Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

The softest, most pillowy Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies you’ll ever make. Cream cheese is the secret ingredient that keeps these thick, bakery-style sugar cookies perfectly soft for days — and they hold their shape beautifully when cut out.

These Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies are soft, thick, and hands-down the best sugar cookie recipe I’ve ever tried. I’ve tested a lot of sugar cookie recipes over the years, and after making these the first time, I never went back to any of the others.

The secret is the cream cheese. It adds a subtle richness to the dough that you can’t get from butter alone, and it’s what keeps these cookies so incredibly soft even days after baking. Whether you roll the dough out and cut it into shapes for holidays and special occasions, or just scoop and flatten them into simple circles for an everyday treat, this sugar cookie recipe with cream cheese delivers perfect results every single time.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Makes a big batch: This recipe yields about 36 cookies, making it ideal for parties, cookie exchanges, and gifting.
• Bakery-soft texture: The cream cheese in the dough creates a thick, pillowy cookie that stays soft and moist far longer than a standard sugar cookie recipe.
• Holds its shape when baked: This dough is sturdy enough to roll out and cut into shapes without spreading or losing detail — perfect for holidays and decorated cookies.
• Simple ingredients: Everything you need is likely already in your kitchen. Just butter, sugar, cream cheese, an egg, flour, and a few flavor extras.
• Foolproof frosting included: The almond-flavored buttercream frosting takes these over the top and spreads beautifully onto cooled cookies.

Ingredients in Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

For the Cookies:

• Butter — Use salted butter softened to room temperature. No margarine, and don’t melt it — melted butter will ruin the texture of the dough. Softened butter creams properly with the sugar to give you that perfect cookie consistency.
• Sugar — Plain granulated sugar. Cream it with the butter and cream cheese for a full 2–3 minutes for the best texture.
• Cream cheese — The star ingredient. It needs to be softened to room temperature just like the butter. Regular full-fat cream cheese gives the best results, but low-fat works in a pinch. This is what makes these cookies so uniquely soft and rich.
• Egg — Just one, but it’s essential. It binds the dough together so the cookies bake properly and don’t crumble.
• Vanilla extract — Use a good quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for the best flavor.
• Almond extract — This is optional but highly recommended. It’s subtle, but it takes the flavor of these cookies to a whole new level. Leave it out if you have allergies or prefer a plain vanilla flavor.
• All-purpose flour — Standard all-purpose flour works best. Bread flour or pastry flour can be substituted if needed.
• Baking powder — The leavening agent that helps these cookies rise just enough to stay thick and soft. Make sure yours isn’t expired.

For the Frosting:

• Food coloring — Completely optional, but a fun way to customize these for holidays and special occasions.
• Powdered sugar — Gives the frosting its thick, creamy, smooth texture.
• Butter — Softened salted butter. Same rule as the cookie dough — no margarine.
• Almond extract — Again, highly recommended for flavor. Vanilla extract works as a substitute.
• Milk — Start with 2 tablespoons and add more to reach your preferred consistency. Almond milk, coconut milk, or oat milk all work as dairy-free alternatives.

Tips for the Best Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

• Don’t add extra flour before chilling. Sugar cookie dough is supposed to be sticky before it’s chilled — that’s normal. Adding extra flour to compensate will throw off the wet-to-dry ratio and make your cookies dry and crumbly. Chill first, then see if you need to adjust.
• Don’t melt the butter. This is the most common mistake. Melted butter will cause your cookies to spread flat and lose that thick, soft texture. Softened, not melted.
• Cream the butter and sugar well. A full 2–3 minutes of creaming makes a real difference in the final texture. Don’t cut this step short.
• Roll to exactly ¼ inch. Too thin and the cookies will be crispy and fragile. Too thick and the centers won’t bake through. A ¼ inch thickness is the sweet spot for soft, perfectly baked sugar cookies.
• Pull them out early. If the bottom edges are just barely beginning to turn golden, they’re done. The cookies will continue to bake on the hot pan for a few minutes after you take them out of the oven. Waiting until the tops look golden means they’re already overbaked.
• Cool completely before frosting. Frosting warm cookies will cause the frosting to melt and slide right off. Give them the full time on the cooling rack before decorating.
• Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. The cookies slide off cleanly every time without any sticking or scraping.

How to Store Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

At room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. These cookies stay softer for longer than standard sugar cookies, thanks to the cream cheese in the dough.

In the freezer (baked and frosted): Allow the frosting to set at room temperature for about an hour until firm. Arrange cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash freeze for 1–2 hours until solid. Transfer to an airtight container with sheets of parchment paper between layers. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

In the freezer (unbaked dough): Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling and cutting.

FAQs

What does cream cheese do in sugar cookies? Cream cheese adds moisture and a subtle richness to the dough that standard butter-only sugar cookies don’t have. It’s what keeps these cookies thick and soft instead of crispy or dry, and it also gives them a very slight tang that makes the flavor more complex and bakery-like.

Do cream cheese sugar cookies need to be refrigerated? The baked cookies don’t need to be refrigerated and are fine at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The unbaked dough, however, must be chilled for at least 2 hours before rolling — this is what makes the dough workable and gives you clean, sharp shapes when cutting.

Can I make cream cheese sugar cookies without almond extract? Yes. The almond extract is optional and can be left out entirely or replaced with additional vanilla extract. The cookies will still be delicious — the almond extract just adds an extra layer of flavor that I personally love.

Can I use low-fat or non-fat cream cheese? You can, but full-fat regular cream cheese gives the best texture and flavor. Low-fat versions have more water content, which can make the dough slightly stickier and affect the final texture of the cookies.

Why is my cream cheese sugar cookie dough too sticky? Sticky dough before chilling is completely normal for this recipe — resist the urge to add more flour. Place the dough in an airtight container and chill it for the full 2 hours. Once cold, it becomes much more workable and easy to roll out.

Can I freeze decorated cream cheese sugar cookies? Yes. Let the frosting set for about an hour at room temperature until firm, then flash freeze the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container with parchment between layers. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Can I make cream cheese sugar cookies without a cookie cutter? Absolutely. Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough, roll into smooth balls, place on the baking sheet, and flatten to about ¼ inch with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup. You’ll get perfectly round circle cookies without needing any special tools.

How do I keep sugar cookies soft? Two things: the cream cheese in the dough and proper storage. The cream cheese naturally keeps these cookies moist and soft longer than a standard recipe. Once baked and cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature and they’ll stay soft for up to 5 days.

More Sugar Cookie Recipes to Try

If you loved these Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies, here are a few more favorites worth baking next:

• Frosted Lemon Sugar Cookies — Soft sugar cookies with a bright lemon flavor and fluffy frosting. Fancy enough for a special occasion, easy enough for any day of the week.
• Buttermilk Sugar Cookies — A classic soft sugar cookie made with buttermilk for an extra tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Easter Sugar Cookies — A fun, festive cut-out cookie perfect for decorating with kids. Works beautifully with this same cream cheese frosting recipe.
• Lemon Jello Sugar Cookies — Made with Jello mix for a pop of color and flavor. Easy to customize for any holiday or occasion by switching up the Jello flavor.

These Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies are the kind of recipe you make once and never stop making — soft, thick, and bakery-perfect every single time, with that little something extra that keeps everyone coming back for more.