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.

Sugar cookies on a lined baking sheet.

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!”

Claire G

What You’ll Need To Make Crave-Worthy Sugar Cookies

ingredients for 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.

whisking dry ingredients

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).

creamed butter and sugar

Add the vanilla and almond extracts.

adding the extracts

Beat to combine, then add the egg.

adding the egg

Add the flour mixture to the batter.

adding dry ingredients to sugar cookie batter

Mix on low until the dough forms a cohesive mass. It will be a little sticky.

mixed sugar cookie dough

Pinch off tablespoons of dough and roll in a bowl of sugar.

rolling sugar cookie dough balls in sugar

Place the balls on a cookie sheet, then press them flat with a flat-bottomed glass.

pressing the sugar cookies flat

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.

sugar cookies cooling on rack

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.

Sugar cookies on a lined baking sheet.

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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.

Servings: 4 dozen
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 25 Minutes

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

  1. Set racks in middle of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.)
  5. 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

Powered by Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • I made these for my sister who loves sugar cookies. She said they are excellent. The recipe is easy and fast. Using a small ice cream scoop I got 40 cookies and they baked in 10 minutes.

    • First time trying a sugar cookie recipe. They were a hit and totally delicious even with the substitution of orange instead of almond as I did not have it in my pantry. I froze a few balls and look forward to trying to bake those later. Definitely a recipe to use again and again. Thank you.

      • — Ginny on December 20, 2022
      • Reply
  • These are now my favorite cookies. There is only one problem – I can’t stop eating them. I set some aside to eat in the next few days and froze the rest. They froze really well and taste as good as when I first made them.

  • If you plan to freeze the cookie “balls”, do you roll them in sugar first, then freeze, or roll in sugar just before you bake them?

    • Hi Karen, I would roll them in the sugar before freezing. See here for more guidance on freezing cookie dough. Hope it helps!

  • These cookies are truly crave-worthy. I have made it multiple times with great success.

  • This recipe is so good and so user friendly. I’m a great Baker but not so good with cookies. This recipe is excellent for experienced bakers and people that are just starting out. The flavors are wonderful and I always get great compliments for these.

    • — Lindsey O'Neal
    • Reply
  • Loved this recipe! Really quick and easy to throw together a batch. I prefer these over cutter-shape sugar cookies. These have a light buttery mouthfeel but are satisfying enough that you don’t need to eat a ton of them to satiate that cooking craving.

  • Excellent and so easy to make. Jen, you might make a baker out of me yet!

  • These cookies are everything you said; crispy on the outside and soft in the center. I needed to add another 2 minutes to cook time, which is likely an issue with my oven. Would definitely make them again. Love them

    • — Dianne Radcliff
    • Reply
  • Sugar cookies are just about my favorite cookie. It really reminds me of my Mom because her sugar cookies were awesome. I made these tonight and I am so happy with them. They are simple to make and even easier to EAT! I will be making them for those that I give goodies to at Christmas time.

  • Hi Jenn,
    Could I roll the cookies in red or green suagr instead of plain?

    Thank you!

    Kristen Berry

    • Definitely!

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