These are our favorite sugar cookies! If you love ultra thick, super soft, and deliciously yummy sugar cookies that hold their shape well then look no further. I hope this will become your go-to recipe like it has mine 🙂
Let's talk sugar cookies, shall we? I have to admit that I only make sugar cookies maybe once a year (sometimes more for parties or what not) because it is the one food I literally have no control around! The slightly sweet, thick, soft sugar cookie + the cream cheese frosting topped with colorful sprinkles...... perfection in my world 🙂 !
Growing up my mom made THE BEST sugar cookies ever! I have since tried making the exact same recipe and they just don't turn out for me. I will leave that awesome recipe to my mom (hi mom!) because apparently she is the only one that can make them so perfect.
I found this recipe and have used it ever since. I have never had a bad a batch from this recipe. I'm going to assume that most people like the really thick, super soft (so soft that they stay perfectly soft for days after!) sugar cookies. So, if that's you, then read some tips below.
I think the #1 tip for sugar cookies is to roll the dough thick! I use plastic cookie cutters and I will use the thickness of those cutters to measure out my dough. You don't want it so thick that the cookie cutter can't get all the way through the dough, just thick enough to where it comes to the top of the sugar cookie. I never measure my dough, just eyeball it and make sure that it looks thick.
Just remember that if you roll the dough thin, then that is what you'll end up with; thin sugar cookies that will become crispy in the oven. To me, that's a big no no, but if that whats you love then do it!
It is so important to not let the cookies brown at all, anywhere on the cookie! If you follow the cooking time you should not have to worry about having any brown on the cookie. You will be tempted to leave them in the oven after the 7-8 cooking time, but I promise you, pull them out anyways and they will be perfectly soft and thick and you won't be able to stop eating them 🙂
(The above photo I chose not to edit because I really wanted you to see that there should no brown whatsoever. This is the cookie straight from the oven. Should be pale as ever.)
The middle of the cookies may even look a bit underdone (you can see in the pic above) and that's ok. Leave them on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and then let cool completely on the cooling rack and they'll so yummy!
I originally made these cookies for a friend's birthday and immediately had to send the dozen or so leftovers with my husband to work. Lets just say these grown guys ate these faster than you can blink. Even with all the bright, neon frosting and sprinkles 🙂
If you want a cute idea for a birthday, use letter cookie cutters to spell out 'Happy Birthday' , frost and sprinkle them, and put them on a plate to deliver to someone for a fun birthday surprise. Here is what I made for my friend.
I put some frosting into a Ziploc bag and cut the corner off to frost these small letters. It worked well and looked really nice on the cookies.
Thanks so much for sticking with me through that long post and all those pictures. Sugar cookies done right are hands down, the best cookies ever! I hope you get the chance to try these. Let me know 🙂
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My kids prefer these with all vanilla extract so I use 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and no almond extract. I love the flavor of the almond extract but it's up to you. If you don't use the almond extract be sure to replace it with additional vanilla extract.
Spraying the counter top with the cooking spray makes clean up so much easier.
I find that if I do smaller cookies or letter/number cutouts then I always cook for 7 minutes. For the bigger/normal sized cookies I cook for 8 minutes and they're perfect.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups salted butter (3 sticks) softened to cool room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract ** (see notes)
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 block (8 oz) full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. This may seem like a long time but trust me, it's so important.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, almond extract and mix. Add two cups flour, baking powder and salt. Mix. Add remaining flour and mix just until flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft.
- Spray your counter with cooking spray (very lightly) and dust with flour. Add flour as needed so dough does not stick to the counter. I usually end up adding about 1/4-1/2 cup additional. Roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thick or slightly thicker. Cut the dough into shapes. Place the cookies on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 7-8 minutes. The cookies won’t appear browned on top (or on bottom) when they are done baking so don’t let them overbake! They may even appear underdone in the middle. That's OK, take them out and don't let them bake past 8 minutes.
- Let cool on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes and then move to a cooking rack to cool completely. These cookies actually get better and better each day. They stay soft & moist for several days!
- To make frosting: Add cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl and blend, with a hand mixer, until it's fluffy and light. Add powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream, blend until combined.
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