Best Cut Out Sugar Cookies with Spreadable Frosting
This is the recipe that changed my mind about traditional Cut Out Sugar Cookies forever — they are easy to make, soft and tender, hold their shape beautifully, and most importantly, taste delicious. We love them best paired with a spreadable frosting that has the slightest tang and is equally easy to work with.
Sugar cookies you can actually enjoy making.
Am I the only one who groans inside at the thought of making cut out cookies with the kids? Or at least I used to. And it was never really about the multiple steps, because I enjoy other baking projects with multiple components or chill time, but more about the fact that I never found the results to be reliable enough to merit the effort. Whether it was excessively sticky dough, cookies that lost their shape while baking, or cut outs that looked good but tasted so-so, the results all too rarely lived up to the hype.
If you, too, have felt this way, please give this recipe a try. The other crucial component is this frosting, which is all you’ll need for sugar cookies from now on. It’s super simple to make, easy to work with but still looks very pretty, and most importantly, actually tastes good.
This batch, perhaps clearly, was made for Valentine’s Day. Sugar cookies for all occasions? Yes ma’am!
A few years ago I dialed in these soft frosted sugar cookie rounds, which remind me of Lofthouse cookies, just better. Taste-wise, those remain on point for me, but they puff a little too much for me to adore them as cut outs. In this recipe, which is just lightly adapted from Joy Food Sunshine, we’re flipping the script to use a classic butter cookie dough, then incorporating a smidge of cream cheese into the frosting, so you still get a very light tang that subtly but perfectly complements the cookie’s sugary goodness.
Top Tips for Recipe Success
- The dough should not be sticky. Once mixed, this dough should be soft but easy to divide into two portions and should not stick to your hands very much. If it is sticky, it likely means your eggs were on the large side and added more moisture to the dough. Beat in 1-2 Tablespoons extra flour to compensate before chilling the dough.
- If you notice the dough is sticky after it has been chilled, dust your work surface with a very generous amount of flour and work this into the dough as you roll it out.
- Keep the dough cold. I like to roll out and cut one chilled disc of dough, then place the scraps from that roll back in the fridge (I just put them on a plate) while repeating with the other disc. This way none of the dough ever really comes to room temperature, which is important to ensure the cookies hold their shape as they bake. If you have any concern that the cut outs are too warm, place the cut shapes back in the fridge for 10-15 minutes prior to baking. You can put the whole baking sheet in the refrigerator, or transfer the cookies to a plate. They’re usually sturdy enough to transfer well.
Pro Tip
Check your oven temperature! Internal oven temperatures do vary, and no, the external display is not always accurate, even on a high-quality or newer appliance. An inexpensive oven thermometer will let you know whether your oven is actually 350°F. If it’s running hot, your cookies will be prone to brown, crisp edges. If it’s running cool, your cookies will be prone to spread and lose shape.
Can you freeze baked sugar cookies?
If you’re baking ahead of time to prepare for a holiday or a cookie decorating party, you can fully bake the cookies, then freeze before decorating. Let the baked cookies cool fully to room temperature, then store in air-tight, freezer-friendly containers, using wax or parchment paper to separate the layers. When ready to decorate, allow about 12 hours for the cookies to defrost at room temperature.
This has been a life saver for me when bringing these cookies to children’s classroom parties!
Can you freeze the dough?
Yes! I have had good results from double-wrapping and freezing the prepared discs of sugar cookie dough. Make extra sure the discs are wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, with no little spots peeking through, then place in a freezer-safe zip-top container and squeeze out as much extra air as possible. Allow the dough to thaw in the refrigerator for about 18 hours, then roll and bake as usual.
Spreadable Sugar Cookie Frosting: Tips and Tricks
Let’s talk briefly about this frosting, which is the other part of the equation for these tasty and fun cookies.
Traditional cookie icing can be notoriously difficult to work with. There’s a reason you pay big bucks for professionally decorated cookies with royal icing – getting just the right piping consistency, colors, and smooth application takes a lot of skill and practice, and even then also requires a lot of time. Moreover, it actually doesn’t always taste that good. What a bummer, right?
Embracing the sugar cookie with a spreadable frosting has greatly improved my overall experience. After trying a few variations, I’ve tweaked this particular frosting to be absolutely perfect. It is slightly tangy, holds its creamy texture well while forming a very light crust on top, and is easy to make in batches big or small.
Storage Tips
This frosting will develop a light crust but never fully harden, unless you add a lot of extra powdered sugar. In my experience, you can mostly stack the frosted cookies but might get a small smudge of frosting on the bottom of the top layer(s). If presentation is crucial, store in a single layer or separate layers with waxed or parchment paper.
The cookies keep well in the refrigerator or at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Can cream cheese frosting be kept out of the refrigerator?
I have read that the magic ratio for stabilizing cream cheese frosting enough that it can be kept safely at room temperature is 4 cups of sugar to 8 ounces of cream cheese, and with 3 cups sugar in this frosting and only 2 ounces of cream cheese, this is well on the safe side of that ratio. This reportedly works because the sugar binds up and stabilizes the free water molecules in cream cheese, which are the molecules that would cause souring or spoilage. Read more at Food52 here.
This said, obviously do what makes you most comfortable. If that means keeping these cookies in the refrigerator, there is absolutely no harm.
Related Recipes
We do love a good cookie around here, and some of our all-time favorites include:
- Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies (that stay soft for days)
- Chocolate Chip M&M Pudding Cookies
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Crisp Oatmeal Cookies
- Amish Sugar Cookies
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Best Cut Out Sugar Cookies with Spreadable Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract can substitute an extra teaspoon of vanilla
- 2 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
For the Frosting:
- 6 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 2 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons milk any kind
- pinch salt
- gel food coloring optional
Instructions
- To make the sugar cookie dough, cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat on medium-high until well-combined, scraping down the bowl if needed.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat on medium speed until an even dough forms.2 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- Divide the dough into two portions, shape each into a disc, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 90 minutes, or overnight.
- When ready to bake, remove one disc from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Unwrap and place the dough disc on a well-floured surface. Roll it out to between 1/4” and 1/2” thick. (The thicker the dough the softer, but fewer, the cookies.)
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place them about 1” apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Re-roll the scraps and repeat with the other disc until all the dough is used. (It can help to place scraps back in the fridge briefly while you start with the other disc, so none of the dough ever completely comes to room temperature.)
- Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes, until the cookies are just set and very lightly golden around the bottom edges. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat the 6 Tablespoons butter together with the cream cheese using an electric mixer. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla extract, milk, and salt, beating on medium speed after each addition.6 Tablespoons butter, 2 ounces cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 Tablespoons milk, pinch salt
- Add the final cup of powdered sugar, then increase speed to medium-high until the frosting has a fluffy, whipped consistency. (Add a few more drops of milk if needed to thin it out, or a bit more powdered sugar to thicken it up.)
- If adding color, separate the frosting out into individual bowls and stir in just a drop or two at a time until you get the desired hue.gel food coloring
- Use a knife or offset spatula to spread frosting on cooled cookies, and add sprinkles if desired. Store at room temperature or in the fridge, tightly-wrapped, for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Storing/Stacking: This frosting will develop a light crust but never fully harden, unless you add a lot of extra powdered sugar. In my experience, you can mostly stack the frosted cookies but might get a small smudge of frosting on the bottom of the top layer(s). If presentation is crucial, store in a single layer or separate layers with waxed or parchment paper.
- Recipe: Cookies adapted lightly from Joy Food Sunshine; frosting original.
