This chewy Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe has an amazing cream cheese frosting and lots of sprinkles!
author’s note
I Recreated Those Grocery Store Sugar Cookies at Home!
I grew up on those thick, soft grocery store sugar cookies with colorful frosting and sprinkles on top. They were my absolute favorite treat as a kid, and I still get a little nostalgic whenever I see them at the store. So of course, I had to recreate them at home with a fraction of the ingredients and ones I can actually understand.
These cookies have that same thickness and tenderness I loved growing up, but without the artificial flavor. They’re rich, buttery, and perfectly chewy with a dreamy cream cheese frosting that takes them completely over the top.
They’ve quickly become my kids’ favorite cookies. They ask for them on birthdays, holidays, and pretty much every random Tuesday. And honestly, I don’t blame them. These are everything I wanted those store-bought cookies to be: soft, sweet, and so delicious from the very first bite.
Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swap / Tip |
|---|---|
| Butter (unsalted, melted & cooled) | If using salted butter, reduce added salt. Make sure it’s cooled so it doesn’t melt the sugars and cause greasy cookies. |
| Granulated sugar + light brown sugar | You can use all granulated sugar if needed, but texture will change slightly—brown sugar adds extra softness and flavor. |
| Large egg + egg yolk | You can use two whole eggs instead, but you’ll lose a bit of that chewy richness. |
| Vanilla extract + almond extract | If you don’t like almond extract, skip it and add a bit more vanilla. |
| All-purpose flour | Spoon and level to measure (don’t scoop directly). Too much flour will make the cookies dense. |
| Fine sea salt | If using salted butter, reduce this slightly. |
| Baking soda | Don’t skip—it helps the cookies rise and stay soft. |
| Cream cheese frosting | You can swap for vanilla buttercream if preferred. |
How To Make Soft Sugar Cookies
- Mix: Combine butter, white and brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Add Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Combine Mixtures: Blend dry and wet ingredients, but don’t overmix.
- Shape Dough: Roll the dough into balls, coat with sugar, and then chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat Oven: Set the oven to 325°F (163°C).
- Bake Cookies: Place dough balls on a lined baking sheet and bake for 9–14 minutes.
Storage
- Room temp: Store unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Fridge: Keep frosted cookies tightly covered for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 3 months and thaw at room temp before frosting.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes:
Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe
These chewy Soft Sugar Cookies are topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting and topped with colorful sprinkles! They’re easy to make, fun to decorate, and perfect for parties, holidays, or just because!
Video
Equipment
- Sheet pan (15" x 10")
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk discard or save the white for another use
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour see note 1
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Optional Sugar Coating
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup white sparkling sugar or additional granulated sugar
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese full-fat, at room temperature
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- Rainbow Sprinkles
Instructions
- Optional Coating: Stir the granulated sugar and white sparkling sugar together in a small bowl (optional but gives the cookie a nice crunchy exterior and extra flavor!).
- Place melted butter in a large bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature before adding sugars. If butter is hot, it will melt the sugars and cause greasy cookies. Add granulated and brown sugar and stir until smooth. Add in 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir until just combined and smooth.
- In another bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Add all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix the dough.
- Roll tall balls of dough (see the photos in the post). If you have a kitchen scale, the dough balls should be about 1.2 ounces (or 2 full tablespoons each). Roll dough balls generously in the granulated/white sparkling sugar mixture. Cover and refrigerate the dough balls for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Place dough balls on a sheet pan lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat, spread far apart (I only bake 6–8 cookies at a time; they spread a lot) and bake 9–14 minutes. Watch carefully, being sure to not overbake. Slightly underbaked sugar cookies are the best! Remove and let stand on sheet pan for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
- Frosting: Prepare the frosting while the cookies bake. In a large bowl, beat together room-temperature butter and cream cheese until completely smooth. Add vanilla and salt. Mix to combine. Add powdered sugar and beat until frosting is smooth. It will seem like you need more liquid, but just keep beating; it will come together!
- Frost each completely cooled cookie and add with your favorite sprinkles.
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour and scoop, you will pack in way too much flour, resulting in dense cookies. Instead, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until it’s overfilled. Then use the back of a table knife to level the measuring cup at the top. (Video visual here).
Storage: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge. Cookies are best enjoyed within 2–3 days. Freeze the cookie dough by freezing dough balls on a sheet pan until solid. Transfer frozen dough balls to an airtight bag or container and freeze up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 380IU | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, can the cookies be frozen after baked to be eaten in the future ?
I haven’t tested freezing these once baked, so I can’t say for sure. In the past, my cookies haven’t stayed quite as flavorful or fresh-tasting once frozen and defrosted, so I usually don’t recommend it. However, if you give it a try, let me know how it goes.
This recipe is a keeper. Best sugar cookies ever. Thank you for sharing.
I am so happy to hear this Cindy, thanks for your comment! 🙂
I Googled “big fat sugar cookies” to find a recipe. These did NOT disappoint! Followed the recipe and directions to a T. Best sugar cookies I ever made!
Haha that is awesome! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed these! Thanks for your comment Terri! 🙂
these are delish!!! I’ve been looking for a good sugar cookie:)
I’m so happy you loved these sugar cookies! Thanks so much for your comment Milia! 🙂
Help, I am allergic to almonds, but do not know how I substitute the almond extract, I heard vanilla extract will do the trick, but I do not know how much of it.
You can definitely leave out the almond extract and no other changes necessary 🙂 Enjoy!
These look absolutely fantastic! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
How much fun! I love frosting, too, so I can’t wait to try these 🙂
Thanks so much Megan!