These soft, chewy buttercream cookies will knock your socks off! The cookie base keeps its shape as it bakes, and is the perfect base for my sweet buttercream frosting.

How to Make These Buttercream Cookies

Let’s walk through each step of this recipe to make sure it turns out as amazing as possible!

I’ve also shared a video tutorial on how to make them below.

Step 1: Make the Cookie Dough

The first step is to make the cookie dough! Follow the recipe card at the bottom of this post to make the dough.

Then divide the dough in half and wrap each piece of dough in a piece of plastic wrap.

Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours or the freezer for 30 minutes. You can also chill the dough overnight.

Step 2: Roll and Cut Out the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C for about 30 minutes before you plan to roll out the dough.

Take one piece of dough out of the fridge, leaving the other in there to continue to chill. Unwrap the cookie dough and lay the plastic wrap out flat on your counter.

We will be rolling out the cookie dough on the plastic wrap to make cleanup a breeze and to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Dust both sides of the cookie dough and your rolling pin with flour.

Roll the chilled dough to be 1/3 inch thick and cut out as many shapes as possible with a flour-dusted round cookie cutter. I used a 2 1/2-inch wide cookie cutter.

Use a kitchen brush to gently brush off any excess flour and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Chill the cutout cookies one more time in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes to help them keep their shape better.

Step 3: Bake the Cookies

Bake for 10-13 minutes on the top rack of your oven (time varies based on the size and thickness of the cookies).

Keep a close eye on the cookies and be sure to pull them out before the edges start to brown. Let the baked cookies cool on the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together the cookie dough scraps, and rewrap them in plastic wrap.

Pop them back in the fridge to chill. Pull out your 2nd chilled piece of dough and repeat the steps above. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.

Step 4: Make the Vanilla Buttercream

While the cookies bake and cool, make the vanilla frosting.

If the frosting seems too thick, add an extra Tbsp of heavy cream. If it seems too thin, add another 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.

If you’re unsure what consistency the frosting should be, check out my frosting consistency guide.

Once the frosting is made, stir it by hand with a rubber spatula to get it SUPER smooth.

Step 5: Frost the Cookies

Place the buttercream in a large piping bag fitted with a frosting tip of your choice and decorate as desired!

I used a Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe these, but you can also just cut about a 1-inch opening at the end of the bag to pipe some simple swirls on top of the cookies without a piping tip if you don’t have any on hand.

Substitutions and Swaps – Sugar Cookies

Now that we’ve covered how to make these cookies, let’s talk about the ingredients!

This recipe uses quite a few ingredients and I know you might not have them all on hand.

Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered. Below are some swaps and substitutions that you can make.

• Granulated Sugar –  I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar as it will change the spread of these cookies.
• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place (and omit the salt)!
• Cream Cheese – Full-fat cream cheese that comes in a block works best.
• Large Egg – If you have an egg allergy, try using a flaxseed egg or a vegan egg replacer like this one made by Bob’s Red Mill.
• All-Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten-free flour blend if needed.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch helps give these cookies a soft texture! If you don’t have any one hand it can be omitted, but your cookies won’t bake up as soft.

Substitutions and Swaps – Buttercream Frosting

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place.
• Heavy Cream – Whipping cream, coconut cream or alternative milk (soy, almond, oat, coconut) will work fine in this frosting recipe if that’s what you have on hand.
• Vanilla Extract – Other extracts can also be used in place of the vanilla extract if needed.

How Many Cookies Does this Recipe Make?

This recipe can be used to make 36, 2 1/2-inch cookies. The yield and bake time will vary based on the size and shape of the cookie cutter you use.

Tips for Making the Best Buttercream Cookies

• Really cream together the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar in the first step of this recipe. It helps incorporate air into the dough which makes fluffy and soft cookies.
• Don’t overwork your cookie dough once you add in the flour! It can overwork the gluten and result in tough and dense cookies.
• Roll your cookie dough out to a consistent thickness of 1/3 inch. If some are thicker or thinner than others, they may over or under-bake in the oven.
• Chill your cookie dough. It helps prevent your cookies from spreading while they bake.
• Don’t overbake your cookies. Err of the side of underbaking your cookies and remember that the cookies continue to bake for a few minutes once they’re out of the oven.

Making These Buttercream Cookies in Advance and Storage Tips

You can store frosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature, 5 days in the fridge, or the freezer for a month.

If you want to stack the cookies on top of one another, I recommend chilling the cookies thoroughly until the buttercream is firm to the touch and then adding a layer of parchment paper between them.

The buttercream will crust, but it won’t set hard like royal icing.

This cookie dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container.

I like to move the cookie dough to the fridge the night before I plan to roll it out and bake the cookies.

Baked, unfrosted cookies can also be frozen! These cookies last for up to a month if frozen in an airtight container.

I recommend waiting to frost them until they’ve thawed to room temperature.

Move them to the fridge the day before you plan to eat them, then let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours before frosting them.

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Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for buttercream cookies, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment.