Soft Sugar Cookies with Pink Vanilla Frosting

Sugar Cookies

These round sugar cookies bake up pale and tender, with thick pink vanilla frosting spread inside each cookie’s edge and rainbow jimmies on top. A short chill makes the dough easier to cut and transfer. Roll it about 1/4 inch thick, then take the cookies out when their tops are set rather than waiting for them to brown. Cool them completely before adding the frosting so the hand-spread swirls stay in place.

Makes about 24 cookies, depending on the cutter and how the scraps are rerolled. Allow about 2 hours 15 minutes, including chilling, baking in batches, and cooling.

Ingredients for Sugar Cookies

Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (225g)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (330g), plus a little more for rolling if needed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Pink Vanilla Frosting

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (115g)
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar (240g)
• 1–2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1–2 small drops pink gel food coloring, or as needed
• About 1/4 cup rainbow jimmies (40g)

How to Make Frosted Sugar Cookies

1. Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
2. Make the dough: With an electric mixer, beat the 1 cup butter and granulated sugar until creamy. Mix in the egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until no loose flour remains and the dough holds together.
3. Chill and preheat: Divide the dough into two disks, wrap, and refrigerate for about 45 minutes, until cool and workable. Near the end of chilling, fully preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line light-colored baking sheets with parchment; do not grease the parchment.
4. Roll and cut: Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough about 1/4 inch thick, using only a light dusting of flour if needed. Cut with an approximately 3-inch round cutter and place the rounds about 1 1/2 inches apart on the sheets. Gently reroll the scraps. If the dough sticks or stretches during transfer, briefly rechill it.
5. Bake and cool: Bake uncovered, one sheet at a time on the center rack. Start checking at 8 minutes; each batch will usually take 8–10 minutes. Remove the cookies when the tops look set rather than wet and the edges are pale or only faintly golden. Leave them on the sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
6. Make the frosting: Beat the 1/2 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla together. Add milk gradually, starting with 1 tablespoon, until the frosting spreads smoothly but holds shallow swirls. Beat in the pink coloring. If the frosting is runny, mix in a little more confectioners’ sugar.
7. Frost and decorate: Use a small spatula or butter knife to spread frosting over each cool cookie, leaving a narrow border of cookie visible. Add rainbow jimmies immediately, while the frosting is soft. Let the frosting firm before arranging or storing the cookies.

How to Keep the Cookies Soft

Thickness and doneness matter more than a deeply golden color. Rounds rolled thinner than 1/4 inch or baked longer will be crisper. Check the first batch at 8 minutes, especially if your cutter is smaller or your baking sheets are dark, and use set tops and pale edges as the cue to remove the cookies.

Why Chill the Dough?

The 45-minute chill helps this dough hold tidy rounds as you cut and move them. Keep the second disk refrigerated while you work with the first. If the dough warms and becomes sticky, rechill it instead of working in a lot of extra flour; handle rerolled scraps gently so the later cookies stay tender.

Getting the Pink Frosting Finish

Use thick, spreadable frosting rather than thin cookie icing. Completely cooled cookies keep it from melting or sliding, and a small spatula leaves visible swirls. Leave a pale rim around each cookie and add the jimmies before the frosting surface firms.

Storing Frosted Sugar Cookies

Once the frosting has firmed, refrigerate the cookies in an airtight container for up to about 5 days. Separate layers with parchment to help protect the frosting and sprinkles. Bring the cookies toward room temperature before serving for softer frosting; do not reheat them.

For another soft cookie, try these thick snickerdoodle cookies. For a different classic, make these peanut butter cookies.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per cookie, based on 24 frosted cookies: 235 calories, 2g protein, 12g fat, and 30g carbohydrates. Per 100g: approximately 470 calories, 4g protein, 24g fat, and 61g carbohydrates. Values will vary with cookie size and the amount of frosting used.