Let’s kick off cookies’ biggest time of year with the best of all Christmas cookie recipes: Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies. Soft, tender, and surprisingly easy to make, these are THE ideal cutout cookie, for the holidays…or anytime you need a soft, chewy, and utterly perfect cut out cookie.
This melt in your mouth cream cheese cookie recipe has been my go-to roll out cookie dough since well before I was tall enough to preheat the oven.
They’ve become many of your favorite Christmas cookie recipes too.
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
- These chewy cream cheese sugar cookies are sturdy enough to pick up with your fingers or mail in a care package, but they remain magically soft up to a week after baking.
- They freeze frosted or unfrosted for months (not that we ever have enough leftover…).
- Unlike many other roll out cookie dough recipes I’ve tried, this cream cheese cookie dough is easy and forgiving, so much so that little ones can easily help to make and decorate them.
My four-year-old niece and I baked a batch of these holiday cookies together last year, and I can’t wait to make them with her again.
Even if you usually bypass the sugar cookies in favor of other Christmas cookie options (I have 25 more holiday cookie recipes for you below!), I am begging you to give this version of a traditional Christmas cookies a try.
These cookies are exceptional!
5 Star Review
Made these over the weekend with my kids—they are PERFECT! This will be my go-to cut out cookie recipe now. The dough was really easy to work with too. My only regret is not doubling the recipe. We devoured the whole batch in 2 days!
— Joan —
How to Make Perfect Christmas Cookies
This classic cut out cookie tastes like the most pleasing, buttery, bewitching, and un-boring sugar cookie you’ve ever had.
Forget looking at where to buy Christmas cookies.
Sugar cookies from scratch are fun to make and a beautiful Christmas tradition.
Continue reading below for everything you need to know to bake and decorate the BEST Christmas cookies.
Santa agrees!
The Ingredients
- Cream Cheese. While they don’t taste like cream cheese, cream cheese is the secret ingredient that makes this sugar cookie dough so easy to handle.
- Flour. All-purpose flour works best for these Christmas cookies. Be sure to measure properly. If you add too much flour, or it will make the cookies tough.
How to Properly Measure Flour
- Option 1 – Spoon and Level (The Classic). Lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup. Level it off with the back of a knife.
- Option 2 – Fluff and Level (Cheat Method that Works). Use your measuring cup to fluff up the flour several times in the container so that it is airy. Scoop and level.
- Option 3 – Use a Kitchen Scale (Most Accurate). A scale like this one is inexpensive and the best way to know if you are measuring ingredients properly. Plus, if you use a scale you’ll dirty fewer dishes.
- Butter. For melt in your mouth cream cheese sugar cookies!
- Sugar. You simply can’t have a good-quality cut-out cookie without it. These will be the best sugar cookie of your life and well worth it.
- Egg. Binds all the ingredients together for perfect texture.
- Vanilla + Almond Extract. Adds delicious, complex flavor to the cookies. Don’t skimp and ensure you use pure (not imitation) extracts.
- Lemon Zest. My secret ingredient. You’ll love the addition!
- Decorations! Sprinkles, candy, food coloring, or whatever your heart desires.
The Best Ever Sugar Cookie Frosting
I consider it a crime against cut-out-cookie kind to take a perfectly soft sugar cookie and deck it with a frosting that hardens into a brittle sheet, which is why I love this particular frosting recipe so much.
In all flavor and texture categories, this frosting recipe is perfect but—let’s address the reindeer in the room now—it contains some corn syrup.
I realize that corn syrup is a divisive ingredient, but I haven’t found an adequate substitute for it in this recipe yet.
- Maple syrup is too runny.
- Honey creates a nice shine, but the frosting doesn’t set well and the honey throws off the flavor.
Some recipes call for royal icing, but honestly, it’s a bit too fussy (and this icing tastes better!).
Can we each agree to eat a frosted cream cheese sugar cookie, ignore the you-know-what, and say we do this once a year?
Directions Overview
- With an electric mixer (or stand mixer), cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Finish adding the wet ingredients.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl (be careful to measure properly and not add too much flour). Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. It will be soft and taste delicious.
- Divide the dough into quarters and roll between two sheets of parchment paper (no need to use a lightly floured surface). Chill the dough. (Directions to make dough ahead are below.)
- Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Cut the cookies as desired. Place sugar cookies in a preheated oven for 9 to 11 minutes at 350 degrees F, until pale golden at the edges. Let cool on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting: Stir together the ingredients. For colored frosting, add a few drops of food coloring. Frost and decorate the cookies. ENJOY!
Tips for The Best Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
A few easy changes can be the difference between a frustrating cut out cookie experience and success.
