Cream Cheese Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
These Cream Cheese Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are some of my favorites…the cream cheese gives them great flavor and helps keep them soft!
Cut-Out Cookies are my kid’s favorites…I am sure this isn’t exclusive to my house. Sure they like to eat them, but the decoration part is what they love the best…
That is until they have iced and sprinkled 3 cookies each and then they’re over it, leaving me with a good 30 cookies to decorate on my own.
Yeah, every year.
MY OTHER RECIPES
This year I’m switching up the usual cookie game we play.
I’m making fluffy frosting to spread on the cookies. The end.
No piping bags this year, no little metal balls on the cookie that crack out fillings…nope, none of it. Plus, we all know fluffy frosting > royal icing. It’s a no brainer.
I decided to switch up my usual sugar cookie recipe as well this year (go big or go home, right?) with this fabulous Cream Cheese Cookie recipe. The cream cheese adds delicious flavor to the cookie, and also helps keep them soft. But they totally hold shape when cutting them out with cutters. It might be the perfect recipe!
Watch and see…
Another secret to this recipe is the use of just egg yolks…this adds to the richness of the batter!
Once you make the dough and chill it, you can go ahead and roll it out. I like thick cookies, so I roll it to about a 1/2 inch thick.
You can use simple circle cutters…
Or get fancy for the holidays!
Just bake them up until they are lightly golden at the edges and let them cool before icing.
Again, I topped mine with a fluffy and creamy Cream Cheese Frosting, but if you want to get detailed here is the recipe for my royal icing!
These cookies are just the best!
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Yield:
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PinIngredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 1/4 cups flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 ounces butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In bowl of stand mixer beat cream cheese and butter until creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping sides as necessary.
- Add sugar and beat for an additional 3 minutes. Mixture should be fluffy and pale in color. Turn mixer to medium-low and add in egg yolks, vanilla and salt and mix until combined.
- Finally turn mixer to low and slowly add in flour. Mix just until all flour is incorporated.
- Chill dough for at least 2 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from fridge and in portions, roll dough to 1/2 inch thick on a floured surface. Using cookie cutters cut dough and place onto prepared baking sheet. Cookies won’t spread too much.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on how large the cookies you are baking are.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Frosting
- Cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add in powdered sugar and turn the mixer up to medium high and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Color with food coloring if desired.
Notes
Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to a week. Or freeze for up to a month.
Store frosting refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.
 * I was compensated for this post by PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese. I love their product, and use it in my kitchen regularly. All opinions are my own.
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Thank you for sharing your recipe. Cookies look delicious!
I’ll have the blue one with the marshmallows. 🙂
Beautiful cookies. Catherine
Cookie perfection right here! Cream cheese – pure brilliance!
Is there any other way to make these other than cut-out? I make a dozen different cookies at Christmas. Cut-outs are a bit time consuming. Also I am looking for an icing recipe that is similar to the bakery style of this kind of cookie
I believe they are called Lofthouse. Is this similar?
Here’s a great recipe… http://cookiesandcups.com/favorite-soft-sugar-cookies/
Hope that helps!!
If you aren’t overly worried about presentation you can always roll out the dough and cut it into squares with a pizza cutter. It won’t be gorgeous but it will save a lot of time and work just the same
Great tip!!
The BEST!! Love your festive photos! xo
Wow, these look beautiful and delish!
Those itty bitty marshmallows look so cute on the cookies. I’m a big fan of cream cheese frosting but have never put them on cookies. Must try! Happy holidays!!
I know it’s not going to harden up like royal icing, but did the cream cheese frosting stiffen up enough to stack these? I trying to make like little goodie bags for gifts but I’m not sure if these would hold up or not…and I hate dealing with royal icing.
It did yes! I always cover my cookie plates with clear wrap and after the frosting sets it won’t stick!!
I was wondering the same thing an this is just the answer u wa thinking if! Thank uu they are delicious!
