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+ servings
A single Soft Sugar Cookie with Cream Cheese Frosting with two glasses of milk and a plate of cookies behind

Soft Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Course: Sweets
Cuisine: North American
Keyword: sugar cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
chill time: 2 hours
Total Time: 41 minutes
Servings: 30 cookies
Author: Marta Rivera
Begin early in the day. Inspired Cindy Rahe's recipe written for Simply Recipes (links in post)
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Dough

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed from 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk, to thin frosting as needed

Optional Ingredients

  • gel food coloring to tint frosting
  • sprinkles to decorate

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt together with a whisk. Set this aside.
  • Add the three extracts to the bowl containing the eggs (don't whisk the eggs), and set aside. 
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the butter and the sugar together on med-high speed until light and fluffy- about 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl twice during this time. 
  • Add the eggs (one at a time) to the butter mixture. After each addition, mix on medium speed for 1 minute before scraping down the bowl. 
    Once both eggs have been added, mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until the mixture is airy. 
  • Add the sour cream to the mixture and blend, on low speed, for another minute. Scrape down the bowl once again. 
  • Mix the flour into the butter-egg mixture in two parts on low speed. Scrape the bowl down after a few seconds. Once all the flour has been added, mix for 1 minute to bring the dough together.
  • Remove the mixing bowl from the stand and use a rubber spatula to knead the dough- while it's still in the bowl- to eliminate excess air bubbles. 
    Alternatively, you can turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead the dough by hand. 
  • Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. You can also divide the dough into two equal portions and wrap them separately. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or overnight.*

Bake the Cookies

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F and line sheet pans with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. 
  • Generously flour your work surface with all-purpose flour, then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out a 1/4" thick. 
  • Use a 3" circle cutter, dipped in a little bit of flour, to cut circles out of the dough. 
    Gather together the leftover scraps of dough and form them into a disc. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes before re-rolling. 
  • Transfer the cookies to the sheet pan and bake for 11 minutes. Keep the other pans of cookies in the fridge until the first pan comes out of the oven. 
  • Once the cookies are baked, transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt, lemon juice, and the vanilla extract.
  • Begin creaming the ingredients on the lowest speed, gradually increasing the speed to medium-high after the sugar has been mixed into the cream cheese. 
  • Whip the cream cheese mixture until it is light and fluffy- scraping down the bowl once or twice during mixing- this should take about 4 minutes.
  • If you find that frosting is too thick, thin it out starting with 1 teaspoon- up to a tablespoonful- of the milk. At this point you can tint the frosting your choice of color(s) using the food coloring.

Decorate the Cookies

  • Use a small offset spatula to spread a tablespoon of frosting onto each cookie.
  • Decorate each cookie with sprinkles. 
  • Store the decorated cookies at room temperature, in an air-tight container, for up to 3 days. Separate the layers of cookies with a sheet of parchment.

Notes

*If you prefer to make these cookies in advance, freeze the disc of dough prior to rolling it out. Freeze for up to 6 months and allow the dough to thaw in the fridge before rolling out. The dough is easier to roll and cut when the dough is still partially frozen.