Sugar Cookies
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These sugar cookies are the ultimate simple treat—rich, buttery, and perfectly balanced with a crisp edge and soft, tender center. A few secret ingredients take them from classic to unforgettable!
These sugar cookies are truly crave-worthy: buttery and rich in flavor with a crisp exterior and soft interior. I discovered this recipe years ago on King Arthur Flour, and it’s been my go-to sugar cookie recipe ever since. What makes them so special? Unlike many sugar cookie recipes that rely on shortening, these are made with cream cheese and butter for a tender texture and perfect flavor. A touch of almond extract also adds a subtle, unmistakable flavor that really sets them apart.
If you’re feeling festive and want to pull out your cookie cutters and icing, check out my recipe for cut-out sugar cookies—perfect for shaping and decorating.
“Absolutely wonderful! The only thing stopping me from baking these cookies every week is that I wouldn’t be able to stop eating them!”
What You’ll Need To Make Crave-Worthy Sugar Cookies
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure and stability to the cookies. Measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Baking Powder And Baking Soda: Help the cookies rise.
- Butter: Add a rich flavor to the cookies.
- Cream Cheese: Contributes to a soft, tender texture.
- Sugar: The majority of the sugar sweetens the dough; a small portion creates a sweet, subtly crunchy coating for the cookie’s exterior.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the cookies with its warm aromatic richness.
- Almond Extract: Adds a subtle, nutty flavor.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients together and adds moisture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by whisking the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda together in a bowl. Set aside.
Next, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer with beaters).
Add the vanilla and almond extracts.
Beat to combine, then add the egg.
Add the flour mixture to the batter.
Mix on low until the dough forms a cohesive mass. It will be a little sticky.
Pinch off tablespoons of dough and roll in a bowl of sugar.
Place the balls on a cookie sheet, then press them flat with a flat-bottomed glass.
Bake for about ten minutes, until lightly golden on the bottom but still very pale on top. Cool the cookies for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies are best enjoyed fresh on the day they are made, but they will keep in an airtight container for a few days; freeze for longer storage.
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Sugar Cookies
These sugar cookies are the ultimate simple treat—rich, buttery, and perfectly balanced with a crisp edge and soft, tender center. A few secret ingredients take them from classic to unforgettable!
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with back edge of knife
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 oz (¼ cup) cream cheese
- 1¼ cup sugar, plus ½ cup more for rolling cookies
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Set racks in middle of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, a few minutes. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat in the egg. Scrape down the bowl again, then add the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together into a cohesive mass. It will be a little sticky.
- Place the remaining ½ cup cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Moisten your hands so the dough doesn't stick to them. Pinch off the dough by tablespoonfuls, shape into rough balls (see note below), roll in the sugar to coat, and place 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Using a flat-bottomed glass, flatten the cookies to ¼-inch thick. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through to ensure even cooking. The cookies will turn golden on the bottom but remain pale on top. Cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. (Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel to keep the dough moist between batches.)
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll it into balls, freeze on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a sealable bag with the air pressed out. Thaw in the fridge until soft enough to flatten, then bake as directed. The baked cookies can also be frozen. Cool completely and store in an airtight container with parchment or foil between layers. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 193
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Sugar: 15 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 104 mg
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Can you tell me what a cup measure is also stick of butter. Thank you
Hi Margaret, 1 stick of butter is the equivalent of 1/2 cup.
Hi Jenn, I want to make some sugar cookie bears, will they get wrinkled if I roll it with a rolling pin and use a cookie cutter to cut?
Hi Serena, I haven’t tried this with this dough, but I skimmed the comments and it looks like some others have successfully. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
A dear friend just passed away and her memorial service is next week-end. She told her daughter she wanted cookies served after the service. I live in California and want to make cookies and ship them to Minnesota for the service. Allowing for 2 or 3 days shipping time, do you think these would hold up? I’m planning to also make your oatmeal brown sugar and the toffee almond. Just not sure if they’ll still be good by the time they get there. I know a bar cookie wouldn’t be a good choice. Thanks, as always
Linda
Linda, I am so sorry about your friend. How lovely of you to send cookies. I would actually suggest making the Toffee Almond Sandies and Almond Biscotti (my personal favorite cookie) — they both keep very well…much longer than the others, which might get stale.
Fantastic. Perfect. Fantastically perfect.
For the dough, I didn’t change a thing. And I have written “DON’T CHANGE A THING” on my recipe card. 😉 I did play around a little bit with the rolling-in-mix, though. Rolled some in plain sugar, clear sanding sugar, multi-colored sanding sugar, sugar with a pinch of nutmeg, and brown sugar-cinnamon. All were amazing!
Jenn, you rock…
Love those ideas, Susan — especially the nutmeg. I’m going to try that!
48 cookies seemed like a bit much for my family of 4, so I halved this recipe. That was a mistake!
Hi Jenn…I noticed that you seem to be using the spreadable cream cheese in this recipe. Do you think that could be substituted in other recipes in stead of the block one?
Hi Carolyn, Either will work for this recipe but for the most part, I prefer the block.
This website is great. This is the third recipe I’ve tried since finding it, and just like the other two, it’s great! These cookies have just enough sweetness to be a cookie, but are not too sweet. They go great after dinner or with tea. I already have shown three people where to get this recipe after they tasted the cookies. Fantastic!! Thank you.
I have an end-of-summer neighborhood BBQ tomorrow night and I’m assigned to bring a dessert. I had decided to take cookies so people can visit and eat cookies at the same time! Now, I’ve decided to use this recipe!!! Here’s to happy eating at the BBQ!!!
These cookies are really good and soft. The only thing i did differently was add almond slithers to the batter but i wish i would have toasted them first bc it would taste that much better.
Let me start by saying, again…I LOVE THIS SITE! Everything I have made has turned into a go to recipe! These cookies are no exception, they are just amazing and what’s even more amazing, is there is no refrigeration time, because who has time for that?! Such a simple recipe that yields amazing results; they are the perfect combination of slightly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I have made these five times already for various gatherings and they have received rave reviews from EVERYONE! I made two small changes, first I used a bigger scoop- I wanted a bigger cookie and second, instead of granulated sugar, I used sugar in the raw (turbinado sugar).