Cream cheese wins me over every time. I must try these. I used to make cut out cookies for every holiday growing up, my family has the craziest array of cutter shapes!
These are so darn cute! I love that you used pastel colors instead of the typical holiday green and red. It’s a nice change of pace. My coworker and I have been looking for a super soft sugar cookie recipe – can’t wait to share this with her!
Perfect cookies!! They look so good 🙂
these look amazing!! I can’t wait to make them!
Can margarine be used instead of butter or is it strictly butter?
★
Strictly butter 🙂
I sometimes wish my kids would burn out after 3 cookies just to save me the never ending clean up of sprinkles!!! I am such a bad mom for saying that but when your still finding sprinkles in June enough is enough. 🙂
These turned out delicious! And the dough was great to handle and easy to cut out cookie shapes! Thank you! 🙂
★★★★★
i made these today and they were awesome! Came out just as you described! Thanks!
Shelly, your cookies look beautiful and the recipe sounds tasty! Thanks for the photos, too. I especially like your well used rolling pin! It looks a lot like the last one I owned! I’m going to try these. After they cool, I’ll taste them to see if I want to try a variety of frostings so the cookie plate looks as pretty as it tastes.
P.S. I’m a fan of Philly cream cheese, too!
When freezing is that scrictly the dough or the cooked cookie?
Either!
No making soda or powder?
Nope, not in these!
How long can I leave the dough in the fridge before baking it? I know you say your chocolate chip dough can be in for a long time – will this be okay for a day or two if I can’t get around to baking them?
Absolutely this will be ok! You could leave it in the fridge for up to a week!
Thank you! Made these this evening and they are so good. Didn’t ice them yet. But the cookie alone is very good. Easy to roll out as long as you Keep the dough chilled.
These cookies look so soft! What a fun activity to do with your kids!
Self rising or all purpose flour?
all purpose!
Hi! I will be trying these cookies tomorrow. Is it possible to turn this icing into “royal icing”? Meaning making it more liquidity for filling in details and more stiff for outlining details?
Sure, You can add more milk to the frosting until it’s more of a syrup consistency!
Can you freeze the cookie with the frosting on already?
Thanks!!
You can freeze them frosted as well!
Can you freeze these cookies with the frosting on them or just unfrosted? I want to have them decorated and ready to go but want to freeze them and take them out a few days before they are needed.
You could freeze them frosted as well!
the smoothest nicest dough I’ve ever made. love the flavour and texture the cream cheese adds. will definitely make again and again.
★★★★★
Awesome!! Thanks for the feedback!
Salted or unsalted butter?
I always use salted, but if you prefer unsalted, go for it!
Could I use a whole egg instead of 2 yolks? Thanks!
After frosting the cookies, do they need to be refrigerated since there is cream cheese?
I actually don’t, but it certainly won’t hurt!
5 Stars! Love these cookies! I added a teaspoon of almond extract along with the vanilla. Perfect! Thanks Shelly!
★★★★★
These tasted ok, but the texture is off. THey ended up really flat and thin even though I rolled them out thick. They need baking powder or baking soda. IT’s like a thick cracker. Can’t serve these.
That’s so strange that you had that result. I haven’t heard of anyone else with that issue, and I have never had it either and I make these all the time.
These sound delicious. Can you use lite cream cheese or does it have to be regular?
I have only done these with regular, but I imagine 1/3 fat would work great as well!
What size cookie cutter did you use?
I used my large round 3 1/2 inch cutter
Great recipe! Just made them, but they not make it to the decorating phase. My family is enjoying them “naked” – as my 3 yr old would say.
Are they soft and chewy or soft and cakey?
soft and chewy!!
Thanks!
