These soft & fluffy mini sugar cookies are the perfect bite-sized treat! This recipe makes 36 mini cookies and includes my recipe for the best creamy buttercream frosting. Perfect for holiday cookie platters or events – no rolling pin needed!
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Why I Love These Mini Cookies:
- Soft texture: The cookie is fluffy, yet moist and thick. It's like a mixture of a cake texture with a soft & buttery inside. It's based on my soft frosted sugar cookie recipe which is one of my all-time favorite recipes!
- Topped with my favorite frosting! This buttercream is my go-to Christmas cookie frosting recipe. It's a creamy vanilla-almond buttercream that is easy to whip up and tastes so good!
- Bite-sized! The small size makes these the perfect cookies to add to cookie platters! I also have instructions below if you want to make these larger.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Unsalted Butter: I use unsalted butter in most of my baking but if you only have salted, you can use that and simply omit the salt.
- Almond Extract: This gives the cookies an incredible sugar cookie flavor, so I don’t recommend omitting it unless you have a nut allergy or aversion to almond extract. It truly makes them so good!
- Light Corn Syrup: We’re only using 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup in this recipe but it gives the cookies that special, moist texture and also helps the cookies stay moist for days.
Make it gluten-free! Use your favorite gluten-free flour to make this gluten-free! My favorite brand is Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Note that GF flour is a bit drier, so your cookies will be a little more crumbly.
How to Make Mini Sugar Cookies
Since this sugar cookie dough is on the thicker side, I recommend using an electric mixer. If you’re using a KitchenAid mixer, opt for the paddle attachment. In case you don’t have a stand mixer, begin with a hand mixer until the dough thickens. Then, complete the mixing process by incorporating the remaining flour using a spatula.
Step 1: Mix Dough
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick), powdered sugar (¾ cup), and granulated sugar (¼ cup) on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- While mixer is still on medium speed, add in egg (1 large), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), almond extract (½ teaspoon), and light corn syrup (1 tablespoon).
- Once mixed, add in baking powder (1 teaspoon), salt (½ teaspoon), and all-purpose flour (1¾ cups); adding flour half-cup at a time on low speed. Mix until all flour disappears.
Step 2: Scoop & Bake
- Scoop dough into 1-tablespoon sized scoops (I use this stainless steel cookie scoop!), roll into balls, then gently flatten the tops of each cookie. This dough is a little sticker than normal cookie dough, so you may need to spray your hands with nonstick cookie spray as you’re rolling them.
- Place on parchment-lined baking tray and bake at 350°F for 8-9 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing them from cookie sheet. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Step 3: Make Frosting & Decorate
- In a large mixing bowl, add unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), almond extract (¼ teaspoon), and salt (⅛ teaspoon). Cream together on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until blended together.
- On medium/low speed begin adding in powdered sugar (1 ½ cups); half-cup at a time until all is incorporated.
- Turn mixer to high speed, and beat for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. If needed, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of milk to help thin it out.
- Add food coloring, if desired (divide into different bowls for multiple colors).
- Spread on top of cooled sugar cookies or place frosting in a large piping bag with a large star tip to achieve a more intricate design. Top with sprinkles and enjoy.
Tips & Variations
- Make them larger! If you don't want to make mini cookies, simply scoop the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls and bake for 11-12 minutes.
- Change the colors! Add food coloring to the white frosting & top with different types of sprinkles to make your cookies festive. I love topping them with these rainbow sprinkles for birthdays or red and green for Christmas cookies.
- Use cream cheese frosting: If you want a frosting that isn't as sweet, you can use my cream cheese frosting for sugar cookies.
Storage & Freezing
- Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Freeze the unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for 1-2 months (for the best results, wrap the unfrosted cookies in plastic wrap then place in the container). Thaw the cookies overnight before frosting and serving.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You sure can! While I think these are best enjoyed within 2 days, they will stay soft for 3-4 days.
While you can freeze the frosted cookies, I would recommend freezing them unfrosted to prevent the sprinkle colors from bleeding during thawing. When ready to serve, thaw cookies and top with frosting and sprinkles.
To freeze, store in an airtight container for up to 1 month for optimal flavor and texture.
