Name: Soft Sugar Cookie
Yield: 26

This chewy Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe has an amazing cream cheese frosting and lots of sprinkles!

author’s note

I Recreated Those Grocery Store Sugar Cookies at Home!

I grew up on those thick, soft grocery store sugar cookies with colorful frosting and sprinkles on top. They were my absolute favorite treat as a kid, and I still get a little nostalgic whenever I see them at the store. So of course, I had to recreate them at home with a fraction of the ingredients and ones I can actually understand.

These cookies have that same thickness and tenderness I loved growing up, but without the artificial flavor. They’re rich, buttery, and evenly chewy with a dreamy cream cheese frosting that takes them completely over the top.

They’ve quickly become my kids’ favorite cookies. They ask for them on birthdays, holidays, and pretty much every random Tuesday. And honestly, I don’t blame them. These are everything I wanted those store-bought cookies to be: soft, sweet, and so satisfying from the very first bite.

Mix butter and sugars, then add the egg, yolk, and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Mix dry ingredients, add to wet, and stir until combined. Roll dough balls in sugar, chill, and bake.

Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe Ingredients

Ingredient	Swap / Tip
Butter (unsalted, melted & cooled)	If using salted butter, reduce added salt. Make sure it’s cooled so it doesn’t melt the sugars and cause greasy cookies.
Granulated sugar + light brown sugar	You can use all granulated sugar if needed, but texture will change slightly—brown sugar adds extra softness and flavor.
Large egg + egg yolk	You can use two whole eggs instead, but you’ll lose a bit of that chewy richness.
Vanilla extract + almond extract	If you don’t like almond extract, skip it and add a bit more vanilla.
All-purpose flour	Spoon and level to measure (don’t scoop directly). Too much flour will make the cookies dense.
Fine sea salt	If using salted butter, reduce this slightly.
Baking soda	Don’t skip—it helps the cookies rise and stay soft.
Cream cheese frosting	You can swap for vanilla buttercream if preferred.

Cream butter and cream cheese, then add salt, vanilla, and powdered sugar, mixing until smooth and creamy.

How To Make Soft Sugar Cookies

Mix: Combine butter, white and brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.
Add Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking soda.
Combine Mixtures: Blend dry and wet ingredients, but don’t overmix.
Shape Dough: Roll the dough into balls, coat with sugar, and then chill for 1 hour.
Heat Oven: Set the oven to 325°F (163°C).
Bake Cookies: Place dough balls on a lined baking sheet and bake for 9–14 minutes.

Variations

Love soft sugar cookies but don’t love rolling each cookie out? Try my Sugar Cookie Bars recipe next!

Storage

Room temp: Store unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Fridge: Keep frosted cookies tightly covered for up to 1 week.
Freezer: Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 3 months and thaw at room temp before frosting.