Buttercream Cookies
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 in the recipe card 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 in 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 (these rolling pin rings help a ton with getting a consistent thickness) 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 on 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 in 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.
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.
Buttercream Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Soft Buttercream Cookies
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 170g
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) full fat cream cheese, room temp 113g
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 300g
- 1 large egg, room temperature 56g
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 8g
- 1 tsp almond extract, optional 4g
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 375g
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch 8g
- 1 tsp fine salt 6g
- 1/2 tsp baking powder 2g
Buttercream Frosting for Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 12g
- 1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 454g or 1 lb. box
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 60g
Instructions
Soft Buttercream Cookies
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 3/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup cream cheese on medium speed with a hand mixer or whisk attachment until smooth.
- Next, add in 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and mix on a medium-high speed for a couple of minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
- Add in 1 egg, 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and 1 tsp almond extract (optional). Mix on a medium speed until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp fine salt, and 1/2 tsp baking powder. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix on a low speed until it is JUST incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is properly mixed together.
- At this point, the dough should still be pretty sticky. Divide the dough in half and wrap each portion of dough in a piece of plastic wrap. I like to flatten the dough out into a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch tall to make it easier to roll out once it's chilled.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for about 2 hours, in the freezer for 30 minutes, or in the fridge overnight. If you chill the dough overnight, let it sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes before trying to roll it out. This will make it easier to roll out!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C for about 30 minutes before you plan to roll out the dough, and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- 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 shapes with a flour-dusted cookie cutter. Use a kitchen brush to brush any excess flour off the cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheets. The cookies don't spread much as they bake, so you can place them about 1 inch apart.
- Chill the cut-out cookies one more time in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 5 minutes to help them keep their shape as they bake.
- Bake one sheet of cookies at a time. Bake for 10-13 minutes on the top rack of your oven (bake time will vary based on the size and shape 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 the 2nd chilled portion of dough and repeat steps 8-12. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.
Buttercream Frosting for Sugar Cookies
- Beat 1 cup of butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment, until smooth.
- Mix in 1 Tbsp vanilla paste or vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp salt on a low speed.
- Gradually mix in 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. Beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached.
- If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (a quarter of a cup at a time).
- If you plan to color the buttercream, add in the gel food coloring once the frosting is fully made and beat on low until it reaches the desired color.
- Place frosting into a piping bag 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.
Video
Notes
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, up to 5 days in the fridge, or for up to a month in the freezer. 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 decorate 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.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 the cookie dough! It can overwork the gluten and result in tough, dense cookies.
- Roll the 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.
- Take the time to chill the cookie dough. It helps prevent your cookies from spreading while they bake and helps them bake up with a soft texture.
- Don’t overbake your cookies. Err on 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.
Nutrition
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I’m so exited to try this recipe! One of our family’s weaknesses are the frosted thick sugar cookies from Walmart or Kroger. This seems like it will be a great homemade version of them. Will be a holiday treat! Thanks for sharing!
@Katie Daugherty, same it turned out nice
I made these on Christmas Eve. They are great! The cookie is soft and the buttercream. Definitely a keeper.
I am so happy to hear that Ann Marie, your comment put a big smile on my face 🙂 Thank you for sharing!!
The buttercream is sweet and delicious.
I love the buttercream too! Definitely sweet, but oh so tasty 🙂
LOVE LOVE LOVE this cookie recipe!!! Soft and delicious! I will definitely be baking these again.
So happy to hear that Beth!! 🙂 Thank you for sharing! <3
How long do you think they keep frosted? Do you recommend fridge or counter? Thinking the fridge would dry them out.
Hi Steph,
These can sit out at room temp in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or they keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week <3
The fridge shouldn’t really dry them as long as they’ll in a good container 🙂
I know it will depend on the size of the cookie cutter but typically how many cookies can you get out of 1 batch of dough?
Hi Amanda,
This recipe makes about 30 cookies when I use a medium sized circle cutter. Hope that helps, happy baking 🙂
Would a paddle attachment work too? For the cookies?
Hi Christina,
You have to cream together the butter and the sugar, and I find a whisk attachment does the best job at that. You could use a paddle attachment in a pinch, but i don’t think it would do as good of a job. You also would probably have to beat the butter and the sugar together longer to incorporate enough air into the mixture. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi! How many cupcakes do you think this frosting recipe would cover?
Hi Kristen,
It can vary a lot based on the size of your swirl. A large swirl uses a lot more frosting than say a buttercream rosette. I say it frosts 1-2 dozen, but I use a lot frosting!
Can you make the dough before hand and leave in freezer until your ready to roll and bake?!!
Hi Aimee,
You can! just move the dough to the fridge the night before you want to thaw it, then let it sit out at room temp for a few hours to warm up 🙂
Can these cookies be stacked on top of each other once dried? Thinking about shipping but don’t want the design to be smushed.
Hi April,
I wouldn’t recommend it! While the buttercream does crust, it doesn’t get fully hard like royal icing!!
I made the cookies and buttercream for Independence Day-they are amazingly delicious! I love the Tollhouse sugar cookies and these are better than them:D I wish I could post a picture of the turn out. I followed the instructions to a t and didn’t have any issues:) Thank you!
Do you think this cookie recipe would be a good one sandwich cookies? I’m thinking two cookies held together with buttercream in the middle. Maybe even a flavored buttercream?