These are cooling on my counter right now. I can’t believe how light they are. I can’t wait for them to cool so I can try the frosting. The cookies are just the right amount of sweet too. A+
★★★★★
Should the cream cheese be room temp or cold before creaming with the butter for the cookie batter?
yes!
yss to which? 🙂
Room temp is better. 😀
Can you just put sugar or cinnamon and sugar on these cookies instead of icing and they still taste good?
YES!!
I don’t have parchment paper can I just spray my cookie sheet with cooking spray ?
You don’t need to! I just like the parchment for clean up and evenness of baking!
Thank you and Merry Christmas….
Two cups of butter, not two sticks? That is a lot of butter!
nope, it’s 2 cups! 4 sticks total. It makes a lot of cookies!
Dare I ask — Can I use low fat cream cheese???? That’s all I have on hand….
Sure!
Good lord are these cookies yummy. I froze half the dough and then ended up using it a few days later cause I ate the rest of the dough before they even made it to the oven. The finished version is just as good, and oh the cream cheese frosting. This will be forever, my go to sugar cookie recipe. Thank you!!!
J
★★★★★
Do these hold their shape when using cutters other than circle? My kids (well ok, I) can’t have blobby looking shapes 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Yep, absolutely!!
Can the recipe be adapted to make chocolate sugar cookies?
I am sure you could add in cocoa powder and get a great result!
I just made the dough for these. The dough seemed a bit sticky when I finished mixing the flour. Will it firm up in the fridge or should I have added more flour? I had to leave the dough in the mixing bowl because I was afraid of ruining the dough by transferring it to cling wrap.
It will firm up yes, and when you flour the surface to roll it out it will also add a bit more. Trust me it’s ok!
Thank you!
All i have is country crock Calcium plus Vitamin D spread, will that work?
I only have Country Crock calcium plus Vitamin D, will that work? (Somehow my comment went missing? )
No, I’m so sorry!
I’ve never made sugar cookies before, except the refrigerated store bought “tootsie roll” dough as my 2 1/2 year old calls it… more time consuming than I’m used to, but absolutely 100% worth it! I made 5 dozen + 3 cookies, then gave up and made a 7″ cookie with my leftover dough! I might have made them 1/4″ but they are still perfectly lovely! Thank you! Merry Christmas!
★★★★★
I made these and they are delicious! I frosted them and decorated with sprinkles, to store them I placed parchment between layers. The cream cheese frosting compliments these perfectly. Also, I did make my dough a day ahead and took out of the fridge two hours before rolling and cutting the cookies. I found the dough did get soft so work quickly. But overall I am very happy with my results, thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
These were tasty and fun to make with the kids. The frosting definitely makes them just about perfect!
★★★★
Hi Shelly – I made the dough last Saturday and tried to bake yesterday. The dough was extremely sticky. I finally got one onto the cookie sheet and into the oven. The cookie completely spread out and turned into a blob. I made a really large amount of dough. Is there anything that I can do to try to rescue the dough? I’ve tried freezing the dough before rolling, and also tried working a bit of flour into the small ball of dough that I’m working with. Neither of these techniques have worked. Would appreciate any suggestions. Do you think I need for flour or some baking powder? The dough tastes fabulous – just wish I could get some cookies out of it! Thank you & Merry Christmas!
You could add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time…so strange that you had that experience!
Oh Em Gee!
These were amazing. We decided to bake some Christmas cookies today (lat,I know lol) and I am hooked. I made half and now I’m regretingnit because I know we will crave for more. Thi is the best recipe I have found for cookies on Pinterest. Thank you so much!!! I’ll be featuring you in my next post. Will post my cookies in the photos biit the link back to this page for the recipe 🙂
I made this today and they were delicious! I used a little hazelnut instead of almond. Yum!
Tina
Cheftini.com
★★★★★
Hi…I noticed this in a post earlier, but not a reply….can we use whole eggs instead of egg yolks?? Thanks – Can’t wait to try!! 🙂
I wouldn’t recommend that, no.
