Crave-Worthy Sugar Cookies
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These are the best sugar cookies: rich and buttery in flavor with a crisp exterior and soft interior.
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 the King Arthur Flour website, and it’s been my go-to sugar cookie recipe ever since. So, what makes these sugar cookies unique? First, they’re made with cream cheese in addition to butter, creating a perfect taste and tender texture without the need for vegetable shortening. Second, they’re made with a touch of almond extract, which lightly perfumes the cookies with the unmistakable scent of almond.
If you’re feeling festive and want to pull out your cookie cutters and frosting, check out my recipe for Christmas 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 and become tender.
- 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.
How To Freeze Sugar Cookies
If you don’t want to bake all the cookies at once, the dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, roll the dough into balls, let set in a single layer on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. When ready to bake, thaw them in the fridge until they are soft enough to flatten, and then bake.
To freeze after baking, let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
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Crave-Worthy Sugar Cookies
These are the best sugar cookies: rich and buttery in flavor with a crisp exterior and soft interior.
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 the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. When ready to bake, thaw them in the fridge until they are soft enough to flatten, and then bake. To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
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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Hi Jenn, absolutely love these sugar cookies, everyone that tries them says they are the best they have ever tasted. Was wondering if you have a chocolate sugar cookie recipe or how do you think the recipe could be tweaked for this? Adding cocoa and omitting almond extract? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Kim, so glad you like the cookies! I don’t have a chocolate version and I don’t recommend tweaking this one as it would require changing too many things and I’m not sure what kind of result you’d get. Your best bet is to look for a recipe specifically for chocolate sugar cookies. Sorry!
These are easy and always a hit. The key is not to over bake and over mix
Absolutely wonderful! The only thing stopping me from baking these cookies every week is that I wouldn’t be able to stop eating them!
Hi. I am looking for a sugar cookie recipe that is heart healthy. I trust all of your recipes, but have had to switch my manner of baking due to a recent family diagnosis. So just a few questions: I know that I can exchange the butter for vegan butter sticks, such as Earth Balance, but wondering what will change in the cookie if I leave out the cream cheese? I can find no really good substitution for this that is totally nonfat, so wanted to know if it is possible to make these without it. The other question is how these would do if made with King Arthur Whole Whole Wheat? I can use regular flour but really am trying to work with WWW when possible. Thanks, as always!
Hi Jane, I’d just use more vegan butter in place of the cream cheese. I’d love to hear how they come out!
Thanks! I will let you know. But also I noticed that I had a typo in my original question. I asked if I could use King Arthur Whole Whole Wheat flour instead King Arthur All Purpose Flour. I meant to say White Whole Wheat Flour. Sorry! In any case, would that substitution work in these sugar cookies, as well as the extra vegan butter? Thanks!
Hi Jane, I’m sorry I forgot to answer that question! Yes, you can get away with using white whole wheat. 😊
You can sub Greek yogurt or sourcream
Hello! Do you have additional information on HIGH ALTITUDE directions please?
Thanks so very much!!
Jan
I don’t have any experience baking at high altitudes, so unfortunately, don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! I know that the King Arthur Baking website has an article that gives tips for high altitude baking if you want to check that out.
Hi Jenn,
I’d like to bake a few cookies now and freeze the remainder of the dough. The freezer instructions are to bake the balls from frozen. When do I flatten the frozen balls?
Thank you!
Sorry if that wasn’t clear — wait until they’re thawed and then flatten them. I’m going to add that to the instructions. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Thank you Jenn! My family loves these cookies!
I love your recipes and have tried many with success.
I came across your sugar cookie recipe and it is nearly identical to a recipe I’ve used several times however, my recipe does not call for flour. It is a Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie recipe for cut-out cookies. Is this why there is no flour in it? May seem like a silly question but I’m not a baker, per se, so appreciate your time.
Hi Phyllis, I have no idea why the recipe doesn’t call for flour – seems very unusual! I wish I could give you a good reason for it, but that’s a head scratcher – sorry!
Can you refrigerate the dough overnight and bake the following day? If so, how best to store in the refrigerator until ready to bake?
Sure, Renee, that will work. Once you’ve finished making the dough, I’d keep it as one large piece and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough come to room temperature the next day before rolling them into balls. Enjoy!
These are the best sugar cookies ever. Nice texture, and easy to make. I froze a bunch to make later and decorate for Christmas.