Mini Frosted Sugar Cookies
Soft and chewy Mini Frosted Sugar Cookies are topped with fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting and sprinkles. These cheerful petite treats are perfect for any celebration!
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These Mini Frosted Sugar Cookies are perfectly soft, yet thick, and slightly chewy. They’re topped with fluffy vanilla buttercream and finished with colorful sprinkles. I wanted to create a soft frosted sugar cookie, reminiscent of the well-known grocery store Lofthouse cookies. Mission accomplished – and I would argue that these are even better than the store-bought ones. They’ve easily become my new go-to cookie for birthdays, Holidays, and just about any celebration or sweet tooth craving!
Why You’ll Love These
- Soft & Chewy – The thick sugar cookie base has a soft, chewy texture with the classic buttery, vanilla flavor of traditional sugar cookies. The miniature size makes them perfect for snacking or sharing and anything mini is honestly just cuter!
- Vanilla Buttercream – Classic fluffy vanilla buttercream only requires 5 ingredients and is the perfect complement to the soft sugar cookie base. A touch of light pink food coloring gives these cookies even more resemblance to the grocery-store original.
- Quick & Easy – The cookie dough comes together quickly and only needs to chill for 30 minutes and the frosting can be whipped up in about 5 minutes.
How to Make Mini Frosted Sugar Cookies
Make the dough
The dough starts with creaming butter, sugar, and a little vegetable oil. The oil helps keep the cookies tender and moist. Eggs and vanilla are added, followed by the dry ingredients including some cornstarch, which helps keep the cookies soft and thick. The dough is refrigerated for at least 30 minutes before the cookies get baked.
Bake the cookies
Once the dough is chilled, it’s portioned using a #40 cookie scoop, (which holds about 1½ Tablespoons), then they’re rolled into balls and placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Each ball of dough is pressed down slightly to flatten the top. The cookies are baked at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. The centers of the cookies should be pale while the edges should be only slightly golden brown.
Make the vanilla buttercream
The vanilla buttercream is made with only 5 ingredients and whips up pretty quickly. Butter is mixed with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, and then powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and heavy cream are added. You can leave the buttercream white or add food coloring. I added a touch of light pink to my frosting with Americolor Soft Pink gel food coloring.
Frost the cookies
There are several different techniques you can use to frost the cookies, from applying the frosting with an offset spatula, using a cookie scoop to add a dollop of frosting on top, or piping it on. I went with the piping method, using a large round tip then used a small offset spatula to lightly smooth out any areas that needed it. Frost each cookie individually and then add some fun sprinkles!
Frosted Sugar Cookie FAQs
What is the best way to store the cookies?
These cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be refrigerated for up to 5 days. If you choose to refrigerate the cookies, I recommend pulling them out a couple of hours before serving to allow the cookies and buttercream to come to room temperature for the best texture and taste.
Do the cookies freeze well?
Yes, the cookies freeze great, even with the frosting and sprinkles on top. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the cookies to sit at room temperature for several hours to thaw.
Does the dough need to chill?
The cookie dough needs at least 30 minutes to chill before baking to prevent the cookies from spreading too much. This will give you the perfect combo of a nice thick and slightly chewy cookie.
Can I make these cookies bigger?
I went with mini-size cookies for this recipe but you can make them any size you’d like. For a large cookie, use a #24 cookie scoop (about 3 Tablespoons) which will give you around 14 cookies.
Favorite Tools
Variations
These cookies are super versatile because you can simply change the color of the frosting and swap out the sprinkles for any occasion. Leave the frosting white and add some red and green sprinkles for Christmas or red, white, and blue sprinkles for the 4th of July. If you’re feeling ambitious, pipe on some gradient-colored buttercream flowers like the ones pictured below. I did these for a baby shower recently and they were a huge hit!
Tips for the Best Mini Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Adjust the buttercream consistency. I find that this frosting consistency is just right for these cookies but if you find that your frosting is on the thick side or you’re struggling to pipe it, you can add a little extra heavy cream, one teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Add sprinkles right away. The buttercream will start to form a slight crust on the outside so be sure to frost one cookie at a time and have your sprinkles ready. Right after piping the frosting on, add the sprinkles, otherwise, you will have a harder time getting the sprinkles to stick.
- Allow the cookies to sit. I find that these cookies are even better and slightly softer after sitting in an airtight container for a few hours. Make them the day before you plan to serve them and store them overnight. This is optional (and takes some patience) but I think it makes for an even tastier cookie!
Baking Tip: Weigh Your Ingredients!
I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients rather than using measuring cups because it is the most accurate way to bake. Weighing your ingredients will give you more consistent results with your recipes and a better success rate, every time. Using a scale also saves you dishes which means easier cleanup! I provide gram measurements in all my recipes and this is the scale I love to use.
More Frosted Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
If you make this recipe and love it, be sure to leave a comment below. Happy baking!
Mini Frosted Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookie Dough
- ½ cup (1 stick or 113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (42g) vegetable or canola oil
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon (10g) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup (60mL) heavy cream
For Decorating
Instructions
- Sugar Cookie Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then with the mixer running on medium-low speed, slowly stream in the oil.
- Once combined, scrape down the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl again then add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until combined.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Once the dough has chilled, use a #40 cookie scoop (about 1½ Tablespoons) to portion the dough. Roll each scoop into a ball and place them onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 1” apart. Press each dough ball down slightly with your palm to flatten.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until the centers of the cookies no longer look wet and the edges just start to turn golden brown. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Vanilla Buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and heavy cream to the bowl. Start mixing on low speed until the ingredients are combined, so the powdered sugar doesn’t spill out. Scrape the bowl well with a rubber spatula.
- Mix on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. The frosting should be completely smooth and creamy.
- Decorating: Use gel food coloring to dye the buttercream pink (or any color you prefer). Use a piping bag fitted with a large round tip or a cookie scoop to add a dollop of frosting to the top of each of the cooled cookies. Use a small offset spatula to smooth out the frosting. Top with sprinkles and enjoy!