My friend and I did a marathon baking session this year and we made these sugar cookies and they were delicious!! I don’t usually like sugar cookies, but these are definitely an exception! I will be making these for Valentine’s day and St. Patrick’s day for my niece and grandson, and my co workers!!
★★★★★
I read this post last week and saved the recipe for trying it. I have a cutout recipe that I do love, but this just sounded like it was created to be delicious! I want to try some more intricate cookie cutters and see what it tastes like with my royal icing I make. just wanted to thank you for sharing the recipe! I’ll let ya know how it all goes! they certainly look YUMMY!
Love this recipe, thanks! gives the touch of softness I’ve always wanted in a sugar cookie. Rolls out perfect and doesn’t expand. How would I change the rerecipe to make chocolate cut outs? Cut out how much flour vs cocoa powder?? Any ideas??
★★★★★
Do these cookies puff up? I have a recipe I have used for years and sell, but I want to try these. I have used the sour cream recipe, will my customers notice a difference?
They don’t puff up, no.
These are much better than the sour cream recipe (in my opinion). Totally different taste and texture.
★★★★
Hey there,
I love the idea of these cookies.
Although I am a tad worried that you keep them at room temp?
Cream cheese is a cream product? Isn’t it a max of 5 hours out of refrigeration before it starts growing the yuckies?
They sound delish but
Thanks x
when the cream cheese is baked with the sugar it is preserved. If you are worried however you can certainly refrigerate them.
I made these cookies for my coworkers and they were a hit! Took some to my Grandparents and now I have to make them for Christmas! LOL This recipe is definitely getting added to my cookbook! Thank you for sharing it!
★★★★★
can these be make Gluten Free??? Please advise. I’m planning to ship from CA to MI. You think the frosting will hold up?
Does this really only make 36 cookies? Seems like with 5 and 1/4 cups of flower, these would have to be REALLY BIG if it only makes 36 cookies.
I use large 3″ round cookie cutters. You could definitely get more cookies if you use a smaller cutter.
Whats the best way to store these after baking?
You can stack them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature…OR you could freeze them for up to a month!
for the frosting, I did need to add 2 cap fulls of milk while mixing it. It was too dry without the milk.
These were absolutely delicious and a big hit at our Easter celebration. Thanks for the great recipe!
Awesome!! So glad to hear 🙂
This has become my Go To sugar cookie recipe. I’ve made them dozens of times and they are absolutely perfect and disappear immediately.
Thank you so much for the BEST sugar cookie recipe EVER.
★★★★★
I hadn’t yet baked sugar cut outs as an adult, and wanted to make them with my toddler as a party favor for his birthday party. I looked all over the place trying to find a good recipe that wasn’t riddled with comments saying, “This recipe is good…but I changed this this and this.” I finally found your recipe with all its positive comments and decided to give it a try. FANTASTIC! I’m not a big sugar cookie fan…but these I can EAT. They’re dangerous. My husband wasn’t expecting much, I handed him one…and he mumbled that it was good…and then chewed some more and then said “They ARE good.” Haha. Thank you! I’ll be back to your website in the future.
Love this comment!!!
Every time I come back to this website to get the recipe I get more and more mad at the rating. Lol! I absolutely love this recipe, I don’t know what issues the others have with them. I’ve tried so many sugar cookie recipes and I keep coming back to this exact one. I’ve gotten compliments from these even. They are never dry but they’re not overly soft and poofy either.
I’ve made this recipe four times possibly five and they have never let me down. My husband who isn’t even a big sweets guy likes these.
We made holiday cookies last night with them and I felt compelled to come and leave a review haha
Made these and they are amazing! My kids can’t keep their hands off them. I usually struggle with cut out cookies, but this dough was amazing! I even left it in the fridge for 3 days because I didn’t have time to bake them….and it was still wonderful to work with!
Love hearing this!!
