Indulge in the ultimate treat with this incredible recipe for Soft Sugar Cookies. These cookies are wonderfully chewy, boasting a melt-in-your-mouth texture that perfectly complements the rich, tangy cream cheese frosting. Adorned with a generous shower of colorful sprinkles, they are not just a dessert but a celebration in every bite. Whether you’re baking for a special occasion, a holiday gathering, or simply to brighten an ordinary day, these bakery-style sugar cookies promise to be a showstopper that will leave everyone craving more.
If you’re a fan of these delightful chewy cookies, be sure to explore more of our beloved recipes. Dive into the comforting warmth of these classic Snickerdoodle cookies, savor the rich and nutty flavor of our irresistible Peanut Butter cookies, or discover the wholesome goodness of our hearty Oatmeal cookies. Each recipe offers a unique taste experience, guaranteeing to satisfy any sweet tooth.
Discover the Best Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe: Chewy Perfection with Cream Cheese Frosting
There’s something truly magical about a perfectly baked sugar cookie—a treat that evokes nostalgic memories of childhood and simple pleasures. Our recipe for the best soft sugar cookies takes this classic to an extraordinary level. Imagine sinking your teeth into a cookie that’s wonderfully chewy in the center, with just the right amount of crispness at the edges, all crowned with a luscious, tangy cream cheese frosting and a vibrant cascade of rainbow sprinkles. This isn’t just a cookie; it’s an experience designed to delight your taste buds and brighten your day. We are confident that these will become your new go-to recipe for chewy sugar cookies, earning a permanent spot in your baking repertoire.
It’s important to note that this specific cookie dough is meticulously crafted for achieving those delightful, thick, and pillowy bakery-style sugar cookies. Unlike traditional cut-out sugar cookies, which require a firm dough for intricate shapes and tend to be thinner and crisper, our recipe focuses on creating a larger, softer, and more substantial cookie that spreads beautifully. For those who love the art of cookie cutting and decorating, we recommend using our favorite no-chill sugar cookie dough, specifically designed for perfect cut-out results. But for a truly indulgent, melt-in-your-mouth experience, these bakery-style beauties are absolutely unmatched.
Essential Baking Tip: Room Temperature Ingredients
Achieving the perfect texture and consistency in your soft sugar cookies and their frosting starts with one crucial step: ensuring your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature. Cold ingredients are significantly harder to incorporate evenly into mixtures, leading to lumpy frosting or a dough with inconsistent pockets of fat, which can affect the final cookie texture. By allowing these key ingredients to soften naturally, you ensure a smooth, homogeneous batter and a velvety, chunk-free cream cheese frosting. If you’re short on time, don’t worry! There are several quick tips available to help speed up the softening process without compromising quality.
Key Ingredients for Unforgettable Soft Sugar Cookies
Crafting these extraordinary soft sugar cookies requires a thoughtful selection of ingredients, each playing a vital role in creating their signature chewy texture and rich flavor. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need:
Wet Ingredients:
- Melted Unsalted Butter: This is the foundation of flavor and moisture. Using melted butter helps achieve that dense, chewy texture we’re aiming for, rather than a crumbly one. Ensure it’s cooled before mixing to prevent melting the sugars.
- White Granulated Sugar: Provides essential sweetness and contributes to the delicate crispness of the cookie edges, balancing the chewiness of the interior.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds a deeper, molasses-rich sweetness and extra moisture, which is key to keeping these cookies wonderfully soft and chewy. Its slight caramel notes enhance the overall flavor profile.
- Large Egg and Egg Yolk: The whole egg adds structure and richness, while the extra egg yolk is a secret weapon for supreme chewiness and a richer taste, ensuring a tender crumb.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: A timeless flavor enhancer, pure vanilla extract brings warmth and depth, complementing the sweetness of the sugars and creating that classic sugar cookie aroma.
- Pure Almond Extract: This optional but highly recommended ingredient adds a subtle, sophisticated almond note that elevates the flavor beyond a basic sugar cookie, giving it a distinctive bakery-quality taste.
Dry Ingredients:
- All-Purpose Flour: The primary structural component of the cookie dough. Proper measurement is crucial for preventing dense or dry cookies. (See note on measuring flour accurately in the recipe notes).
- Fine Sea Salt: A pinch of salt is vital for balancing the sweetness, enhancing all the other flavors, and preventing the cookies from tasting overly saccharine.
- Baking Soda: This leavening agent reacts with the acidic components in the dough (like brown sugar or cream cheese in the frosting) to create carbon dioxide, which helps the cookies rise and achieve their characteristic soft, puffy texture.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
The frosting is where these cookies truly shine, adding a tangy counterpoint to the sweet cookie base.
- Full-Fat Cream Cheese: At room temperature, cream cheese provides the essential tang and creamy base for the frosting, ensuring it’s rich, smooth, and spreadable.
