Julie Clark
Updated:
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
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Soft, chewy cream cheese sugar cookies. This easy cut out sugar cookie recipe stays soft because of cream cheese.
Homemade sugar cookies are a classic. Everyone needs a good recipe and we’ve got several to share with you! These melt in your mouth cream cheese sugar cookies are super soft and so easy to make. They’re so delicious topped with a simple powdered sugar frosting and sprinkles.
Although these are flat sugar cookies that don’t rise, we also have a recipe for soft, fluffy buttermilk cut out sugar cookies, and two types of sugar cookies that don’t require cookie cutters….bakery-style and Pillsbury copycat.
This cream cheese sugar cookie recipe is perfect for every holiday and season. And it’s the secret to soft sugar cookies! They bake up soft and stay soft.
What readers are saying:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ “One word: DELICIOUS! Just made them. Great recipe, very forgiving dough! Super easy to work with. 👍👏” – Anna
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ “These were super easy to make!! I like ‘cake’ cookies so I didn’t roll mine as thin. The icing was delicious as well!! I added an extra tablespoon of butter…I would definitely make again! Soooo delicious and easy!!” – Kara
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ “Hands down, these are THE BEST sugar cookies in the world!!! Thank you so much for posting this recipe…These cookies will forever be my go-to sugar cookies.” – Nae
Ingredients in Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
- For best results use room temperature butter and cream cheese. Set it on the counter an hour or two before mixing. If it is too cold it will not mix in well, and if it is too hot and melted, it will affect the texture of the cookies.
- Although this sugar cookie recipe calls for both vanilla and almond extract, you can use all vanilla if you’d like.
- Many times when I substitute almond extract for vanilla extract (or add a touch of both), people will ask for the cookie recipe. Why? Because one simple change to a traditional recipe makes the cookies stand out. It’s like a secret ingredient that people love trying to figure out.
✨ For full ingredients and amounts, see the recipe card below. ✨
How to Make Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Start with making the dough. There are 4 simple steps to mixing up cream cheese sugar cookie dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend butter and cream cheese with the paddle attachment on low speed. Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add sugar, egg and extracts. Mix again until combined.
- Mix in remaining dry ingredients and blend into the creamed mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Remove the soft dough and flatten the dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill the dough in the fridge for one hour.
- Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least an hour before you roll the cookies and bake them. Simply flatten the dough into a thick disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. This makes for easy fridge storage. Chilling the dough is what makes these the perfect sugar cookie.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the cookie dough on a pastry mat for easy cleanup. You’ll need a lightly floured surface. When rolling the cookie dough, don’t roll them too thin. You want the dough to have about ¼ inch thickness so that the cookies don’t get golden brown when they bake.
- Cut out your desired shape, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. For soft cookies, do not over bake.
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies Frosting
Because of the delicious flavor of this classic sugar cookie recipe, I didn’t want to add too much frosting to cover that sweet taste. An easy powdered sugar icing with just a few teaspoons on top of each cookie is perfect.
The cookies are also sturdy enough to hold up to royal icing, buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting.
I love these just as much as my grandma’s Christmas cookies. If you like cut out sugar cookies, you’ll love those, too!
Make Ahead Sugar Cookies
This is a great make ahead cookie recipe. Here’s your options:
- Make the sugar cookie dough up to 3 days in advance. Then roll out the day you want to bake ahead.
- Make the sugar cookie dough and freeze in discs for up to 8 weeks. Thaw the discs in the fridge.
- Bake the cookies and freeze them un-iced for up to 3 months. This cookie recipe is great for this!
- If you’re frosting the cookies with a royal icing that sets firmly, you can decorate in advance and freeze. Freeze the cookies stacked, but place wax paper between the layers. Thaw in the fridge.
Storage Instructions
The cream cheese cut out cookies are safe to store at room temperature for up to 4 days. Store in an airtight container to keep them soft.
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Soft, chewy cream cheese sugar cookies. This easy cut out sugar cookie recipe stays soft for days and is perfect for every occasion.
Servings 24
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 33 minutes
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature, 8 ounces
- 8 ounces full fat cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar 300 grams
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 2 grams
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 455 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 grams
Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar 260 grams
- 2 tablespoons soft butter 28 grams
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Milk to desired consistency
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend butter and cream cheese with the paddle attachment on low speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. 1 cup salted butter, 8 ounces full fat cream cheese
- Add sugar, egg and extracts. Mix again for 1-2 minutes. Scrape sides of the bowl as needed. 1 ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Mix in remaining dry ingredients and blend into the creamed mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Remove the soft dough and flatten the dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill the dough in the fridge for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Roll out sugar cookie dough on floured surface until ¼ inches thick (a must!) . Cut with desired cookie cutter shape, place on a parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Let cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Mix all the frosting ingredients in a small bowl and add some food coloring if desired. 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons soft butter, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Frost sugar cookies when they are fully cooled. Allow the frosting to set before storing in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
- The key to making a good sugar cookie is to make sure that you cut the cookies thick enough and then don’t over cook them.
- If you only have unsalted butter, add ½ teaspoon salt to the cookie dough along with the flour and other dry ingredients.
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 404IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
Excellent recipe! I’ve tried recipes for sugar cookies with just butter or with the addition of cornstarch – but this one with the cream cheese is far, far better! They always turn out perfectly! Thanks for sharing!
These are best sugar cookies ever. I rolled mine out in powdered sugar. They are tender and so much flavor. Thank You!!!
The cream cheese recipe is wonderful. I I put in freezer. They are ok too freeze?
Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Lynn Culley
Canada
I cant wait to make these, just a question can these be just cut from log vs. Roll out and use cookie cutter which I dont have, thinking just roll in ball and flatten with glass?
I am planning a wedding shower and would love to make these ahead of time because I will be decorating them too. How long will they stay fresh if put in an airtight container? Can they be frozen after they have been made?
These are great cookies to work with! They are soft and almost melt away in your mouth. I think the recipe should include if the butter is salted or not – I always use unsalted for baking and didn’t notice the recipe didn’t have salt until I ate a cookie and thought it was missing something… Oops! Next time I make these I’ll add a bit of salt (maybe 1/4 tsp) and I think it will help. However, I really enjoyed making and eating these cookies – I love the tang from the cream cheese! I will be saving this… Read more »
If put the dough in freezer how do we take ut out before rolling and cut? And bake . Do we put on counter or refrigerator? If u have done it frozen then how we do the oroper way from freezer to bake
I followed the recipe step by step. However it was too sticky to roll out. Like it was melting on the good note they taste amazing
Hands down, these are THE BEST sugar cookies in the world!!!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe on FaceBook (that’s where I found it).
These cookies will forever be my go-to sugar cookies.
My cookies did not cook. I used unsalted butter is that why?
Can you make this without the egg?
I have been making these for over 30yrs! They are hands down the best cookies ever.
I should post a picture of my old worn recipe card
These were super easy to make!! I like ‘cake’ cookies so I didn’t roll mine as thin. The icing was delicious as well!! I added an extra tablespoon of butter…I would definitely make again! Soooo delicious and easy!!
I’ve made these for the past couple of years for Christmas! We love them! They remind me of lofthouse cookies 😋 soft and delicious!
Is there a way to make these flat and chewy instead of soft and fluffy? The recipe sounds amazing but I like my sugar cookies thin and very brown on the bottom. Thank you