Hi, love your recipe, but it’s hard for me to make some of it because of the quantity (of the ingredients), am just a beginner and i don’t wanna make a mess, could you please share small amt of quantity, it’s easier to double the amt instead of making it smaller, thank u
This is my go to sugar cookie recipe. I wasn’t a big fan of sugar cookies until I found this recipe last year I did change the vanilla for almond flavoring this year just for a twist. They are still wonderful.
I make these cookies for EVERY occasion! Valentines, Spring, Easter, Birthdays, Halloween and of course Christmas!! I’ve made sugar cookies in the past but when I found this recipe I don’t even search cut out cookies anymore because this is the one! Always get compliments every time. It’s just a perfect recipe that makes an amazing cookie!!
Can I refrigerate over night and bake next day?
sure!
My granddaughter and I made these today and they were awesome! Terrific flavor, not dry and they stayed true to form/cut out! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can guarantee these will be a part of our Christmas cookie baking tradition from this year forward!
Incredible!!! They are the best sugar cookies EVER !!! Thank you for the recipe!!!
The only good thing about these cookies is they hold their shape for cutouts.. I’m not a fan of the taste at all
I have FINALLY found my go-to sugar cookie recipe! After years of searching for a no-fail recipe, I will now never use any recipe but this one! These are amazing! The texture is wonderfully soft but not too soft – just right. The flavor is like nothing you have ever tasted – if you are a fan of cream cheese and we definitely are! My daughter helped me make these for Christmas and we got rave reviews! My mother put in a request for more because the tray that I brought to her house on Christmas day was completely emptied before she had a chance to try one. These hold their shape beautifully! Chilling the dough is key – we chilled ours overnight. Gone are the days of my sugar cookies spreading out so much that you can no longer identify what shape it was supposed to be! The frosting takes these to the next level – SO GOOD! I let mine sit out for a couple of hours after decorating to allow the frosting to firm up and I had no problems stacking them in air-tight containers. I can’t thank you enough for this game changing recipe! 🙂
I am so glad you like them! They are a really special cookie 🙂
So I’m now making this recipe for the fourth time! They are heavenly! Personally I choose to forgo the frosting though, but add sprinkles to the dough. The cookie has a strong enough flavor to hold its own!
I absolutely LOVE these cookies, but they tend to cause stomach discomfort for people. I did some research, and it’s caused by the cream cheese. 2hrs is the limit for leaving these cookies out, to avoid bacteria building. Companies that sell cream cheese products use preservatives that prevent this, however, we do not have those or want them. These cookies are so amazing, that you have to give them a try! Just keep them refrigerated in between serving.
Another thing that I love, is to frost them with buttercream, instead of royal icing. The two together are a match made in cookie heaven! ?
Can this recipe be adapted to make Chocolate cutout cookies? All of the chocolate cream cheese cutout cookie recipes have baking powder in them. I do not want any leavening because I want the edges to stay sharp during baking. Thank you.
These tasted good, but they spread out way to much. I had to trim them when they came out of the oven. Wished they had held their shape better.
They have always held their shape great for me! What type of baking sheet did you use?
Can you store the frosted cookies for up to a week or should I keep the icing chilled until the day of?
you can store the cookies with the frosting for up to 5 days 🙂
Can I just use a hand held mixer?
sure 🙂
For me, the cookie, pre frosting, was very dry and floury.
would this recipe still turn out as good if I cut it in 1/2?? I really don’t need 36 sugar cookies!!
yes!
This is the absolute best cut-out sugar cookie out there. I came across it last year and loved the flavor and how the cut-outs stay true to form. I even tested it against another supposedly good sugar, but it failed in flavor and being true to form after baking. I am removing all my other sugar cookie recipes. Awesome sugar cookie recipe!
THE BEST sugar cookie recipe EVER! These don’t even need frosting. The vanilla gives the most awesome flavor, you can eat them plain.
★★★★★
Do you think these cookies could be rolled into a log and just cut into circles? I hate doing cut outs.
Yes, that would work!