Best Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe (With Frosting)
Updated Oct 20, 2025, Published Feb 12, 2021
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There’s something undeniably magical about this Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe, especially when you top the baked cookies with a generous swirl of creamy frosting and a dash of colorful sprinkles. This is my go-to recipe for soft sugar cookies that actually stay soft, with just the right touch of sweetness and that hint of almond we all secretly love. Paired with a luscious buttercream sugar cookie frosting, these cookies are a dream to decorate and even better to eat.
If you love frosted treats, try these banana bars or pumpkin bars next!
Quick Look at This Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes to mix dough + 30 minutes to rest dough + 10 minutes for rolling and cutting.
- Cook Time: 10 minutes + an hour to cool before frosting.
- Total Time: About 2 hours, but much of the time is inactive.
- Servings: 24 cookies
- Dietary Info: Vegetarian
- Method: Oven
- Technique: Mixing, beating, rolling, baking, frosting, and decorating.
- Flavor & Texture: Sweet, buttery, and lightly flavored with vanilla and almond. These cookies are soft in the center with lightly crisp edges.
Why you’ll love this family favorite!
There are one million sugar cookie dough recipes, but this one has been a tried-and-true favorite for over 60 years! This soft sugar cookie recipe comes from my husband’s mother, Grandma Sharon, and is known as the “softest sugar cookies” you’ll ever taste.
Sugar cookies are a classic for Christmas, Halloween, and Easter. They can be decorated to match festive themes, such as Christmas trees, pumpkins, or Easter eggs.
For an extra twist, try dipping it in our cannoli dip recipe! You’ll also love Grandma Sharon’s sweet cornbread and best easy carrot cake recipes.
Made With Amore,
“So soft and delicious. I wasn’t sure how the almond extract would go over with my 9yr old, but he said they were the best sugar cookies I’ve ever made!”
– Nicky
Simple Ingredients
You will be surprised at how easily these soft sugar cookies come together. They require only a few pantry staples and one secret ingredient to make the flavor a little “extra.”
- Butter: Butter adds rich flavor and tenderness to the dough. When creamed with sugar, it creates a light, airy texture, which helps the cookies stay soft and fluffy.
- Sugar: Provides the sweetness that makes sugar cookies a classic treat. When mixed with butter, it also contributes to the cookies’ soft texture by creating air pockets that help the dough rise slightly during baking.
- Milk: Adds moisture to the dough, ensuring the cookies remain soft and tender. It also helps blend the ingredients for a smooth, cohesive dough.
- Almond Extract (the secret weapon!): The flavor enhancer that takes these cookies to the next level. Almond extract adds a subtle, nutty aroma and taste that complements the sweetness of the cookies, making them irresistibly delicious. It’s the secret ingredient that gives these sugar cookies their unique and memorable flavor profile.
Sugar Cookie Frosting Ingredients
- Powdered Sugar: Works best for creating a smooth and creamy frosting.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for the best flavor in the frosting.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Flavor the Frosting: Add vanilla, almond extract, or citrus zest to the frosting for an extra flavor that complements the cookies. You’ll love my orange olive oil cake.
- Cookie Flavor Swap: Swap the almond extract for vanilla extract if you prefer.
- Skip the Frosting: Sprinkle unbaked cookies with cinnamon and sugar if you don’t want to frost them. Try my Italian rainbow cookies for another festive cookie.
- Color the Frosting: Keep it white or add a few drops of food coloring to change the color. If you want to make a more vibrant colored frosting, I recommend using a gel food coloring so it doesn’t interfere with the texture of the frosting.
How to Make Soft Sugar Cookies
To get started, preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat the softened butter, eggs, sugar, and almond extract until fluffy.
- Add one cup of the dry ingredients and a splash of milk at a time to the creamed butter and sugar mixture.
- Continue adding and mixing until the sugar cookie dough is well combined. Chill the sugar cookie dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface.
- Cut the sugar cookie dough into desired cut-out shapes.