- Unsalted Butter: Also at room temperature, unsalted butter adds richness and structure to the frosting, making it luxurious and stable.
- Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract: Vanilla bean paste offers a more intense vanilla flavor and beautiful specks, while extract provides classic vanilla notes. Both enhance the frosting’s sweetness and creaminess.
- Powdered Sugar: The main sweetener and thickener for the frosting. It dissolves smoothly, creating a silken texture without graininess.
- Rainbow Sprinkles: For that final touch of festive charm and a delightful pop of color, making these cookies irresistible to all ages.
Step-by-Step Guide: Crafting Your Own Soft Sugar Cookies
Making these irresistible soft sugar cookies is a straightforward process that yields incredibly rewarding results. Follow these steps for perfect bakery-style treats:
- Prepare Optional Sugar Coating: In a small, shallow bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and white sparkling sugar (if using). This mixture creates a beautiful, crunchy exterior and adds an extra layer of sweetness and texture to your baked cookies. Set aside.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled melted butter with both granulated and light brown sugars. Stir thoroughly until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Next, incorporate the large egg, the additional egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until everything is just combined and appears smooth and uniform. Avoid overmixing at this stage.
- Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, fine sea salt, and baking soda. Whisk these dry ingredients together thoroughly to ensure they are evenly distributed. This prevents pockets of leavening agent or salt in your cookies.
- Gently Combine Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed or by hand until the ingredients are just combined and no streaks of dry flour remain. It’s crucial not to overmix the dough, as this can develop the gluten too much, resulting in tough, rather than soft, cookies.
- Shape and Chill the Dough: Scoop the dough into tall, generous balls. For consistent size and baking, aim for about 1.2 ounces (roughly 2 full tablespoons) per dough ball. Roll each dough ball generously in the prepared granulated and sparkling sugar mixture, ensuring it’s well coated. Arrange the coated dough balls on a plate or small baking sheet, cover them, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Chilling helps the butter solidify, preventing excessive spreading and enhancing the chewiness.
- Preheat Oven: While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This prevents sticking and ensures even baking.
- Bake Cookies: Place the chilled dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, ensuring they are spread far apart—these cookies will spread quite a bit during baking. We recommend baking only 6-8 cookies at a time per sheet to prevent crowding. Bake for 9–14 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft and set. Do not overbake, as slightly underbaked sugar cookies are key to their signature softness and chewiness!
- Cool Cookies: Once baked, remove the sheet pan from the oven and let the cookies rest on the pan for about 2 minutes. This allows them to set slightly before transferring. Then, carefully transfer the warm cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Tips for Keeping Your Soft Sugar Cookies Irresistibly Soft
To ensure your soft sugar cookies maintain their delightful chewiness long after baking, proper cooling and storage are essential. First, always allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack after baking. This step is vital as it prevents steam from condensing underneath the cookies, which can lead to soggy bottoms. Once fully cooled, the storage method depends on whether your cookies are frosted or unfrosted. Unfrosted cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for maximum freshness. For frosted cookies, an airtight container in the refrigerator is best to preserve the cream cheese frosting. Before serving, let refrigerated cookies come to room temperature for about 30 minutes; this allows the cookies and frosting to soften to their ideal texture, enhancing their flavor and chewiness.
Smart Storage and Freezing Solutions for Soft Sugar Cookies
Efficient storage is key to enjoying your delicious soft sugar cookies for longer or preparing them ahead of time.
- Freezing Cookie Dough: To enjoy freshly baked cookies anytime, freeze the dough. Simply scoop the dough into balls as instructed in the recipe and place them on a sheet pan. Freeze until the dough balls are solid. Once frozen, transfer these solid dough balls into an airtight freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. The cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To Bake Frozen Dough:
- There’s no need to thaw! You can bake the cookies directly from the freezer. Place the frozen dough balls on a lined baking sheet as usual. You’ll need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time compared to chilled dough. Bake until the edges are lightly browned and the center remains wonderfully soft and slightly underbaked, ensuring that signature chewiness.
Important Note on Frosting: Cream cheese frosting does not freeze and thaw well. For the best taste and texture, always prepare your cream cheese frosting fresh on the day you plan to serve your cookies. This ensures a smooth, creamy, and delectable frosting every time.
Explore More Delicious Cookie Recipes You’ll Love!
If you’ve fallen in love with the comforting taste and delightful texture of our soft sugar cookies, we invite you to discover an array of other fantastic cookie recipes perfect for any occasion:
- Coconut Oatmeal Cookies: A delightful blend of wholesome oats and tropical coconut, creating a chewy and flavorful treat.
- Almond Joy Cookies: Inspired by the classic candy bar, these cookies feature a rich chocolate base, coconut, and a hidden almond, bursting with flavor.
- Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies: Tender, buttery cookies with a hint of almond, filled with sweet and tart raspberry jam—a beautiful and delicious classic.
