These Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies are cake-like, with a super soft crumb and a delicious powdered sugar frosting. This classic recipe is perfect for any holiday, and will become your go-to cookie. Seriously the BEST!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword holiday sugar cookies, powdered sugar icing, soft sugar cookies
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 12 minutesminutes
Total Time 27 minutesminutes
Servings 16cookies
Calories 327kcal
Author Sue Ringsdorf
Ingredients
For the cookies:
1cupunsalted butter- softened to room temperature
1/2cupbrown sugar
1/2cupwhite sugar
1largeegg- at room temp
1teaspoonvanilla
2 ¼cupsall-purpose flour- plus maybe one more tablespoon
1teaspoonbaking soda
1teaspooncream of tartar
1/2teaspoonkosher salt
For the icing
2Tablespoonsunsalted butter- melted
2teaspoonsvanilla
3Tablespoonshalf and half- or milk
3-4cupspowdered sugar- or to right consistency
Instructions
For the cookies:
In a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugars together. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix again.
Next, add the dry ingredients - the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix until just combined. Don't over-mix.
Form the dough into approximately 16 balls. Refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place 8 cookie balls on baking sheet, spreading out evenly, and bake for 12-13 minutes, or until the top just starts to brown slightly. Remove cookies, let sit for 5 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack. Repeat for the other cookies.
For the icing:
Make the icing. Melt butter in a mixing bowl. Add vanilla and half and half, and mix well. Then add powdered sugar gradually, until you get a good consistency. You want it to be easy to spread.
Place the icing in two smaller bowls, and add food coloring. I used blue in one and green in the other. Add the icing to the cookies, and any design you prefer. Then add sprinkles.
Notes
Cookies can spread too thin for a variety of reasons. But if that happens with this recipe, you can pull them out of the oven a few minutes before they're done, use a spoon to push the edges in, and continue baking.