Dipped Sugar Cookies

Can you *ever* go wrong with cookies? 😉

I think every season is cookie season. And I think I'd have trouble finding someone to disagree with me. Cookies are quick and simple to make, and generally don't require a lot of time. Plus they're fun, easy to transport, and always a crowd-pleaser dessert! 

My one issue with sugar cookies...? The one batch I made to order I hand-outlined and flood-filled. And HOLY smoke. It took me approximately an ETERNITY. 

So when I had a 'finger food' dessert to take to a Christmas party, I re-thought my decorating method! 

Hallelujah; dipped cookies looked almost identical to the ones I hand-outlined and flood-filled. (Not surprising really, since I'm not that good at it.) But they went a million times faster! I also had fun marbling the icing with a couple of different colors, and it was so simple to do! 

FAQs - 

"Why is this sugar cookie recipe special?"

This cookie recipe makes my absolute favorite sugar cookies by far – I love the deeper flavors the brown sugar and cream cheese gives the cookie, and the cream cheese keeps they from getting dry. You can even get away with upping the flour a bit if your chilling time is limited, so these are still my go-to if I don’t have tons of time! Dipped sugar cookies are the way to go! 

"Can I change the cookie or icing flavors?"

Absolutely! I used vanilla flavoring for the cookies and icing in this recipe, but you can easily substitute lemon, orange, almond, or even peppermint extracts! (I love peppermint cookies around Christmas-time!) 

Another decorating option - these cookies taste *fantastic* dipped in chocolate! 

"What if I want to decorate with royal icing?" 

More power to you! Go for it!

I'll be honest and say that royal icing has never been my jam; something to do with the egg whites. It looks absolutely gorgeous and I get why people use it - but that's why you don't see it in my recipe. But you can absolutely use it; as far as I know there should be any difference in the dipping process! 

"What if I want to decorate with buttercream?" 

Again - more power to you! Absolutely! I actually love decorating these with cream cheese buttercream. Whether I'm up to piping them is hit or miss depending on the day (and whether my kids decide they're going to nap or not).

That said - one more option! Hear me out here - you can use the dipping method with buttercream frostings too! I've melted the cream cheese buttercream I mentioned above in small bowls in the microwave and dipped them that way. (I had a small army of tiny children decorating cookies at my table and needed to get them iced quickly!) That evening a text came in from one of my mom friends - "My husband said that's the best sugar cookie he's ever eaten!" 

Will happily acknowledge that's a real take-it-or-leave-it style tip, but it worked for me! Take it for what it's worth. 😉 

Annnd I think that wraps up the FAQs! On to the recipe - happy baking!! 

(Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

Don't forget to pin this recipe for later!

Dipped Sugar Cookies pinterest pin

Dipped Sugar Cookies

Does decorating sugar cookies take you tons of time? Dipping them in icing is SO much faster - and creates beautiful cookies!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time7 minutes
Decorating time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 7 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Dipped Sugar cookies, Easy to decorate Sugar cookies, Glazed Sugar Cookies, Simple Sugar Cookies
Servings: 24 cookies (varies)
Calories: 175kcal
Author: Sarah H

Equipment

  • Cookie cutters
  • Rolling Pin

Ingredients

Sugar cookies

  • 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter (or 1 ½ sticks, softened)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (3 ½ if your chilling time is limited, + a bit extra to roll out the dough)
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Powdered Sugar Icing:

Instructions

Sugar Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 425F℉. Mix in order given, beating cream cheese and butter together well before adding sugars. Mix in remaining ingredients in order given. (A stand mixer makes this easy!) Chill 1-2 hours before rolling if time allows; if not add an extra ½ cup of flour to your dough.
  • Roll out to about ¼ inch thick, and use extra flour when rolling to keep dough from sticking. I also recommend parchment paper or these silpat mats to keep your cookies from sticking to the baking sheets!
  • Bake 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. Cool completely before decorating.

Powdered Sugar Icing

  • (When you’re ready to decorate, you have a lot of options! I prefer powdered sugar + water cookie icings. Not a royal icing fan - I get weirded out putting egg into icing I'm not going to cook. That said, I know many cookie decorators use Royal Icing – here's Alton Brown’s Royal Icing recipe if you'd rather use that!)
  • Combine powdered sugar, water, and vanilla in a small bowl and beat with a whisk until well-combined and no lumps of powdered sugar remain.

Decorating

  • (Give the video a quick watch for reference; it's less than a minute long!) My favorite decorating method is to marble some food color into my icing and then dip my cookies! Dip into the icing holding as flat as possible, then hold up at an angle to allow excess frosting to run off. Place flat until icing has set and dried.
  • You can also transfer icing to a small piping bag and drizzle to decorate.
  • (If you'd rather pipe them with frosting, this is my favorite Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting.)
  • Enjoy! Will keep 2-3 days well-wrapped at room temperature, up to 7 well-wrapped in the fridge.

Video

Notes

Note – recipe credit where it's due - the cookie base in this recipe is a slightly-modified hand-me-down recipe from my mom. :) 
(Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate.)

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g

Did you make these Dipped Sugar Cookies? 

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