- Lemon Cheesecake Cookies: Experience the refreshing zest of lemon combined with the creamy indulgence of cheesecake in a soft, tangy cookie form.
- Cinnamon Roll Cookies: All the comforting flavors of a warm cinnamon roll, rolled into a chewy cookie with a sweet glaze.
Pin Recipe
Print Recipe
Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chelsea Lords
25 minutes
9-14 minutes
1 hour
Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes
26 cookies
Equipment
- Large Sheet Pan (15″ x 10″)
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- Wire Cooling Rack
- Large Mixing Bowls
- Electric Mixer (handheld or stand mixer recommended for frosting)
Ingredients
2x
3x
Metric
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk (discard or save the white for another use)
-
1/2 tablespoon
vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (see note 1 below for proper measuring)
-
1/2 teaspoon
fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
-
1/4 cup
white sparkling sugar
(or additional granulated sugar)
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
-
1/2 teaspoon
vanilla bean paste
(or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract) -
1/8 teaspoon
fine sea salt
- 3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- Rainbow Sprinkles (for decoration)
Instructions
- Prepare Optional Coating: In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and white sparkling sugar. This step is optional but highly recommended for a beautiful crunchy exterior and enhanced flavor. Set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Place the melted butter in a large mixing bowl and allow it to cool completely to room temperature. It is crucial that the butter is not warm, as hot butter will melt the sugars and result in greasy, flat cookies. Once cooled, add the granulated sugar and light brown sugar to the butter and stir vigorously until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Incorporate the large egg, the additional large egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Continue stirring until all ingredients are just combined and the mixture is smooth and uniform. Do not overmix.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, fine sea salt, and baking soda. Ensure these dry ingredients are thoroughly combined to guarantee even distribution throughout the dough.
- Blend Mixtures: Gradually add all of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient mixture. Mix on low speed or by hand just until the flour streaks disappear and the dough comes together. Be careful not to overmix the dough, as excessive mixing can develop gluten, leading to tougher cookies.
- Shape and Chill Dough: Roll the dough into tall, generous balls. For consistent results, each dough ball should weigh approximately 1.2 ounces, which is equivalent to about 2 full tablespoons. Roll each dough ball thoroughly in the optional granulated and white sparkling sugar mixture prepared earlier, ensuring a generous coating. Place the coated dough balls on a plate or small baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. Chilling is vital for preventing the cookies from spreading too much and for achieving their signature chewy texture.
- Preheat Oven and Bake: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the chilled dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them far apart, as these cookies will spread significantly. We recommend baking only 6–8 cookies at a time per sheet to allow for ample spreading. Bake for 9–14 minutes. Watch them carefully; the cookies are done when the edges are lightly golden and the centers still appear soft and slightly underbaked. Slightly underbaked cookies are key to maintaining their incredible chewiness! Remove from the oven and let stand on the hot baking sheet for 2 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting: While the cookies are baking and cooling, prepare your delicious cream cheese frosting. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the room-temperature full-fat cream cheese and room-temperature unsalted butter until the mixture is incredibly smooth, light, and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) and fine sea salt, mixing until just combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition until the frosting is perfectly smooth and creamy. It may initially seem too thick, but continue beating, and it will come together beautifully into a velvety consistency.
- Frost and Decorate: Once the cookies have cooled completely to room temperature, generously frost each cookie with the prepared cream cheese frosting. Finish by liberally topping with your favorite rainbow sprinkles for a festive and fun touch. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recipe Notes & Expert Tips
Storage for Freshness: Store any leftover soft sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep them fresh and prevent the frosting from spoiling. For optimal taste and texture, these cookies are best enjoyed within 2–3 days. If you prefer to prepare ahead, you can freeze the raw cookie dough by shaping it into balls and freezing them on a sheet pan until solid. Once frozen, transfer the dough balls to an airtight freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time. Remember, cream cheese frosting should always be made fresh, as it does not freeze or thaw well.
Don’t Overmix the Dough: Overmixing develops gluten, which can make your cookies tough instead of tender and chewy. Mix the wet and dry ingredients just until combined.
Slightly Underbake for Softness: The secret to truly soft and chewy sugar cookies is to remove them from the oven when the edges are just set and lightly golden, but the centers still look slightly soft and puffed. They will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.
Nutrition Information (per cookie)
Calories:
343
kcal
|
Carbohydrates:
54
g
|
Protein:
5
g
|
Fat:
12
g
|
Saturated Fat:
8
g
|
Cholesterol:
46
mg
|
Sodium:
172
mg
|
Potassium:
65
mg
|
Fiber:
1
g
|
Sugar:
32
g
|
Vitamin A:
380
IU
|
Calcium:
44
mg
|
Iron:
1
mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation. It may vary based on specific brands and ingredient measurements.
Love this recipe? Share your thoughts below!