Can these be used to decorate with royal icing?
In regards to the “don’t over work the dough” advice, once you cut out as many cookie as you can, do you gather the scraps and roll them to cut out more or would the dough get too tough?
So delicious! I was searching for a cookie recipe to pair with some leftover strawberry champagne Italian meringue frosting. This was the perfect combination. These cookies are light yet chewy and I love the hint of almond. Thank you!
Awesome cookies came out great. Can you substitute Almond for peppermint and make peppermint cookies?
I didn’t use the buttercream recipe but the cookie recipe was awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us! ??
these cookies turned out really nice! love the recipe!
The buttercream is delicious, but it does not make very much. Do you have a buttercream recipe for an 8″ or 9″ cake?
I would love to try this recipe, but I am curious if you have any tips on mailing in a way that they would still be fresh when they arrived maybe 3-5 days after making?
How long can the cookies stay at room temp unfrosted?
Hi Sarah,
You can store frosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature. If you need to store them after that, I’d recommend putting them in the fridge (where they can be stored for up to 5 days). Happy baking!:)
hello! i was just wondering what the difference is between cream cheese sugar cookies and normal sugar cookies? are they more most, can you taste the cream cheese? i made sugar cookies a few days ago and am on the search for a new recipe that isnt as dense and is still good for decorating.
Hi Giulia,
Great question! It depends on the type of sugar cookie you’re comparing them to, but my cream cheese sugar cookies bake up soft, tender, and a bit thicker than most sugar cookies. You can’t really taste the cream cheese, it just gives them a wonderful texture. They also aren’t rolled in sugar, and I personally like eating them when they’re frosted with buttercream. You can eat them unfrosted, but they’re not very sweet I think they’re best with a little frosting. Hope that helps, happy baking!
I am making this recipe for a friend. she wants butterflies. so i have to order the cookie cutter for this. This will be my first cut out cookie attempt with frosting. I am making her some sample cookies of this recipe for tommorrow to see if she likes them. Wish me luck!
Hi Melaine,
That’s so fun!! I hope they turn out amazing, and that your friend loves them 🙂
I love rbjs. I made them and followed the recipe exactly .
Came out great abs did taste delicious .only bad thing is I waited for them to crust. I stacked them w parchment paper as suggested, but the buttercream did get ruined and smashed and that was disappointing.
Okay I have tried a ton of different recipes for cut-out cookies trying to find ones that actually taste good and have a nice soft texture….I tried this recipe yesterday and these are a clear winner! I will definitely make this my go-to recipe from now on. I didn’t use buttercream this time, but will try it in the future. I used royal icing with your technique for marbled cookies to make pastel marbled Easter egg cookies. It worked quite well. You have yet to disappoint me with any recipe I have tried. Everything is delicious! You have quickly become my favorite baking blogger after finding your Instagram page and trying several of your recipes over time.
I am so happy to hear that Ashley 🙂 You are too sweet!!
I am obsessed with this cookie recipe, and love that you seem to love it too! It does work great with royal icing or buttercream!! Thank you so much for sharing, happy baking!
I followed the recipe exactly and the cookies turned out delicious! Not too sweet and super soft and chewy.
I made these Buttercream cookies for a baby shower. The dough was easy to make and use cookie cutters with. The dough held it’s size and shape during baking. Every single guest loved the cookies. One guest asked what shop I used! Best shape cookies ever!
Hey Chelsea! I made this dough before Christmas and froze it but didn’t have time to roll out and make the cookies. Do you think 2-3 months in the freezer is too long for the dough or should I thaw it in the fridge overnight and give it a try? Thanks!!
I think the dough should bake up totally fine! I have definitely found cookie dough in the back of my freezer that’s been in there for several months and it baked up fine! Do I recommend doing this for absolute best results? No. Should they still taste just fine as long as they were wrapped tightly and aren’t freezer burned? Yes 🙂 Hope that helps, happy baking!
I think I’m losing my mind because I’ve read this post a few times and I do not see the recipe card at the bottom of the post like it usually is. Is that just me?
Ugh I’m migrating my recipe cards for all 700 of my posts and there were a few glitches where it just VANISHED FROM MY POSTS! I’m so sorry, I’m going through all the posts checking now but it’s taking longer than I thought it would. I appreciate you letting me know, thank you Melissa!
I can’t seem to find the recipe card to make the cookie dough. Am I overlooking it?
SO sorry about that!!!!! It was missing but it’s back now!!!!! Apologies, thanks for letting me know!!
Did you recently take down the actual recipe card? I can’t find it in this post anymore
I AM SO SORRY BROOKLYN! I changed the format of my recipe cards to make them more accessible and easier to use, but in the process of migrating them for all 700+ of my posts, some of them glitched and just didn’t get inserted at all!!! :/ I’ve fixed this post so it should be good to go now, and am currently working my way through checking all my other posts. Again, I am so sorry about this. Thank you for letting me know!
I made the buttercream icing, but put it on my mother‘s recipe for molasses cookies. Your icing is delicious, and it does not hinder the taste of the molasses cookie, which I love. This is my new icing recipe. Thank you.
That sounds like a delicious combination Joanne 🙂 I want one!!!! Haha thank you for sharing!!
Can you use a stand mixer?
You totally can! A stand mixer would work great, happy baking Liam!