Chill Out
- Keeping roll-out cookie dough cold is critical for easy handling.
- If there is any portion of the dough you aren’t working with immediately, keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to roll and cut.
- If at any point the dough becomes too sticky to handle, simply pop it back into the refrigerator, and in a few minutes, it will be good to go again.
Tip!
While it’s temping to lightly flour your surface, adding more flour to the dough can make the cookies taste tough and dry. You are better off chilling it for longer to make it easy to roll instead.
Lay Flat
Why is it that we shape cut-out cookie dough into a big ball prior to chilling it, then go to all the trouble to roll it flat again afterwards when it’s cold and inflexible?
- If you will be using the cookie dough within a few hours, instead of patting it into a ball to chill it, roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper and place it in the refrigerator in its rolled-out state.
- Once the dough has chilled, there’s no need to re-roll.
- Simply place it on your counter in its nicely flattened shape, remove the top sheet of parchment, and cut away.
Keep It Thick
It’s surprisingly easy to roll your cookie dough too thin.
Remember, this isn’t a pie crust!
- A thicker dough will give you plusher, more tender cookies.
- The best thickness to roll cookie dough is 1/4-inch. Do not roll thinner or your cookies won’t be as soft.
Recipe Variations
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies. Replace 2 tablespoons of the flour in this recipe with 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, then prepare and bake as directed. YUM!
- Cream Cheese Cookies with Jam. For a recipe reminiscent of Hungarian cream cheese cookies. Prepare your dough as directed. Once your cookie dough is cut and the cookies are placed on the baking sheet, use a spoon to make 1/8-inch-deep indentations in the center of each cookie, and add the jam of your choice (raspberry jam is my favorite; strawberry, blackberry, or apricot would be delicious too). Bake as directed. You can add frosting over the jam or just leave them as is.
- Vegan Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies. You could try making cream cheese sugar cookies with no egg, shortening instead of butter, and non-dairy cream cheese substitute, but I have not tried this adaptation and can’t recommend it. If you need vegan dessert options, check out my list of vegan recipes and go from there.
- Gluten Free Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies. Use a 1:1 gluten free flour in place of the all purpose flour.
- Cinnamon-Sugar Cream Cheese Cookies. Mix 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon into the frosting, to taste.
Storage and Freezing Tips
- To Store. Storing your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature is best. Separate layers of frosted cookies with waxed paper or parchment paper.
- To Freeze Unbaked. Unbaked, unshaped cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then roll, shape, and bake as directed.
- To Freeze Baked. Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month, frosted or unfrosted.
Storage Tip
Let the cookies cool to room temperature, arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then place the baking sheet in the freezer until the cookies harden. Transfer the cookies to a ziptop bag and place the bag in your freezer (you can wrap the cookies individually in plastic wrap too if you like). When ready to eat, remove as many or as few cookies from the bag as you like. Place in an airtight container and let thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
BONUS! 25 Days of Christmas Cookies
Once you’ve made these classic Christmas cookies, fill your cookie platter with these unique Christmas cookie recipes.
Treats are some of the best gifts, and these bring smiles.
Chocolate Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Cookies. Melt-in-your mouth rich in the best way.
- Brownie Cookies. For those chocolate lovers who want it all.
- Chocolate Meringue Cookies. Crisp outside and cloud-like inside.
- Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies. These sneak in applesauce (don’t tell the kids).
- Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies. You’ll be nuts about these! They remind me of Double Tree cookies and are equally great with pecans.
Molasses Cookies
- Chocolate Ginger Cookies. My favorite gingerbread cookies with molasses. If you love soft gingerbread men, try these!
Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms. Peanut butter blossoms are the most popular Christmas cookie in America, and this is the best EVER version of them. Brown butter and brown sugar make them extra special.
- Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies. An easy cookie recipe with few ingredients. To take them over the top, turn them into sandwich cookies by layering with ice cream.
- Monster Cookies. Try these with red and green M&M pieces.
Peppermint Cookies
- Candy Cane Snowball Cookies. A peppermint version of Mexican wedding cookies (or Russian tea cakes, or whatever your family calls them), topped with crushed candy canes.
- Andes Mint Cookies. These are pillowy soft.
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies. Extra ooey-gooey.
Cookies with Cranberries
- Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies. With white chocolate chips, these look festive.
- Cranberry Orange Cookies. My grandmother’s recipe. The orange zest in the glaze makes these particularly good.
- Trail Mix Cookies. Try cranberry and pistachios for a festive red and green.
Shortbread and Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Lemon Coconut Thumbprint Cookies. Their buttery shortbread cookie base is versatile! Use any of your favorite fruit fillings.