This sugar cookie frosting recipe is made with butter and powdered sugar which means you can leave it at room temperature for 2-3 days. However, if you don’t plan to frost your cookies right away, place the frosting in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. When it’s time to frost, let it sit out at room temperature to soften then re-beat it with a mixer to fluff it back up.
If you live in a hot climate where the kitchen tends to be warm it’s best to store sugar cookie frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
If you want to make these larger, scoop and roll them into 3-tablespoon-sized balls and then gently flatten the tops before baking (this will ensure the entire cookie bakes through and avoids a gooey top). Bake at 350°F 11-12 minutes. This recipe makes about 36 tablespoons of dough, which would give you about 10-12 large cookies.
If you don't like the flavor or have an almond allergy, you can definitely leave out the almond extract. But it does give these cookies lots of sugar cookie flavor, so I don't suggest skipping it.
Mini Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (i.e. 1 stick) softened
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract see substitution notes below
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup Fun fact: this is not the same thing as high fructose corn syrup! If desired, can replace with honey or omit.
- 1 teaspoon baking powder not baking soda!
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
Buttercream Frosting (double if you like thick layers of frosting on your cookies!)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (i.e. 1 stick) softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract see substitution notes below
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Decorating
- food coloring optional
- sprinkles optional
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick), powdered sugar (¾ cup), and granulated sugar (¼ cup)on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- While mixer is still on medium speed, add in egg (1 large), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), and almond extract (½ teaspoon), and light corn syrup (1 tablespoon).
- Once mixed, add in baking powder (1 teaspoon), salt (½ teaspoon), and all-purpose flour (1 ¾ cups); adding flour half-cup at a time on low speed.Mix until all flour disappears (it may look crumbly at first but will come together). When pinched between your fingers, dough should be similar to a thick playdoh consistency.
- Scoop dough into 1-tablespoon-sized scoops, roll into balls, then gently flatten each dough ball (you don't need to flatten much). Place on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake at 350°F for 8-9 minutes, or until most of the tops no longer look wet.Don't overbake or they won't be soft; they may look slightly underdone in the very center, but they will finish baking on the hot cookie sheet after you take it out of the oven. (Of course, because ovens bake differently use your best judgment to keep them in a minute longer if they look severely under baked.)
- After removing from oven, allow the cookies to cool on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing them from cookie sheet. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
To Make Frosting:
- Note before you start: 1) I recommend using a stand mixer for this if you have one, as it will make the frosting come together easier. However, if you are using a hand mixer and are having trouble getting it to be light & fluffy, I recommend adding 1-2 teaspoons of milk after the powdered sugar to help thin it out.2) If you plan to simply spread the frosting on top, one batch will be enough. If you plan to do decorative swirls (or simply like a lot of frosting), double the frosting recipe.
- In a large mixing bowl, add unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), almond extract (¼ teaspoon), and salt (⅛ teaspoon). Cream together on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until blended together.
- On medium/low speed begin adding in powdered sugar (1 ½ cups); half-cup at a time until all is incorporated.
- Turn mixer to high speed, and beat for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. If needed, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of milk to help thin it out.
- Add food coloring, if desired (divide into different bowls for multiple colors).
- Spread on top of cooled sugar cookies or place frosting in a large piping bag with a large star tip to achieve a more intricate design. Top with sprinkles and enjoy!
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
- Almond Extract: If you don't like the flavor or have an almond allergy, you can definitely leave out the almond extract. But it does give these cookies lots of sugar cookie flavor, so I don't suggest skipping it!
- Light Corn Syrup: We're only using 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup in this recipe but it gives the cookies that special, moist texture and also helps the cookies stay moist for days...a must when giving them as gifts! If you don't want to use it, you can replace it with thick honey or just leave it out entirely (FYI that light corn syrup is not the same thing as high fructose corn syrup!). But if you've made my cosmic brownie cookies, you know how much of a difference just a little corn syrup can make!
Shannon says
Possibly one of the best sugar cookie recipes I've made. 100% recommend.
Melissa says
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Shannon!
Teresa Taylor says
This is a very simple & great recipe. These cookies are so soft & yummy I would recommend this to anyone! Love it Ty
Melissa says
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Teresa!
Pam says
Great recipe! Measurements were exact. I used a gas oven so my cookies only needed 6 minutes
Melissa says
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Pam!