These cream cheese sugar cookies bring a luxurious richness to a holiday classic, blending butter and cream cheese for a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Whether you’re shaping them into festive cutouts or keeping them simple and round, these cookies are all about customization. A light glaze of powdered sugar and milk or a smooth buttercream can finish them off—but the cookies are delightful on their own, too. Perfect for when you crave just a small batch of something special, this recipe invites you to embrace the art of cookie baking with ease and enjoyment.
This recipe brings warmth and comfort to your holiday baking, while remaining versatile enough to enjoy year-round. The cream cheese adds subtle depth, ensuring each bite is simultaneously soft, rich, and full of flavor. Decorate them with a simple glaze, thin out some buttercream for piping, or sprinkle them with colored sugar. Whether you prefer minimal frosting or a more elaborate design, these cookies adapt to your taste. Take advantage of their small-batch nature—bake just enough to satisfy a craving, or double the recipe if you need more. Either way, you’ll have a tender, buttery cookie that feels both nostalgic and fresh.
Ingredients For cream cheese sugar cookies
- 1 c sugar (about 200 g)
- 1 c butter, softened (about 230 g)
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened (about 85 g) (use full-fat for proper consistency)
- 1/2 tsp salt (about 2.5 g)
- 1/2 tsp almond extract (about 2.5 ml)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (about 2.5 ml)
- 1 egg yolk (about 20 g)
- 2 c all-purpose flour (about 240 g)
How To Make cream cheese sugar cookies
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter, cream cheese, salt, almond extract, vanilla extract, and egg yolk. Blend well until smooth.
- Lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off. Stir the flour into the butter mixture until fully incorporated and a dough forms.
- Shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 2 hours or overnight to allow the dough to firm up.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (about 180°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out one-third of the dough at a time to about 1/8 inch (about 0.3 centimeters) thickness. Keep the remaining dough chilled.
- Cut the rolled dough into desired shapes with floured cookie cutters. Place them about 1 inch (about 3 centimeters) apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. If you prefer, sprinkle the cookies with sugar crystals before baking.
- Bake the cookies for 7-10 minutes or until they are a light golden brown.
Immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. - Once cooled, decorate the cookies as you wish. Frost them with a simple glaze or buttercream, or enjoy them plain.
As you bite into one of these cream cheese sugar cookies, savor the gentle complexity that the cream cheese and butter bring to every mouthful. Their adaptability means you can keep them simple or dress them up for any occasion. Cherish the process of rolling, cutting, and decorating—these cookies celebrate the joy of handmade treats. Whether shared during the holidays or baked just because, they remind us that even in small batches, great flavor can shine. Enjoy these sweet, tender cookies and let them add a touch of warmth to your baking traditions.
