Sugar cookies are good, but these perfectly soft, chewy sugar cookies are *great* and totally deserve a spot in your oven!Â
Who doesn’t love a good sugar cookie? I know I do! Let me just tell you, this soft, chewy variation is the sugar cookie of my dreams. These cookies are fluffy, perfectly-textured, and incredibly delicious. In fact, Fed and Fit team member, Amber, tested these cookies 13 times (13 times!) because she wanted them to be chewy sugar cookie perfection, and let me just tell you, she knocked it out of the park!
Why This Recipe is Best
These sugar cookies are the absolute best because of two things – the texture and the taste. Texture-wise, they’re chewy and soft (which is my personal cookie texture preference), and taste-wise, they are EVERYTHING you want a sugar cookie to be: super-rich (due to a SECRET ingredient…keep reading to find out what it is!) with a mild vanilla flavor. They’re sugar cookie perfection, for sure.
Ingredients
This recipe calls for all of the basic baking ingredients that you likely have in your kitchen already, and also for a secret, key-to-a-chewy-cookie ingredient that we’re really excited about! While we kept these cookies frosting-free, feel free to add your favorite icing (or even sprinkles!) if you wish. Here’s what you’ll need to add to your grocery list:
- Gluten-Free Flour – for this recipe, you’ll need 3 cups of gluten-free flour. We always use King Arthur Measure for Measure for our gluten-free baked goods!
- Baking Powder – you’ll also need a few basic baking ingredients here: 1 teaspoon of baking powder,…
- Baking Soda – …a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda,…Â
- Sea Salt – …a 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, and…
- Butter – …1 cup of softened butter.
- Cream Cheese – ah, our mystery ingredient! 2 ounces (or 3 tablespoons) of softened (room temperature) cream cheese makes these cookies chewy and delightful.Â
- Sugar – what is a sugar cookie without sugar?! For this recipe, we’ll use 1 1/2 cups white sugar, plus another ½ cup for rolling the dough in.
- Vanilla Extract – finally, you’ll need 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and…
- Egg – 2 eggs to finish everything off!
How to Make Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies (Step-by-Step)
This sugar cookie recipe is totally fuss-free and easy enough for anyone (no matter your baking experience) to pull off! Here’s what you’ll need to do (step-by-step!) to whip these tasty treats:
- Combine the Dry Ingredients – first, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.Â
- Cream the Butter, Cream Cheese, and Sugar – add the butter, cream cheese, and ¾ cup of sugar to a large bowl, and beat with an electric mixer for about one minute, until fluffy and fully combined.Â
- Add the Vanilla, Egg, and Flour Mixture – to the bowl with the butter mixture, add the vanilla extract and egg, and mix for about 30 seconds, until fully incorporated, then add in the flour mixture a ½ cup at a time, mixing constantly (and scraping the sides of bowl as needed), until the dough is formed.Â
- Chill – once your dough is formed, stick it in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour, or up to overnight.Â
- Prep – when you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop, Roll, and Bake – scoop out the dough by the heaping tablespoon and roll into a ball, then roll each ball in sugar and place 12 dough balls on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies have puffed up and just started to brown.
- Let Cool + Enjoy – let your cookies cool on a cooling rack or right on the baking sheet, frost if you’d like, and then enjoy!  Â
How to Store and Freeze Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
These cookies will stay fresh, chewy, and delicious for 4-5 days (we bet they won’t last that long though!) if stored in an airtight container on the counter. Alternatively, feel free to freeze a batch of cookies if you’d like them to last longer. Simply pull one (or two!) out of the freezer, pop it in the microwave for 30-second increments until warmed through, and then enjoy whenever your sweet tooth strikes!Â
We hope these delicious, chewy sugar cookies become one of your most-made cookies and favorite recipes to make for any special occasion (think: birthday, holiday, etc.)!
Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups 372 g gluten-free flour (we used King Arthur Measure for Measure)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks or 16 tablespoons, softened
- 2 ounces or 3 tablespoons softened cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar to roll the dough in optional
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
- Add the butter, cream cheese, and sugar to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for about one minute, until fluffy and fully combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg to the bowl with the butter and sugar and mix for about 30 seconds, until fully incorporated, then add in the flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing constantly, until the dough is formed.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour, up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop out the dough by the heaping tablespoon and roll into a ball, then roll each ball in sugar and place 12 dough balls on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies have puffed up and just started to brown, then remove from the oven and let cool.
Nutrition
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Could these be rolled and cut into fun shapes for the kids?
I’m not sure if that would work with this recipe, Ashley, but it definitely would with THIS one!
Could Xmas sprinkles be added before baking for some fun or do you recommend after baking?
Either way, Estrella!
Would regular flour work here?
We haven’t tested with regular flour, but I think it should work great, Jen!