These adorable penguin cookies bake up soft and chewy and are decorated with the most delicious homemade buttercream frosting.

How to Make These Penguin 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, along with the tools I used. If you don’t have all of these on hand, feel free to get creative and work with what you’ve got!

Cookie Decorations

• 1 cup white sanding sugar
• 48 orange sweetheart or conversation heart candies – cut in half
• Round, black sprinkles (I color white sprinkles black with an edible marker)
• Round, pink sprinkles

Tools / Equipment

• parchment paper or silicone baking mat
• large baking sheets/cookie trays
• 3 inch circle cookie cutter
• 2 large piping bags

Step 1: Make the Chocolate Cookie Dough

The first step is to make the chocolate 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 plastic wrap.

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!

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 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 as many circles as possible with a flour-dusted round cookie cutter. I used a 3-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 cut-out cookies one more time in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes to help them keep their shape as they bake.

Step 3: Bake the Cookies

Bake for 12-14 minutes on the middle rack of your oven (time varies based on the size and thickness of the cookies).

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 piece of chilled dough and repeat the steps above. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.

Step 4: Make the Vanilla and Chocolate Buttercream

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

If the frosting seems too thick, add an extra tablespoon of heavy cream. Or 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.

Then scoop one-third (about 1 cup) of the frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip (like an Ateco 806). Seal the top with a rubber band or clip and set aside.

If you don’t have that size of a piping tip, you can just cut a 1/2-inch opening at the base of the piping bag.

Add 1/3 cup of dark or black cocoa powder and an additional 2 Tbsp of heavy cream to the remaining buttercream.

Mix until combined and smooth. Place the chocolate frosting in a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip (like an Ateco 806). Seal the top with a rubber band or clip, and set aside.

Step 5: Frost and Decorate the Penguin Cookies

Pipe a thin layer of chocolate frosting on top of one of the cookies.

Gently press the cookie frosting side down onto the parchment paper. You want to gently spread the frosting to create a nice, even layer of frosting.

Repeat with the remaining cookies, then place the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the fridge for an hour.

Once the buttercream has firmed up, remove the tray from the fridge or freezer and gently peel the cookies from the parchment paper.

The frosting should peel away easily from the parchment paper. Next, use the white buttercream to pipe a rounded heart shape on top of the chocolate frosting.

Carefully press the cookie into the sanding sugar until the white buttercream is covered.

Shake the sanding sugar bowl after dunking each cookie to make sure it is in an even layer.

This will make it easier to just get the sanding sugar on the white buttercream and avoid getting it on the chocolate buttercream.

Next, gather the sprinkles and candies to decorate the cookies.

Press the bottom half of an orange conversation heart into the center of the cookie to be the penguin’s beak, and press 2 of the top halves of the heart into the bottom of the cookie to look like the penguin’s feet.

Then use black sprinkles to make the eyes and pink sprinkles to make the cheeks.

If you don’t have the same sprinkles as me, feel free to improvise with whatever you have on hand! You can also use fondant to make the facial features.

The last step is to use the chocolate buttercream to pipe two little wings on the sides of each cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies, then enjoy!

Substitutions and Swaps – Chocolate Cream Cheese 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 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.
• Dark or Black Cocoa Powder – Black cocoa powder works best in this recipe, but dark cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder will work too. If you can’t find either, use regular cocoa powder and add a bit of black gel food coloring to the cookie dough to deepen the color.
• 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.
• Dark or Black Cocoa Powder – Black cocoa powder works best in this recipe, but dark cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder will work too! If you can’t find either, use regular cocoa powder and add a bit of black gel food coloring to help deepen the color.

How Many Cookies Does this Recipe Make?

This recipe can be used to make 24, 3-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 Penguin 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 once you add in the flour! It can overwork the gluten and result in tough and 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.
• Chill the cookie dough. It helps prevent your cookies from spreading while they bake.
• Score the center of the sweetheart candies with a knife before trying to cut them. It will make them split more evenly.
• If you can’t find black or dark cocoa, you can use regular cocoa powder and add a bit of black gel food coloring to the cookie dough and frosting to deepen the color.
• Feel free to get creative with what you use to make the penguin’s face and work with what you’ve got! You can also use fondant if needed.

Making These Penguin 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 them thoroughly before doing so and adding a layer of parchment paper between them. The buttercream will firm up when it’s chilled, but 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. If I do freeze the cookie dough, 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 penguin cookies, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment.