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These Easy Frosted Sugar Cookies are soft, chewy and utterly delicious! Covered with a sweet and easy buttercream frosting makes these cookies irresistible! Perfect for holidays, parties or an every day treat!

Easy frosted sugar cookies on a plate with bite taken out of top cookie.

Easy Frosted Sugar Cookies Ingredients

Substitution Suggestions:

Salted Butter: Feel free to use unsalted butter, but I would add a ½ teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough and ¼ teaspoon of salt to the frosting.
Pure Vanilla Extract: Use only pure extract. The imitation stuff leaves an unwanted after taste that will affect the outcome of the cookie. If you like you can also add a ½ teaspoon of pure almond extract to the cookies. It adds just a subtle amount of almond flavor and a little extra wow factor.
Unbleached All Purpose Flour: I prefer to use unbleached all purpose flour or white whole wheat flour in this recipe so the cookies stay light in color. Whole wheat flour can be used but the cookies will be a lot darker in color.
Milk: This is used for the buttercream frosting, you can use any type of milk or water will work too.

Easy frosted sugar cookies piled on white round plate.

How to Make the Best Frosted Sugar Cookies

With a stand mixer or hand beaters, cream together the softened butter and sugar until creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
Mix in the vanilla extract.
Then add the baking powder, baking soda and 1 cup of the all purpose flour. Mix just until combined.
Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time and mixing just until combined.

Sugar cookie dough completely mixed in mixing bowl.

Using a medium scoop or 2 tablespoons, scoop the dough out onto parchment lined cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
If desired, roll the cookie dough scoops into smooth balls. This is optional, but will result in smooth edges when the cookies bake.

Dough scooped out on parchment lined cookie sheet.

Scoops rolled smooth and on parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for 12-14 minutes until the cookies no longer look glossy and wet, and the bottoms are just lightly browned.
Cool cookies on pan for 5 minutes then remove to wire rack and cool completely. Frost cookies once cooled.
In a stand mixer or with hand beaters, beat together the softened butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar.
Add the vanilla extract and another cup of powdered sugar. Mix well.
Then add the milk alternately with the remaining powdered sugar until everything is fully combined, adding more milk or powdered sugar to reach your desired consistency.

Baked cookies on parchment lined cookie sheet.

Frosting in mixing bowl with green spatula.

If you want to color the frosting, add the food coloring now. Then, bump up the speed of the mixer and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Using a spatula give the frosting a good mix by hand. This helps keep the frosting extra creamy.
Frost the cookies with an offset spatula, butter knife or with a piping bag. Immediately add sprinkles after frosting, gently press them down if needed.
Let cookies rest until frosting is set.

Frosted sugar cookies with sprinkles in rows on wire rack.

How to Store Frosted Sugar Cookies

Storing: Store these cookies in an air tight container between layers of wax paper. Keep them in a cool dry place and they'll last a few weeks. If you notice the cookies starting to get a little dry and hard, add a piece of bread to the container with the cookies.

Freezing: These cookies freeze well! You can freeze them with or without the frosting. Place the cookies in a freezer safe air tight container in single layers, between pieces of wax paper. Label, date and freeze. Cookies will last 3-4 months in the freezer.

Thawing: To thaw the frozen cookies, simply let them sit at room temperature for a few hours.

Tips for Drop Sugar Cookie Recipe

Always fluff your flour and then spoon and level it to measure. Doing this will prevent you from adding too much flour to your recipe and ultimately making the cookies too dry.
Use a cookie scoop to get the same size cookies, that way they will all cook evenly. I like to use the Pampered Chef medium size scoop which is equal to 2 tablespoons.
For prettier cookies, roll the scoops out into smooth balls. It creates even and smooth edges on the cookies.
If using cookie sheets more than once during baking, make sure the cookie sheet is completely cooled before adding dough on it.
Don't over bake the cookies. Over baking will cause the cookies to be dry and hard. The centers should look set and not glossy and the bottoms just barely browned.
These cookies can be customized for any holiday, party, or event. Use any food coloring you like and an assortment of sprinkles and decorations.

Top view of easy frosted sugar cookies with sprinkles piled on plate.

More Delicious Cookie Recipes:

Confetti Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookie Bars
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookie Cut Outs
Oatmeal Scotchies
Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Peanut Butter Cookies
Cowboy Cookies
Jumbo Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Monster Cookies
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Easy Frosted Sugar Cookies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy frosted sugar cookies

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 12

Plus cooling and frosting: 1

Total Time: 1 22

Servings: cookies

Author: Heather

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Buttercream Frosting

½ cup salted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a stand mixer or with hand beaters, cream together the butter and sugar until creamy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix in the vanilla extract.
Add the baking powder, baking soda, and 1 cup of the flour. Mix just until combined.
Add the remaining flour one cup at a time mixing just until combined.
Using a medium sized scoop or 2 tablespoons, scoop the dough out onto prepared cookie sheets, 2 inches apart.
Roll the dough scoops into smooth balls.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until the centers are no longer glossy looking and the bottoms are just very lightly browned.
Cool cookies on pan for 5 minutes then remove to cool completely. Frost once cooled.

Frosting

In a stand mixer or with hand beaters, beat together the butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar until well mixed.
Add the vanilla extract and another cup of powdered sugar. Mix together well.
Then add the milk alternately with the remaining powdered sugar until everything is fully combined, adding more milk or powdered sugar to reach your desired consistency.
Mix in food coloring if desired.
Bump up the speed and beat the frosting until light and fluffy. Then with a spatula give it a few good stirs by hand.
Using an off set spatula, butter knife or with a piping bag, frost the cookies. Immediately add sprinkles, gently pressing down if needed.
Let cookies rest until frosting is set.

Nutrition

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