These Grandma’s Soft Sugar Cookies taste like the ones from the store, but better. You will love how soft and chewy they are and the frosting is amazing!
Have you ever been tempted by the big frosted sugar cookies that are sold at the gas station? They look so good, don’t they. But, sometimes they aren’t fresh and after spending all that money, it can be a big disappointment. Don’t do it! You can make your own at home for less money and better quality and taste.
These sugar cookies are melt-in-your-mouth soft. When you add the cream cheese frosting on top they are absolutely scrumptious! This sugar cookie recipe is perfect for cookie cutters. This is a go-to recipe for any holiday or birthday celebration throughout the year when you want to cut out cookies in fun shapes.
How to make Grandma’s Soft Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2/3 c. shortening or butter, softened
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 c. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3 c. flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz. cream cheese-softened
- 1/4 c. butter softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 to 1½ lbs powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Beat shortening (or butter) and sugar together.
- Add eggs, milk and vanilla
- In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- Slowing add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
- Mix together until you can form a large dough ball.
- On floured surface, roll out dough ball until about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.
- Use cookie cutters (or rim of a drinking glass) to cut cookie shapes out of dough.
- Place cookies on lightly sprayed cookie sheet.
- Bake about 10-12 minutes. DON'T OVERCOOK OR THEY WILL BE HARD!
- For frosting...beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Add powdered sugar to desired consistency. Spread over cooled cookies.
Jody Mercado says
December 14, 2012 at 11:15 pmGood recipes
Asher says
December 20, 2012 at 2:08 pmI just made these and they are fantastic! I’ll be using a different frosting but the cookies are amazing.
Gail Crandall says
December 23, 2012 at 9:56 pmcan I use unsalted butter instead of the crisco?
thanks
Emily says
December 23, 2012 at 10:04 pmYes, that’s fine.
Bianca says
January 3, 2013 at 1:55 pmExcited to try these <3
Bailey says
February 14, 2013 at 10:32 amHey thanks for the recipe they are fantastic!!!
Fern says
February 14, 2013 at 10:51 amCan’t wait to make these for Valentines Day!
Anne says
February 16, 2013 at 4:55 pmwill using butter instead of shortening ange the chewy ness of the cookies? thanks
Emily says
February 16, 2013 at 9:51 pmIt will taste a little different, but still work fine!
Kara says
February 4, 2014 at 1:27 amThese cookies are easy to make and incredibly tasty! For the frosting I omitted the cream cheese and added in about 4 tablespoons of milk instead. I will definitely make these again!
alexis says
July 4, 2014 at 4:14 pmHow many cookies does this Recipe make ?
Echo says
July 5, 2014 at 2:36 pmIt makes about 3 dozen cookies. It can vary a little depending on how big you make the cookie dough balls. If you make them closer to 1/2″ the recipe would yield closer to 4 dozen.
Donna says
September 10, 2014 at 7:48 amI think I’m going to give these a try! I would think that butter-flavored Crisco might give them a better flavor.
zerlene woodward says
September 11, 2014 at 3:46 amThank You for this recipe! Because Jill A. recommended it I printed it off….Looks sooo Good! Thank You! Will make them at Christmas time also Jill A…..
Leah says
September 11, 2014 at 6:36 pmHi, is it really 1 to 11/2 pounds of powdered sugar in the frosting? Seems like a lot! Is it tablespoons instead?
Thanks!
Leah
Emily says
September 17, 2014 at 7:33 amNo that is correct. That is the size of the bag of powdered sugar, not the actual weight. It takes a lot of powdered sugar to make frosting.
Deb says
December 4, 2014 at 6:55 amUsing butter instead of shortening what will be the taste difference?
Erica says
December 6, 2014 at 5:17 pmIt will have a slightly different taste and texture – but you may like it better!
Calley GArdner says
December 26, 2014 at 9:09 pmWhat happens if you omit the baking powder and use baking soda instead??
Emily says
January 1, 2015 at 11:01 pmI don’t think that baking powder and soda are interchangeable.
TheWannaBeBaker says
June 23, 2015 at 7:44 pmI made them and the dough is awfully sticky. but they are good i rollled them in cinnamon sugar.
Lore Frame says
October 11, 2016 at 4:55 pmCan I use a teaspoon and make a ball of dough and then flatten them with a glass dipped in sugar
Erica says
October 12, 2016 at 6:59 pmYes, that way they would be a lot like our “Swig” cookie recipe. 🙂
Shannon says
February 7, 2017 at 2:03 pmFor the icing I used orange extract instead of vanilla and it came out really good 🙂
Echo says
February 7, 2017 at 10:52 pmThat sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Mary says
February 9, 2017 at 10:09 amDoes the frosting recipe harden a bit so cookies can be stacked to give away?
Erica says
February 13, 2017 at 7:06 pmIt hardens a little bit but I would definitely take care in stacking. I would separate each layer with wax paper just in case!
Tammy says
April 30, 2017 at 9:11 pmCan the dough be refrigerated or frozen for later use?
Erica says
May 1, 2017 at 2:42 pmWe haven’t tried freezing it but I am sure you wouldn’t have a problem if you did. Let us know how it turns out!
Catt says
June 29, 2017 at 2:39 pmMy dough was very sticky. I Added flour but it didn’t work. Also this recipe only makes 2 dozen cookies. They did taste good in the end though.????????
Favorite Family Recipes says
June 29, 2017 at 9:29 pmI wonder why it was so sticky? What elevation are you at?
Teresa says
October 21, 2017 at 7:19 pmI made these today. The dough was too soft for cutouts. I couldn’t pick the cutout from the floured parchment after cutting it out. I was afraid to add too much flour. I scooped the dough with a #40. Commercial food scoop,flattened the ball. The recipe yield was 3 dozen cookies. I added a small amount of milk to the frosting. I used a small amount of “koolaid” like drink mix (unsweetened) to add color and cut the sweetness of the frosting. Awesome cookie.
Favorite Family Recipes says
October 24, 2017 at 9:25 amThank you for sharing your tips on this recipe! The dough can be tricky depending on elevation and humidity. I add a little flour at a time to get to the consistency for cut-outs, or powdered sugar if your concerned about taste. I love your Kool-Aid idea for adding color to the frosting.