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You cannot beat a homemade sugar cookie with a crisp edge and a soft center. These are the BEST! Topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and sprinkles, these sugar cookies are a tried and true favorite.
Cookies are just the best all-around because you can bake them up for any occasion! Try my favorite no-bake cookies, peanut butter cookies, and these snickerdoodles that you will die for!
A Reader’s Review
I have tried so many sugar cookie recipes over the years! I found this and used it for my son’s grad party, as well as a friend’s. This is PERFECT. I’ve also shared this recipe with a few others who asked for it after tasting the cookies, and it is now the go to for all of us!
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
I sure do love sugar cookies! Some people’s favorites are chocolate chip but not mine. Not only are they delicious, but my kids love to help make sugar cookies! We love spending some time in the kitchen making cookies together. I have had a lot of sugar cookies in my day. Some are way too crisp and not soft enough on the inside. You are going to quickly agree that they are the best! Trust me. I made sure by eating at least 3!
I love this recipe because it is the best of both worlds. They are a bit crisp on the outside but not too crispy, and they have the softest center! The edges don’t expand while baking, and they come out looking in the perfect shape. This recipe is a classic, and the dough comes together in a matter of minutes. But I found that the secret to the best sugar cookie is added almond extract. The almond extract adds a rich and delicious almond flavor, making them absolutely perfect.
Ingredients in Sugar Cookies
These cookies are perfect for your Valentine’s Day festivities and are so good that you will want to make them throughout the year! Just change up your cookie cutter, and you are ready to go! See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient measurements.
- Butter: If your ingredients are at room temperature then they will mix together more smoothly.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar will make this recipe sweet.
- Egg: The egg will help bind the dough together.
- Vanilla Extract: This will enhance the flavors of the sweet ingredients.
- Almond Extract: The secret ingredient to making these sugar cookies the best!
- Flour: I used all purpose flour for this recipe.
- Baking Powder: This helps the cookie be soft and not chewy.
- Salt: This enhances the flavors.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese: Put this on your counter before you plan to bake so that it can soften up.
- Butter: I used unsalted, sofened butter to make the frosting smooth,
- Powdered Sugar: Using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar works better because this diddolves quickly and creats a smooth texture.
- Vanilla Extract: This enhances the sweetness of the frosting.
- Food Coloring: This is totally optional depending on if you want your frosting to be different colors for different occasions.
How To Make Sugar Cookies
These cookies come together so easily! This recipe will become your favorite go-to sugar cookie recipe that you will make again and again.
- Beat: In a large bowl beat the butter until smooth and creamy for about one minute. Add the sugar and continue to beat until creamy for about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and continue to beat until incorporated.
- Mix and chill: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add to the creamed mixture and continue to beat until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a ball and chill in the fridge for one hour and can be chilled overnight.
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough out to desired thickness (mine were 1/4 inch thick) and cut with cookie cutters. Transfer to baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake for 8-11 minutes or until just set. I like mine more soft so I cooked mine for 8 minutes. Let cookies cool completely before frosting.
- Frost: To make the cream cheese frosting, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until it is smooth and creamy. Frost cooled cookies.
Do I Have to Chill the Sugar Cookie Dough?
YES! The dough does require an hour of chilling time. This step is essential to how the cookies hold up and helps ensure that the dough doesn’t spread.
Sugar Cookie Baking Tips
These cookies are SOO GOOD, and I want to help make sure that yours turn out perfectly! Here are a few tips and tricks to use while making these cookies.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Before mixing up your dough, take the time to set your ingredients out so that they can soften up. Room temperature ingredients mix up SO much better and your batter and frosting will be so smooth with no lumps!
- Don’t Open the Oven: So many people are tempted to open the oven to check out how their cookies are doing. Don’t do it! This causes the hot air to be released and can result in your cookies being baked unevenly. Use the oven light instead!
- Frosting: If you want to change things up, you can use different types of frosting on these cookies to change the look and taste. Try this Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting or this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting instead!
