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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Wow wow wow! Just made these cookies. They look exactly like the pics and are delicious! Don’t change a thing, follow the recipe to the T! Thanks for sharing Jenn!
Hi Jenn
I made your sugar cookies for Xmas and they were so delicious. I would like to make them for Valentine’s Day using a heart shaped cutter but I’m not sure whether this dough can be rolled.
Would it work? I know you have a butter cookie recipe using dough that can be rolled but I am interested in only a soft cookie. Thank you, Lisa.
Hi Lisa, Unfortunately, I don’t think this dough will hold its shape very well in the oven — your hearts might look more like blobs 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I am making these cookies for a holiday party and there are people attending who have a nut allergy. Can I make these without the almond extract or is there something nut-free I can substitute it with?
Hi Elizabeth, It’s fine to leave it out and substitute more vanilla.
Hello Jenn- How much vanilla would you use if you omit the almond extract?
Thanks,
Cate
You’d just replace the almond extract with more vanilla extract, so you’d use a total of 1 1/4 tsp. Enjoy!
This is the best sugar cookie recipe that I have ever made. Always gets rave reviews from everyone that I give these cookies to. Easy recipe, & using an ice cream scoop insures consistent size.
Can I substitute sour cream for the cream cheese?
Hi SV, I’ve never tried them this way, so I can’t say for sure, but it’s a relatively small amount needed in the recipe, so I think you should be able to get away with it. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you try them!
I did try the sour cream instead of cream cheese. They turned out great!
So glad- thanks for the followup!
I just tried making these last night and they turned out PERFECT! This is by far, the BEST sugar cookie recipe ever! Thanks so much for sharing! It was so delicious, I made sure to share your link to this recipe.
Hi! I want to attempt these but I only own a hand mixer with so such attachment. Will it be OK to mix with the beaters or best to do it the old fashioned way with my hands? Thanks so much!
Hi Megan, I think you could get away with either. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn! Can the dough be made in advance and then frozen or would that alter taste or texture when ready to bake? Thanks!
Hi Renee, I think freezing the dough would still result in great cookies. I would freeze the dough in one large piece and, once it’s defrosted, proceed with the additional steps in the recipe.
Thanks Jenn! I ended up just baking these right off and they were delicious! My coworker said they were “sinfully good”! However mine did not crinkle at all but probably because I used a flat bottomed cup to press them down. I’ll have to find a cup that’s convex like yours so it’ll turn out prettier next time. Thanks for the great recipe!!!
Can I use salted butter and omit the salt? I am not quite sure if it is chemistry or taste or both…could you help? Can I make these with regular butter? Thanks!
Hi Juliane, A stick of butter has about 1/4 teaspoon salt, so I would reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon. Enjoy!
I have NEVER been a fan of sugar cookies but these are the absolute BEST sugar cookies I’ve ever tried–has to be the cream cheese.