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A cooling rack filled with Grandma's Soft Sugar Cookies
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4.88 from 66 votes

Soft Sugar Cookies Recipe

This soft sugar cookie recipe tastes just like the ones from the store, but better. You will love how soft and chewy they are and the frosting is amazing!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time11 minutes
Total Time26 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: soft sugar cookie recipe, sugar cookies
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 321kcal
Author: Elise Donovan

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup butter room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 to 1½ pounds powdered sugar
  • candy sprinkles optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
    Butter and sugar creamed in a mixing bowl
  • Add eggs, milk and vanilla.
    Cookie batter before the dry ingredients are added
  • In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
    Dry ingredients for cookies in a large bowl
  • Slowing add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix together until you can form a large dough ball. On floured surface, roll out dough ball until about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
    Rolled out sugar cookie dough
  • Use cookie cutters (or rim of a drinking glass) to cut cookie shapes out of dough.
    Cut out sugar cookie dough
  • Place cookies on lightly sprayed cookie sheet. Bake about 10-12 minutes. DON'T OVERCOOK OR THEY WILL BE HARD!
    Baked sugar cookies on a baking sheet
  • After baking, move cookies to a cooling rack to cool before frosting.
    A cooling rack filled with Grandma's Soft Sugar Cookies

FROSTING

  • Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth.
    Whipped butter in a silver mixing bowl
  • Add powdered sugar and mix until desired consistency. Add food coloring if desired.
    Cream cheese frosting
  • Spread frosting over cooled cookies. If adding sprinkles, add them immediately after frosting.
    Pink frosted sugar cookies with sprinkles

Video

Notes

  • For large cookies (about 3 inch cookie cutter), you will get 15-16 cookies. With a smaller cookie cutter, you will get about 2 dozen.
  • The number one tip I can give you for this soft sugar cookies recipe is that you absolutely MUST NOT over-bake them! That is the key to making them soft. They may look under-baked when you take them out in 10-12 minutes, but they will cook a little more on the hot pan. 
  • If you don't have a round cookie cutter, then you can use the top of a glass.
  • Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to keep cookies from sticking to the baking sheet.

Nutrition

Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 370IU | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg