Soft Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are thick buttery sugar cookies slathered with cream cheese frosting and lots of colorful sprinkles. These big bakery style cookies are so tempting!
soft sugar cookies are the stuff cookie dreams are made of
I’m always tempted by big fat supermarket bakery style sugar cookies, but let’s face it, they always disappoint. They can’t come close to the flavor of fresh baked homemade cookies because the ignredients are never as good. My soft sugar cookies are a delicious solution ~ an easy recipe to make in your kitchen. It’s a no-chill dough that can be mixed and baked in a jiffy. Get the kids involved with this one, they can learn about colors as they blend up the pastel frosting, and the youngest can take charge of the sprinkles.
soft sugar cookies for every occasion
Birthdays, Easter, Christmas, 4th of July…change out the color scheme to suit the occasion.
The pretty pastels make these cookies so inviting. You’ll use the tiniest drop of food coloring to make the delicate shades…but don’t be afraid to go bold with your cookies, bright green and read with the opposite color sprinkles are perfect for the holidays!
what you’ll need
- white sugar
- flour
- butter flavored shortening
- egg
- milk
- vanilla
- salt and baking powder
- whipped cream cheese
- The cream cheese gives the frosting on these cookies a nice tang. I add vanilla extract, but you could add almond extract, or even lemon juice to flavor it.
- butter
- powdered sugar
- food coloring, as needed
Why I use shortening in this soft sugar cookie recipe
- I don’t bake with, (or use) shortening very often, and I know a lot of you don’t like to use it either, but I keep it in my cupboard for a few specific reasons.
- Shortening creates a softer texture in baked goods, and when you’re going for that texture, it’s perfect to use. It keeps my Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies nice and chewy, and the crust for my Blackberry Slab Pie Bars soft.
- I like Butter Flavor Crisco, which comes packaged in 1 cup ‘sticks’ that you can use just like room temperature butter in recipes.
- Agreed, it’s not as natural as butter, but it has its uses on occasion.
Can you substitute butter for the shortening?
- Yes, you can. Your texture will be crispier.
Frosting for bakery style soft sugar cookies
The overall impact of these cookies is in the interplay between the thick soft cookies and the thick layer of frosting. Don’t skimp!
Does this cookie frosting harden?
- Because of the cream cheese the frosting does not completely harden, that’s part of the charm of these cookies, but if you leave them out for several hours it will firm up. I was able to package my cookies individually in cellophane bags for Easter basket treats.
Tips for using food coloring
Regular food coloring from the grocery store in very small amounts creates the pale pastels you want for these soft sugar cookies. If you want to create multiple colors, add a couple of tablespoons of white frosting into small bowls and blend in less than a full drop of coloring. Don’t squeeze directly from the bottle into your frosting, you’ll get too much, I like to use a toothpick to get a little bit at a time. Less is more!
When you want a bolder color add more coloring slowly. And stir, stir stir! The more you stir the more the color will bloom.
More fun cookies to bake with kids (or not!)
- Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
- Cardamom Spritz Cookies
- Swedish Sugar Cookies
- Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
- Maple Glazed Oatmeal Cookies
- Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soft Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
- stand mixer or electric beaters
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter flavored shortening, (I use Crisco)
- 1 extra large egg
- 3 Tbsp milk, or more, if needed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract, or almond extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, (use the fluff/scoop/level method to measure)
frosting
- 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese, or regular cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, almond extract, or lemon juice
- food coloring, as needed, optional.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat the sugar and shortening together until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. I do this in a stand mixer.
- Beat in the egg, then the milk and extract. Beat in the salt and baking powder, then turn the mixer to low and fold in the flour, just until the dough comes together. If it is still very dry and crumbly, add a tiny bit more milk to moisten.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together with your hands. Pat into a smooth round disk and wrap in plastic. Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes while you clean up.
- Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a 3 inch round cookie cutter. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes or just until set. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, whip the soft cream cheese and butter together until combined. Whip in the powdered sugar and extracts until everything is smooth and lump free. If you want to make it thicker, add more sifted sugar, and if it's too thick, add a little milk. Add food coloring if you like.
- Frost each cooled cookie liberally, and top with sprinkles.
Notes
Nutrition
Can I freeze the uncooked dough then bring to room temp before baking?
Yes, and if you’ve already cut out the cookies, you can bake from frozen, just add a little extra baking time.
This made beautiful, yummy cookies!! How long will they keep? Can you refrigerate or freeze them?
They’ll keep for several days, refrigerated. To freese, first put them ona baking sheet and freeze solid. Then you can pack them, layers separated by waxed paper, in a freezer container.
Love these cookies – especially made with almond extract. Such a lovely departure from the usual Christmas cookie flavours. Only one thing: don’t bother cutting into shapes other than circles because they puff up and the shape is lost underneath the icing/decor. But they make pretty Christmas ball ornaments!
Love these cookies – especially made with almond extract. Such a lovely departure from the usual Christmas cookie flavours.
Hi there! Question… Would these work as cut out Christmas cookies? They look and sound like a knockout recipe! I am trying your holiday sugar cookie recipe today – but stumbled across this one and was seriously conflicted which to do – so maybe tomorrow I will give it a try… I love the idea of no chill time and big fluffy results! :0) Thank you for your wonderful posts and recipes – I have enjoyed EVERY one I have tried.
Yes for sure, I made them as Christmas cookies this year. I didn’t color the frosting and used holiday sprinkles, they were a big hit!
I made these a quite a while ago for friends and their daughter just requested them again for her birthday. They are a hit and so deceptively easy. They all think I’m a great baker….I’ve got them all fooled. Thanks for this!
Haha, love that Janeen ~ and just wait for the holidays!
Hello! These look so good but I do have a few questions. Can I make the dough the leave in the fridge over night then bake them the next day? Does it matter what type of food colour we use for the icing and for the corso Butter Flavored Shortening, can I use normal butter instead or is there any substitutes for it?
Thanks
yes, you can leave the dough overnight in the fridge, no problem. You can use any type of food coloring you like. And you can replace the crisco with butter, softened.
Hi,
Can I use just the regular shortening I have on hand?
Yes, for sure 🙂
I’ve made two batches and my sister (1.5 miles away, quarantined, like all of us!) returned her tin, saying; “Here’s the magic cookie tin.” LOL A HINT if ever I heard one!!
I used Spectrum’s organic vegetable shortening, which worked per.fectly! (And, I felt better about the quality of oil for the cookie!) Also used pastry flour; ensuring a really soft cookie!
Had no sprinkles except Christmas….So, I used colored sugar of the darker hue onto the pastel frosting, which, by the way is the STAR of the cookie; and the effect was wonderful. Thank you, Sue, for something to “pin” onto this Covid-19 time that’s positive, fun and delicious!
ps I’ve never tried; can we share photos of our cookies with you, in a comment?
Hi Joy, I love your comment! It makes me feel so good to know my recipe is giving you a little bit of joy in this time. I wish there was a way for readers to share their photos, I’m working on that 🙂 Stay well!
Easy to follow recipe (I loved the part of the recipe that reads: “Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes while you clean up”). The cookies look exactly as pictured. My grandkids love soft sugar cookies, so these will be great for them. I baked a batch and made the frosting. I will be delivering the cookies and the frosting to their homes for the kids to frost and decorate.
What a great grandma you are Carol!