BUTTER SUGAR COOKIES

All Butter Sugar Cookies are soft & sweet cookies topped with a buttery vanilla frosting. Easy sugar cookie recipe made with simple pantry ingredients that yields about a dozen cookies.

These butter sugar cookies are a rich tasting soft and chewy cookie you’re going to want for every occasion. Topped with a simple icing on top (and maybe sprinkles) and every bite will be as sweet as it looks.

You’ll be looking for excuses to make these soft butter sugar cookies, and we can’t blame you. With an easy recipe like this, you can whip up a batch or two with little effort. Each batch makes about 1 dozen cookies, depending on how big your cookie cutters are. I love that it’s a relatively small batch!

Recipe Highlights

• Rich Buttery Flavor– These sugar cookies get their deliciously rich taste from real butter in both the cookie dough and frosting. Every bite has that homemade cookie flavor with a sweet vanilla finish.
• Soft, Chewy Texture– Made with a simple dough that includes butter, sugar, and an egg yolk, these cookies bake up soft and tender instead of dry or crumbly. The thick vanilla icing adds the perfect extra layer of sweetness.
• Small Batch & Easy to Make– This recipe makes about a dozen cookies, making it perfect when you want a fresh batch without ending up with a huge amount. With simple pantry ingredients and easy cookie-cutter shapes, they’re great for holidays, parties, or anytime a sweet treat is needed.

Ingredients Butter Sugar Cookies

Flour provides the structure for the cookies, creating a soft dough that holds its shape when rolled and cut.

Baking Powder & Salt work together to help the cookies puff slightly while baking and balance the sweetness while enhancing the buttery flavor.

Butter adds rich flavor and creates a soft, tender texture in the cookie dough.

Granulated Sugar sweetens the cookies and helps create their soft, chewy texture.

Egg Yolk adds richness, helps bind the dough together, and contributes to the soft texture of the finished cookies.

Milk adds moisture to the cookie dough and helps create a smooth, workable consistency.

Vanilla Extract enhances the buttery sweetness and gives the cookies their classic sugar cookie flavor.

Butter Icing for Sugar Cookies

Butter (for the Icing) creates a rich, creamy frosting with a smooth texture and delicious buttery taste.

Powdered Sugar gives the icing its sweetness and creates a thick, smooth, spreadable consistency.

Milk (for the Icing) helps adjust the frosting texture, making it easier to spread or pipe onto the cookies.

Vanilla Extract (for the Icing) adds a sweet vanilla flavor that complements the buttery sugar cookies.

Tips for making these delicious Frosted Sugar Cookies

Here are a few tips for making these butter cookies, full instructions in the recipe card below.

• Chill the dough before rolling: Refrigerating the dough for 30–60 minutes helps firm up the butter, making the cookies easier to roll and cut while helping them keep their shape during baking.
• Don’t overbake the cookies: Bake just until the edges are lightly browned—this keeps the centers soft and chewy instead of dry.
• Cool completely before icing: Let the cookies cool fully before adding the frosting so the butter-based icing stays smooth and doesn’t melt into the cookies.
• Adjust the icing consistency slowly: Add the milk to the frosting one tablespoon at a time so you can control the texture—thicker for piping, thinner for easy spreading.

How long are these Frosted Sugar Cookies good for?

Store these butter sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature with parchment paper between layers to keep the frosting from sticking. They stay fresh for about 4–5 days and are best within the first few days while they’re soft and chewy.

Can I freeze frosted cookies?

Yes, you can freeze these cookies. They will last up to 3 months if store properly. To freeze them, place your frosted cookies onto a baking sheet and freeze for about 2 hours until the frosting is solid. Then transfer to an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper between the cookies to prevent sticking. You can also put them each in individual ziplocked bags after the initial freezing process, for quick access to a sweet treat.

WHAT TYPE OF VANILLA EXTRACT SHOULD I USE?

A few years ago I tested 10 different vanilla extracts and found new favorites! I love using TOTONAC’s Mexican Vanilla for everyday use. It’s pure vanilla and contains no alcohol, which I like because I don’t like the taste of extracts made with alcohol. Each time I try another, I go back to Totonac’s quickly afterward; it’s so good! I also love using Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean Paste. Again, this one has the best flavor by far!

Do I have to chill the cookie dough?

When recipes request that you chill your cookie dough it is usually for a good reason. That reason is that the flavor gets a bit more time to develop and the cookies taste even more incredible. But the biggest reason is because of the butter/fats in the dough. By chilling the dough we allow the fats to solidify which means your cookies will not spread out as much while baking, so the texture turns out perfectly. This is especially important on warmer days or when your butter is warm or softened.

What is the difference between butter cookies and sugar cookies?

The big difference between the two is that the butter cookies have a higher butter to flour ratio. Both cookies can be made very similarly and shaped depending on the recipe, but butter cookies have the added fats making them taste richer.

What butter is best for sugar cookies?

You can salted or unsalted butter for cookie recipes if you prefer. Some people swear by using unsalted butter, but I love the flavor of salted. I love using a high quality butter like Plugra or Kerrygold because they contain a higher fat ratio that results in creamier butter, and cookies!

Need More Sugar Cookie Recipes? We’ve got you covered!

• These Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies are the soft, bakery-style cookies you’ll want on repeat! The cream cheese in the dough keeps them perfectly tender while helping them hold their shape beautifully for decorating.
• Warm, soft, single-serve cookie you can make in minutes right in the microwave! This Sugar Cookie in a Mug is a quick fix when a sweet craving hits but you don’t want to bake an entire batch.
• Frosted Lemon Sugar Cookies are full of fresh lemon flavor in every bite. Finished with an easy piped rosette, they’re just as pretty as they are delicious!
• Topped with a creamy vanilla buttercream, these Buttermilk Sugar Cookies have a sweet, melt-in-your-mouth twist on the classic sugar cookie that feels extra special without any extra fuss.
• Easy Jello Cookies are a fun twist on classic sugar cookies made with just a cookie mix and Jello for bold color and flavor. They’re the kind of treat that disappears fast every time.
• These Lemon Pudding Sugar Cookies are soft and chewy in every bite! The pudding keeps them extra moist and gives them a light, zesty twist that makes them stand out from the classic sugar cookie.

You’re going to love these soft butter sugar cookies. Every bite is rich and wonderful and shaped like your favorite cookie cutters. With this easy recipe on hand, you’ll always be prepared for the next party or event.