How to Store Leftovers
Sugar cookies make fantastic leftovers because they can last for about a week! So double up that recipe and make a few extra to enjoy!
- On the counter: Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container on your counter. They will last up to 7 days!
More Cookie Recipes to Try
Who doesn’t love a good cookie? Cookie recipes are always great to have on hand because they are easy to whip up and always a home run with any family or friends that you are baking them for! These tried and true recipes are sure to all be ones that your family goes crazy for.
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The Best Sugar Cookies Ever!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Butter (softened)
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1 large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese (softened)
- 1/2 cup Butter (softened)
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- Food Coloring (Optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy for about one minute. Add the sugar and continue to beat until creamy for about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and continue to beat until incorporated.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add to the creamed mixture and continue to beat until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a ball and chill in the fridge for one hour and can be chilled overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough out to desired thickness (mine were 1/4 inch thick) and cut with cookie cutters. Transfer to baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-11 minutes or until just set. I like mine more soft so I cooked mine for 8 minutes. Let cookies cool completely before frosting.
To make the cream cheese frosting
- Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until it is smooth and creamy. Frost cooled cookies.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Alyssa,
I have made a few of your recipes over time and they’re always a big hit with my family, so I’m excited to bake these cookies for Valentine’s Day! I just had a question about how to store them once they’re iced. Do they stay soft in the middle once stored in the refrigerator? Thanks 🙂
Once they are thawed they are still soft! So delicious!
These sound excellent! Does the icing get hard enough that you can stack them? With cream cheese in the icing, do they need to be refrigerated?
It does once dried.
Sounds great!
Typo 350 Fahrenheit not degrees. I burnt my first batch 🙁
Degrees can be referred to Celsius or Fahrenheit. If you bake a lot of cookies, you would know that 350 is referred to Fahrenheit.
UCan I substitute lemon extract or strawberry extract instead of almond extract?
Very good sugar cookie following recipe precisely. Mine needed more baking time to have a golden finish on the bottom, but still have a soft inside. About 12 minutes. Frosting was a huge waste producing 3X amount needed for basic (one color) frosting.
This has now become my go to sugar cookie recipe it’s absolutely delicious. So soft yet crispy. Look forward to trying out your other recipes.
Hi Lara!
Thanks for the comment. I am happy that you like the cookies! Thanks for following along with me and for your feedback! xoxo
HOW DO YOU GET THESE TO COME OUT CRISPY ALL THE WAY THROUGH—NOT SURE BUT I THINK MY MOM LEFT THEM IN THE REFRIG. OVERNIGHT AND THATS HOW I THINK THEY WERE SO CRISPY AND TASTED SO GOOD WITH COFFEE—WHAT TO DO???
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
RICHARD BRAGG
The refrigerator is okay to do. I would just recommend leaving them out to room temperature when getting ready to bake. You can lower the temperature on the over to 325* and cook for the same amount of time or cook them for a few minutes shorter and leave them on the cookie sheet until they have cooled. Hope that helps! XOXO
is it okay if i don’t use vanilla
Yes, of course! It just adds a great flavor. Almond extract is great to if you need a substitute.
IS there anything I can use instead of the almond extract (nut allergy)?
Vanilla will work too!
They were the best cookies I ever had
That is great to hear! Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
Hello. I’m making these for the first time, and so far, so good. However, I won’t be frosting them until tomorrow, but I already made the frosting. Can I leave the frosting in the fridge overnight?
Yes, of course! Enjoy your cookies! XOXO
Hi, what type of sugar do you use ? White or caster sugar
I use white sugar! Enjoy your cookies! XOXO
very good, but you might want to add more flour
And do you let them cool on the baking sheet or transfer to wire racks for cooling? Thanks!
Yes, I let them cool on wire racks. Hope that helps! XOXO
Do you use salted butter or unsalted? Thank you!
I prefer unsalted butter but salted butter will be great too in these cookies.
Maybe I missed it, but how many cookies will this recipe make?
About 24 cookies:)!