- Fruit Pizza Cookies. Turns the childhood favorite into fruit pizza cookie bites
- Rum Snickerdoodles. A fun twist on the classic.
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. Spice is nice! A reader favorite year after year.
Unique Cookies
- Coconut Cookies. These are a favorite among coconut macaroon lovers.
- Sweet Potato Cookies. Watch out pumpkin!
- Cookie Mix in a Jar. For thoughtful holiday gifting.
Cookies for Special Diets
- Almond Flour Cookies. Gluten-free and absolutely outstanding.
- Coconut Flour Cookies. A more keto-friendly, low carb cookie option.
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies. Even non-vegans enjoy these.
- Healthy Oatmeal Cookies. Because even at the holidays, it feels nice to sneak in some goodness.
Recommended Tools for Making Sugar Cookies
- Holiday cookie cutters. I love this set because it includes a gingerbread boy and a gingerbread girl.
- Cookie sheets. Perfect for making healthy cream cheese cookies.
- Beater blade. A must for stand-mixer owners.
- Parchment paper. Makes rolling the dough easier.
- Rolling pin. A kitchen essential.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you do not have to refrigerate cream cheese cookies. In fact, I recommend storing them out of the refrigerator.
You can make these Christmas cookies several days in advance. Once the cookies are baked, they will stay delightfully soft for up to 5 days and still taste great even after a week.
Bake and cool the cookies (or consider freezing them to help them stay extra fresh). Wrap each cookie in plastic.
Place cushioning material (like crumpled parchment or bubble wrap) in the bottom of a strong, rigid box or cookie tin. Place the cookies in the box, separating layers with parchment. Fill any extra space with crumpled parchment or similar to keep the cookies from sliding around. Add some padding on top for good measure (you want the box to be full).
Express ship the cookies, being mindful of possible shipping delays.
If you don’t have a rolling pin, try rolling out the cookies with a wine bottle; or, pick up an inexpensive one the next time you are at the grocery store.
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies with Perfect Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese at room temperature (do not use fat free)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Frosting:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
For Decorating:
- Food coloring
- Sprinkles
- Colored sugar
- Other decorations as desired
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, then add the egg and beat until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the cream cheese and beat for 1 minute, scrape down the bowl once more, then beat in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon zest until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, mixing just until fully incorporated and a soft dough is formed.
- Divide the dough into quarters. If using the dough within 24 hours, roll each quarter to a 1/4-inch thickness in between two sheets of parchment paper (alternatively, you can store the dough in a ball or disk and roll out when ready to cut and bake). Be careful not to roll the dough any thinner or the cookies will not be as soft. Keeping the dough flat, transfer it to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Repeat with the remaining dough (it is fine to stack the dough “flats” on top of each other to save space). If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, divide the dough in half, pat each into a disk, then wrap each disk tightly in plastic and freeze in a ziptop bag for up to 1 month. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then proceed with the recipe as directed.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Remove one of dough flats from the refrigerator. (If you stored the dough in a ball or disk, roll it to a 1/4-inch thickness now, between two layers of parchment paper.) Remove the top layer of parchment paper, then with cookie cutters, slice the cookies into desired shapes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, until barely lightly golden brown and the edges are dry. The cookies will look slightly underbaked. Let cool completely.
- To make the frosting: In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons milk as best as you can (the frosting will be very solid at this point). Beat in the corn syrup and almond extract until the frosting is smooth and glossy. If the frosting seems too thick, add more milk, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. If making colored frosting, add a few drops of food coloring until you reach your desired color intensity. Frost and decorate the cookies as desired. Let the frosting set for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store leftover baked cream cheese sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, separating the cookie layers with wax or parchment paper, for up to 4 days or freeze frosted or unfrosted for up to 2 months.
- Dough can be prepared through Step 3 and stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 3 months. Let stand at room temperature until soft enough to scoop, then bake as directed (if frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator first).
- Shaped, unbaked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze: place the unbaked cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, freeze until hardened, then transfer to a ziptop bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time.
- If you want to make a monster batch of cookies, this recipe can be doubled.
Nutrition
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I make these cookies all the time. They are my ultimate favorite! My husband even loves them and he doesnt like sugar cookies. They are always soft and chewy. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Angie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I love this recipe so much! My family uses it for holiday themed cookies all year long. Such a perfect upgrade from basic, bland sugar cookies. Easily and deliciously made gluten free. Side note: They’re soooo good frozen and freezer stashes might not last long 🤣
Hi Ashlea! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hi,I made this with egg replacement and vegan cream cheese and they turned out beautifully! I think next time I would add a little more zest, however this is a keeper recipe!
Hi Susan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review and the feedback on your substitutions!
