked for me.
Ellen — February 9, 2021 @ 6:09 pm Reply
I made these today. They turned out good, but I did have one issue and am not sure why. I had to add a lot of extra flour. Did the 2 3/4 cup, it was too sticky. Added about 1/2 cup or more flour to get it to a consistency to make the cookies. I did not pack the flour in the measure cups. Spooned it in then leveled with a flat edge. Maybe I did not have enough to start with by not having it packed enough? Really liked the small spatula to get the cookies up off the parchment paper!!
Will make again. Friends and hubby liked them. I made a cream cheese frosting to go on top.
- Jolee Pitts — February 13, 2022 @ 6:28 am Reply
  Sometimes flour does not have enough gluten in it, making it more sticky. That is odd though I’m glad they turned out though.
Jolee Pitts — February 13, 2022 @ 6:26 am Reply
Amazing! I made these yesterday and there are already only 2 left ?. I will definitely make this again.

Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting - Kristine's Kitchen (2024)

Tips for making these sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting: