Frosted Sugar Cookies

Here’s the best frosted sugar cookie recipe for your baking pleasure. Find out how to make frosted sugar cookies that are chewy, moist, and soft!

Ingredients

For these chewy sugar cookies you will need:

• Salted Butter. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature but still cool, I use my digital thermometer to check it is around 62F/17C.
• Granulated Sugar. The white sugar sweetens the cookies and encourages them to spread to just the right amount while baking.
• Light Brown Sugar. I added a little brown sugar for extra moisture, chew, and flavor. I highly suggest not swapping in all white sugar.
• Large Egg. You'll need one whole egg and one additional egg yolk. The egg yolk adds extra fat which in turn helps create a super moist and chewy cookie. Keep in mind your eggs should be at room temperature.
• Pure Vanilla Extract. If you love the flavor of almonds you could also add ½ teaspoon of almond extract in addition to the vanilla as well.
• All-Purpose Flour. Make sure you measure the flour properly, too much or too little four can drastically affect the cookies.
• Baking Powder. This chemical leavening agent helps the cookies rise and bake up beautifully.
• Salt. This star little ingredient helps all of the other ingredients' flavor profiles shine through.
• Cornstarch. I love adding cornstarch to cookie recipes as it tenderizes the dough creating a soft and tender cookie crumb.

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

For the frosting recipe you'll need:

• Salted Butter. I like using salted butter for frostings to help with all of the sweetness.
• Confectioner's Sugar. If you want a super smooth frosting then you should sift your powdered sugar through a fine mesh sieve.
• Pure Vanilla Extract. Just a splash gives a beautiful flavor.
• Heavy Whipping Cream. I love adding a little bit of cream to my frostings to give it a really light and creamy texture.
• Sprinkles. Use whatver sprinkles you like!

If you want the iconic pink color then you'll need some food coloring, I use the AmeriColor Food Coloring.

For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer combine the butter and sugars. Mix for 2-3 minutes on medium speed to fully incorporate and produce a creamy, fluffy mixture. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula so everything is evenly incorporated.

Add in the vanilla and the first egg, and mix to combine until no yolk remains. Scrape down the bowl and mix in the second egg.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients on low speed. Don't overmix.

At this point you can pre-scoop the cookies I use a medium cookie scoop and place the dough balls on a small tray that you can cover in plastic wrap or a container with a lid. Let the cookie dough scoops chill in the fridge for at least one hour or up to three days.

When ready to bake preheat the oven to 350F/180C and line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner. Add cookie dough balls to the cookie sheet and spread them at least two inches apart.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until just set. Let cool on a tray on a wire rack for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. The cookies need to cool completely before frosting with the buttercream.

If you want to see a full in-depth tutorial on how to make this frosting check out my post on how to make American-style buttercream.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or a large bowl with a handheld mixer beat the butter for 3 full minutes, until light and fluffy.

Sieve the powdered sugar to prevent any lumps and add half to the butter. Beat for another 3 minutes then add the remaining powdered sugar and mix for 3 more minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl multiple times to ensure everything is evenly combined.

Add the vanilla extract, heavy cream, and some pink food coloring and beat for another 3 minutes.

Spread or pipe frosting on the cooled cookies and add sprinkles.

Store leftover frosted sugar cookies in an airtight container for up to five days.

How to freeze

Place the cookies on a flat surface like a sheet tray or a plate in the freezer for an hour or two to flash freeze then transfer to a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to a month. Take a cookie out and thaw it on the counter for an hour or two before enjoying it.

More frosting ideas

• Coffee Buttercream. Coffee would pair beautifully with cookies.
• Chocolate Frosting. This chocolate frosting is thick, rich, and fudgy.
• Peanut Butter Buttercream. I would top the cookies with crushed peanuts instead of sprinkles, ooo these sound good!

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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Recipe Card

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