These beautiful sugar cookies are soft, thick, and chewy. They are rich and buttery, decorated with the most delicious frosting, and there is no chilling required.soft frosted sugar cookies on a cooling rack

I’ve been pretty good for the month of January, eating mostly healthy or healthier foods. But now that January is over, it’s time for COOKIES!!! And what’s more fun than a thick sugar cookie topped with a soft-creamy frosting? I can’t think of anything. Also, with Valentine’s around the corner, I decided to dress my cookies with pink roses.

soft frosted sugar cookies on a cooling rack

This recipe starts with creaming together some butter and sugar. Once the butter-sugar mixture is light and fluffy, you add in one whole egg, and one egg yolk for chewiness. Then you mix in some sour cream, which not only helps make these cookies soft, but also adds a little tang to balance the richness. There is vanilla extract and a bit of almond extract added to the wet ingredients as well. To me, almond extract is the key to a good sugar cookie. Without it, all you taste is the butter and sweetness. With it, it balances the overall flavor profile of the cookie, tones down the sweetness, and adds a very subtle marzipan-like taste.

These sugar cookies stay soft and chewy for days. The frosted cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to three days, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.

To freeze the frosted cookies, place them on a tray or cookie sheet in a single layer, and place in the freezer. Once frozen solid, you can stack them with a sheet of wax paper in between in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, place them in a single layer in a plastic container on the counter overnight or until they reach room temperature.

soft frosted sugar cookie with a bite out of it

These frosted sugar cookies are soft and chewy with a rich-buttery taste. The cookie itself is not overly sweet which makes it perfect with the buttercream frosting. The frosting is smooth and creamy with a lovely vanilla taste.

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soft frosted sugar cookies on a cooling rack

Frosted Sugar Cookies

★★★★★ 4.5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Lily Ernst
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 8 min
  • Total Time: 23 minutes
  • Yield: 24-28 cookies 1x
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

These beautiful sugar cookies are soft, thick, and chewy. They are rich and buttery, decorated with the most delicious frosting, and there is no chilling required.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookies

  • 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large whole egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract

Frosting

  • 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups (250g) powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1–3 tablespoon milk or cream
  • food coloring, optional (I used pink gel food coloring)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and egg yolk one at a time. Then mix in the sour cream and extracts until combined.
  4. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until it all comes together. The dough will be stiff.
  5. Using a medium cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop out the dough and roll in your hands until rounded. Place the cookie dough two inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
  6. Dip the bottom of a dry measuring cup in flour and use it to flatten the cookie dough to about 1/4″ thick. Re-flour the measuring cup as needed to prevent sticking.
  7. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the cookies look slightly puffed, dry on the top, pale around the edges, and (when lifted with a thin spatula) barely golden on the bottoms. Let cool completely before frosting.
  8. To make the frosting: Beat the butter, vanilla and salt until smooth. Mix in 1 cup of powdered sugar followed by 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix in the last cup of powdered sugar. Add in another 1-2 tablespoons of milk if needed to reach a spreadable consistency. Mix in the food coloring if using. Pipe rosettes using a 1M star tip or spread onto cooled cookies.

Notes

Leftover frosted cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to three days, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.

To freeze the frosted sugar cookies, place them on a tray or cookie sheet in a single layer, and place in the freezer. Once frozen solid, you can stack them with a sheet of wax paper in between in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, place them in a single layer in a plastic container on the counter overnight or until they reach room temperature.

Keywords: frosted sugar cookies, soft sugar cookies

Recipe adapted from Sugar Spun Run.