- Place the cookies on the cookie sheet about 1 inch apart and bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are slightly golden. Let them rest on the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Cream the room-temperature butter with a hand mixer, the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, or a wooden spoon until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated. Start with 1 cup of sugar and add more until you achieve the desired sweetness to your taste.
- Beat in the almond extract. Last, pour in the milk and beat for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Spread the frosting on top of each cookie.
- Decorate the frosting with sprinkles for your special occasion.
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tips
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before mixing. This helps create a smooth, consistent dough, leading to soft, tender cookies.
- Don’t overmix the dough: Once you add the flour, mix until it is combined. Overmixing can develop the gluten too much, making the cookies tougher.
- Chill the Dough: After mixing, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. This prevents the cookies from spreading too much and helps them keep their shape.
- Let Frosting Set: If you’re stacking or storing the cookies, allow the frosting to set slightly before handling to avoid smudging.
- Avoid Overbeating: When making buttercream or cream cheese frosting, beat until smooth and fluffy, but avoid overbeating, which can incorporate too much air and affect the texture.
- Apply to Cooled Cookies: Make sure the cookies are completely cooled before frosting to prevent the icing from melting or becoming too runny.
- Storing Sugar Cookies: Store unfrosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To keep them soft, add a slice of bread to the container, which will help maintain moisture. Once frosted, allow the icing to set completely before stacking. Place parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking, and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can prepare the sugar cookie dough up to 3 days in advance. After mixing the dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to bake, let the dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it out. For longer storage, you can freeze the dough. Shape it into a disk or log, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and then place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. The dough can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before rolling and baking. You can also bake the cookies and then freeze them unfrosted for up to three months. When ready, remove them from the freezer, thaw, and frost them.
To keep sugar cookies soft, bake them until they are just set and slightly underbaked. Store them in an airtight container with a slice of bread to maintain moisture. They are best enjoyed within 3-5 days of baking.
Overbaking is the most common cause of hard sugar cookies. Make sure to remove the cookies from the oven as soon as the edges are set but the centers are still soft.
Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. This prevents sticking and eliminates the need to add extra flour, which can make the cookies tough.
Yes, you can freeze baked cookies, both frosted and unfrosted, for up to 3 months. If freezing frosted cookies, let the frosting set completely before placing them in a single layer on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag, placing parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. Thaw the cookies at room temperature before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Soft sugar cookies are the perfect addition to any holiday dessert tray, especially since you can easily customize the decorations to fit any occasion.
For Christmas, enjoy them with Italian Christmas cookies and Italian rainbow cookies. They’re great on Valentine’s Day with these heart thumbprint cookies.
They’re even great for fancier occasions, paired with pizzelle cookies and Italian fig cookies.
As a wintertime treat, enjoy them along with a mug of steaming Italian hot chocolate.
More Best Cookie Recipes
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Best Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe With Frosting
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 ¼ cups softened butter
- 2 eggs, room temperateure
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure almond extract
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk, I prefer whole milk
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
- 1-2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (make it as sweet as you like)
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
- In a stand mixer (or with hand mixer) beat the softened butter, eggs, sugar, and almond extract. Beat until fluffy.
- In another bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding flour and milk to combine with other wet ingredients. Add about one cup of the dry ingredients and a splash of milk at a time until well combined and unified cookie dough forms.
- Chill sugar cookie dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Roll out dough onto a floured surface and cut into desired cut-out shapes. Place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart and bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are slightly golden. Let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and put on a cookie cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Sugar Cookie Frosting
- Cream room temperature butter with a hand mixer, the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, or a wooden spoon until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until fully incorporated (start with 1 cup of sugar and add more until desired sweetness is acquired for your taste). Beat in almond extract. Pour in milk and beat for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Assembly: once cookies are cooled frost and decorate as desired!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Once you try these, you will never go back to the store-bought variety!
So soft and delicious. I wasn’t sure how the almond extract would go over with my 9yr old, but he said they were the best sugar cookies I’ve ever made!
They really are the best! I am happy he loves them so much.