Soft Frosted Bakery-Style Sugar Cookies
These Soft Frosted Bakery-Style Sugar Cookies start with a tender crumb, a dreamy swirl of pastel icing, and just the right hint of nostalgia. But if your sugar cookies usually turn out dry or flat instead of thick and bakery-style soft, you’re not alone. In this easy recipe I share the exact method I use for making soft sugar cookies with frosting that stay soft for days –no rolling, or cutting needed. Just scoop, bake, and frost. It’s the easiest sugar cookie recipe, and the texture is everything.
If you love the old-school classics, like lemon slice, big fat bakery-style muffins, and (my favourite!) yo yo cookies, then these old-fashioned sugar cookies are for you! They’re soft in the middle, lightly golden underneath, and topped with a not-too-sweet pink vanilla icing that sets just enough to stack them. If you’ve been searching “how to make bakery-style frosted sugar cookies at home”, my recipe for classic pink frosted cookies is definitely the one for you to save.
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- They’re unbelievably soft and pillowy with a hint of vanilla
- The frosting is dreamy, creamy, and so, so pink 💕
- No fancy ingredients or chilling the cookie dough for hours
- It’s the perfect bakery-style sugar cookie made easy at home
- They’re the perfect cookies for kids to decorate
📝 Key Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookies:
- Unsalted butter: softened, for that perfect melt-in-your-mouth crumb.
- Pure icing sugar: (powdered sugar) is finer than granulated and gives that soft bite.
- Egg: adds richness and structure.
- Vanilla paste: for deep, warm, bakery flavour.
- Plain flour + cornflour: keeps these cookies tender and soft.
- Baking powder: for a bit of lift, without puffing up too much.
- Salt: to balance the sweetness.
For the Pink Frosting:
- Butter & cream: to create that luscious, smooth texture.
- Vanilla paste: another layer of flavour.
- Icing sugar: gives sweetness and structure.
- Pink food colouring: optional, but so pretty.
- Sprinkles: because they’re sprinkles!
🍯 Variations and Substitutions
- Swap vanilla paste for extract if needed.
- Try lemon zest or almond extract for an old-school bakery flavour.
- Use concentrated gel food colouring for bold colour, without the taste.
- Sub in dairy-free butter and cream for a lactose-free version.
- Leave them unfrosted and roll in cinnamon sugar for a snickerdoodle vibe.
🥣 Step-by-step Instructions
1. Make the cookie dough
- Preheat oven to 180℃/350℉ (160℃ fan).
- Line 2 trays with baking paper.
- In a bowl, beat butter and icing sugar with an electric mixer until combined and creamy.
- Add egg and vanilla paste. Beat again until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cornflour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add dry mix to the butter mixture, beating slowly until just combined. Finish folding with a spatula.
- Chill dough for 10 minutes.
2. Scoop and bake
- Use a large cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons).
- Roll into balls, place on trays, flatten slightly.
- Bake 15–18 minutes until tops are matte but not browned.
- Cool on tray 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
3. Frost and decorate
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and cream until melted.
- Add vanilla and most of the icing sugar. Stir well.
- Adjust consistency by adding more icing sugar.
- Tint with a few drops of food colouring.
- Spread frosting over cooled cookies and top with sprinkles.
👩🏼🍳 Expert baking tips
Why your frosted sugar cookies aren’t bakery-soft:
- Over mixing the dough can make them tough. Stop as soon as the ingredients come together.
- If the butter is too cold or too hot, the texture won’t be right. Room temperature is key.
The secret ingredient? Cornflour.
- That little tablespoon of cornflour is the not-so-secret trick to that bakery-style softness.
Want soft, chewy sugar cookies that last?
- Don’t overbake! Take them out while they still look slightly underdone. They finish baking on the tray.
- Store them in an airtight container with a slice of bread to keep them soft for days.
🧹 Storage suggestions
- Room Temp: Keep in an airtight container for 4–5 days.
- Freeze Unfrosted: Stack with baking paper between cookies. Freeze up to 3 months.
- Freeze Frosted: Flash-freeze in a single layer, then store in a sealed container.
🍽️ Serve with
- A glass of cold milk or hot cocoa
- Ice cream for a soft-cookie sandwich
- A pot of tea for afternoon nostalgia
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make the dough ahead of time? Yes! Chill it for up to 2 days. Let it sit at room temp for 10 mins before scooping.
Can I use granulated sugar in the cookies, instead of icing sugar? Icing sugar makes the cookies soft and tender -I wouldn’t swap!
Why did my frosting go runny? Too much liquid or not enough icing sugar. Keep stirring and adjusting until it thickens.
How do I get my frosting super smooth? Make sure the butter is melted and hot enough to dissolve the sugar, and stir vigorously.
Do I need to chill the dough longer? Not really. A quick 10-minute chill is all it needs to be scoopable.
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📸 Share Your Bake
Baked these soft frosted sugar cookies? I’d love to see! Tag @apple.cake.annie on Instagram or use #applecakeannie so I can share your creation!
Want more nostalgic sweets? Check out:
Quick and Easy No Bake Caramel Slice
Soft Frosted Bakery-Style Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Soft Sugar Cookies
- 200 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 210 grams pure icing sugar powdered sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla paste
- 300 grams plain flour all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornflour corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Pink Frosting
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste
- 200 grams pure icing sugar
- 2-3 drops pink food colouring I use an oil based, concentrated colour
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles
Instructions
Soft Sugar Cookies
- Pre heat oven to 180℃/350℉ or 160℃ fan and line 2 trays with baking paper
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter and icing sugar with a handheld electric mixer (you can also choose to do this with a stand mixer). Start on low speed and gradually increase to medium-high, beating until well combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla paste, then beat again until mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Whisk the cornflour, baking powder and salt into the flour, using a fork, then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
- Using the hand mixer, beat on low-medium until mixture is almost combined. Finish mixing with a silicone spatula, to avoid over mixing the dough.
- Place mixture into the fridge for 10 minutes, to allow it to stiffen up. This will make rolling the cookies easier.
- Using a large (3 tablespoon) cookie scoop, scoop out the mixture, rolling it into a ball, then placing onto the baking sheet before pressing it down slightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the cookies are no longer shiny, but haven't quite turned golden.
- Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cake rack to cool completely. Once cooled, make the frosting
Pink Frosting
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat the butter and cream until the butter has melted and hot.
- Add most of the vanilla paste and icing sugar and stir well. If the frosting is too thin, add more of the icing sugar, until you reach a spreadable consistency.
- Add 2-3 drops of food colour until you get the colour you want (the colour usually deepens a little as it rests).
- Decorate with your chosen sprinkles.