This is a great cookie recipe! I personally followed the recommended recipe alterations and my family loved them!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Betti! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Why do some recipes call for an egg yolk and 8 is if cream cheese?
Hi Tena, I’m actually not able to tell you about other recipes but if you have any specific questions about this recipe I’d be more than happy to help! Hope you enjoy it!
I was so sure these would be wonderful, I made two batches. Mixed them on Friday, baked them on Saturday, frosted on Sunday. I followed the recipe exactly, even using the timer to make sure I mixed the ingredients for the recommended time. Both batches together yielded 68 cookies! Enough to send a Mom Box to my son and his roomies at college. They are DELICIOUS. My husband even grumbled he wasn’t getting as many cookies as his son….the lemon zest is subtle and wonderful combined with the almond. The frosting is easy and it hardened up enough to package for mailing. And it won’t break my son’s teeth that I spent so much money on to make pretty. Thank you!!! Fantastic cookies!!!
That makes me incredibly happy to hear Amy! THANK YOU!
As a follow up, my son received his cookies at college. All his roomies were home and they each had a bag with their name on it. The cookies were a little broken (not all) but let’s blame that on the mail delivery people shall we? But he said still soft and delicious! So, 4 days after completion they were still almost perfect!!! Incredible!!! And yes I’m the only mom to send goodies, so they think I’m super cool. I’ll really do anything to get that description. 😂
YAY! Thanks Amy!
These look great. can you tell me weight you use for one cup flour? I couldn’t find that. Can this frosting be put in piping bags? My typical frosting for cookies is buttercream and i use piping bag to decorate. Thanks again for your great recipes!
Hi Lisa! I didn’t weight the flour, just measured it out. Also the frosting it too thin to pipe. Hope you enjoy them!
Delicious, moist and perfect dough for cookie cut outs. These are definitely included in the Christmas cookie boxes.
Hi Nessa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Greetings!
My four-year-old grandson and I made these cookies yesterday. I don’t bake much and I usually shy away from any recipe that calls for rolling out dough. I followed the directions to the letter and I was pleasantly surprised to find the dough easy to roll and cut. Keeping the dough cold made all the difference. My grandson did a lot of the cutting, frosting, and all of the decorating. The cookies are delicious and we made a fun memory. We will definitely make these cookies again.
Hi Susan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Made these and I’m not a baker…super easy and really good cookies.
Hi Catherine! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made these for my office cookie swap and they were a hit! Nice and soft for days and with a better depth of flavor than standard sugar cookies. Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe!
Hi Erin! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
wondering if its okay to use salted butter , even though it calls for unslated butter?!
Hi Matty! Sure that would be fine. Hope you enjoy them!
We love making these cookies during the Christmas holiday! They’re delicious and great for kids to help, too!
Hi Leslie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I love Erin’s recipes! They are incredibly easy to follow. This one in particular was amazing, every step of the way. The dough was so easy to work with and the texture of the cookies after they were baked was light and fluffy. Hard to eat just one.
Hi Dana! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
By far the best cookie cut out I’ve ever used. Made it true to recipe once and halved it the second time. Perfect each time and doesn’t even need to chill that long! Thanks!
Hi Samantha! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!
For nut allergies, read labels! Imitation Almond Flavoring can be used if it is not from a facility that processes peanuts &/or tree nuts. Be extra careful in purchasing “clear vanilla” – most are from nut processing facilities.
Thanks for the tip Elisa!
These have been a hit with every party I’ve had! I have them in the oven as we speak but this time I’m making them a week before the party. If it’s only a week out can I store them in the fridge or should I still put them in the freezer? How long are they good in the fridge for unfrosted?
Thanks!! 😃
So great LS, thank you! I have all of the storage notes in the recipe card. Store leftover baked cream cheese sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, separating the cookie layers with wax or parchment paper, for up to 4 days or freeze frosted or unfrosted for up to 2 months. Hope this helps!
Too many ads on this site. Can barely see the recipe. Videos are playing, things are popping up, good lord.
I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience the ads caused you, Henderly! I will certainly keep paying close attention to the number of ads and how they load, as I never want them to hinder your ability to view the recipe or the blog post. I do truly appreciate your feedback and apologize again for the inconvenience! Also, there is a quick and convenient “jump to recipe” button that will help you get to the recipe faster and a print button to have the recipe quickly at your fingertips. Hope this helps!
Made 69 praying hand cookies for Vacation Bible School. I Had to double recipe. They turned out wonderful. Appreciate the recipe. Thanks
Hi Barbara! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Question. Do these spread any when baking?
Hi Cynthia! Nope, they hold their shapes pretty well that is why they are perfect cut out cookies! Enjoy!