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Frosted Christmas Cut Out Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Now that baking season is in full swing, I thought it would be the perfect time to share my reduced sugar recipe for Soft and Easy Frosted Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies.
There’s nothing quite like tender, buttery Christmas cut-out cookies dolloped with frosting to spread holiday cheer! So, grab your kiddos and get to the kitchen; these yummy butter cookies are just begging to be made.
Christmastime is one of my favorite seasons! The kids are home, the house feels cozy, and there is every excuse to bake up something delightful. With my college girl home for a full month (hooray!!!), this mama is planning to make lots of kitchen memories with both of her kids as we continue our favorite Christmas baking traditions.
About This Recipe
When it comes to the holidays, frosted soft sugar cookies are a classic. Honestly, who doesn’t love a good Christmas sugar cookie recipe? These ones are particularly delicious – buttery, soft from the addition of cream cheese, and reminiscent of the cookies I used to make with my Mom.
I spent so many hours in the kitchen with the matriarchs of my family; the time spent watching, learning, and talking with them are some of my most cherished childhood memories. Now that I’m a Mom myself, I always look forward to opportunities where I can recreate some of those moments with my own kids.
This simple recipe for soft butter cookies is a great way to get your kids excited about being in the kitchen. They’re easy enough to make with little ones and I can tell you from experience that icing cookies is a favorite pastime of every kiddo I’ve ever encountered. Frosting + Tiny Humans = Pure, Unadulterated Glee.
Now, I am not a cookie decorating expert so these cookies are far from “perfect,” but they are perfectly suited for an afternoon of holiday baking fun. Also, sprinkles cover all decorating sins. 🙂
If you’re making these Christmas cut out cookies with your little ones, you can rest assured that there is less risk of a sugar high. I’ve revolutionized my old family recipe using Truvia Sweet Complete All-Purpose Granulated Sweetener, which is calorie-free and measures cup-for-cup like sugar so you can make all your favorite holiday goodies without feeling too naughty.
The sweetness of Truvia products comes from stevia leaf extract, derived from the leaves of the stevia plant. That means you can feel really good about feeding your family these reduced sugar cookies!
One batch of my Christmas sugar cookie recipe yields 2 to 3 dozen cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters. That’s more than enough to brighten up any cookie plate, especially when paired with classic melt in your mouth like my Double Pecan Thumbprint cookies!
How to Make
How to cream butter and sweetener: In a large bowl using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and voluminous, about 1 minute. Add the Truvia Sweet Complete All-Purpose Granulated Sweetener and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes.
Add eggs, cream cheese, and vanilla. Scrape down the bowl, then add the egg and beat until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the cream cheese and beat for 1 minute, scrape down the bowl once more, then beat in the vanilla extract until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Tip: To ensure your eggs mix in seamlessly, let them come to room temperature. Cold eggs can cause the butter to seize and destroy all the air bubbles you just created by creaming the butter and sugar together. Here’s a great way to bring your eggs to room temperature quickly if you forgot.
Add dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Turn the mixer down to low and add about half of the flour mixture, beating until just barely combined. Add the rest of the flour and continue mixing until just combined.
Chill: Separate the dough in half, form into two large disks and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Chilling is mandatory.
Make Ahead Tip: Cream cheese sugar cookie dough can be made up to this point and frozen for up to three months.
Roll & bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the refrigerated dough on a floured surface, flour a rolling pin and roll out to about ¼ inch thick. Cut the dough with cookie cutters.
Place cookies on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the undersides have a light golden-brown color.
Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing. Don’t cover the cookies as they cool as that will cause condensation to collect and can yield soggy results.
Make royal icing: In large bowl of stand mixer, combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy. Add Truvia Sweet Complete Confectioners Sweetener gradually and mix on low speed until incorporated and mixture is shiny. Turn speed up to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
Add food coloring, if desired. For immediate use, transfer icing to a pastry bag or heavy-duty zip-top bag and pipe as desired. If using a storage bag, clip a corner to use as a spout. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to three days.
Kid-Friendly Decorating Tip: Rather than using a piping bag, I find that squeeze bottles offer a lot of extra control. This is particularly useful if you’re decorating with little ones, who seem to like getting as much frosting on themselves as the cookies!
Finish: Decorate the cooled cookies however you’d like – I used an easy recipe for royal icing, you can also feel free to enjoy these tender cookies without icing.
How to Store: Cover and store decorated cookies for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Sprinkled, stirred, or poured, Truvia Sweet Complete sweeteners are refreshingly uncomplicated. Choose your sweetness from a variety of forms, including brown or powdered.
If you’re not shipping these cookies, try making my strawberry cream cheese frosting for the cookies. You can also use it in my Mini Bollilos with Spicy Cream Cheese as a party appetizer, or make my Fruit Paste and Cream Cheese Hand Pies.
Sure! Just swap in your favorite plant-based butter and cream cheese substitutes.
I am a sucker for regular ol’ Lofthouse style sugar cookies, but you can totally change up the flavor profile by swapping in a different extract. Maple or peppermint both seem pretty Christmas-y to me!
More Delicious Christmas Inspiration
If you tried my recipe for yummy, lightened up Frosted Christmas Cut Out Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies, please let me know how they turned out for you in the comments below!
For more tasty recipe inspiration, follow me on Pinterest or Instagram. You can also get all of my newest content delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for my email newsletter.
Recommended Tools
- Holiday cookie cutters
- Cookie sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- Cooling rack
- Rolling pin
Frosted Christmas Cut Out Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup Truvia Sweet Complete All-Purpose Granulated Sweetener
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Icing:
- 3 egg whites, (use 2 teaspoons of meringue powder and 2 tablespoons water to substitute 1 egg white)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound Truvia Sweet Complete Confectioners Sweetener
For Decorating:
- Food coloring
- Sprinkles
- Crushed candy canes
- Other decorations as desired
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamed and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the Sweet Complete All-Purpose Granulated Sweetener and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes.
- Scrape down the bowl, then add the egg and beat until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the cream cheese and beat for 1 minute, scrape down the bowl once more, then beat in the vanilla extract until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Turn the mixer down to low and add about half of the flour mixture, beating until just barely combined. Add the rest of the flour and continue mixing until just combined.
- Separate the dough in half, form into two large disks and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Chilling is mandatory.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the refrigerated dough on a floured surface, flour a rolling pin and roll out to about ¼ inch thick. Cut the dough with cookie cutters.
- Place cookies on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the underside have a light golden-brown color.
- Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing. No need to cover the cookies as the cookies cool.
- Feel free to enjoy cookies without icing.
- Decorate the cooled cookies however you’d like.
- Once the icing has dried, these cookies are great for gifting or for sending.
- Cover and store decorated cookies for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
Royal Icing:
- In large bowl of stand mixer combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy. Add Sweet Complete Confectioners Sweetener gradually and mix on low speed until incorporated and mixture is shiny. Turn speed up to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add food coloring, if desired. For immediate use, transfer icing to pastry bag or heavy-duty storage bag and pipe as desired. If using storage bag, clip corner.
- Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- No fancy piping bags and tips? Squeeze bottles make decorating easy.
- Cookie dough can be made and refrigerated up to a week in advance, or frozen up to 3 months in advance.
Photography by Jenna Sparks
This post is in partnership with Truvia® sweetener. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.
One Comment on “Frosted Christmas Cut Out Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies”
Five star for me.