These soft, thick, vanilla-almond sugar cookies are inspired by the infamous Utah soda shop "Swig" cookies (and taste very similar to the Crumbl pink sugar cookie!). A true family favorite!
Reader Brianna said, "This is my second time making your recipe— these are the real deal swig cookies!! I’ve tried several other copycat recipes out there, but this is the most authentic!"
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Why I Love These Chilled Pink Sugar Cookies
- Thick & Soft: The secret to making these SO good is to make them thick! I like to roll these ⅜-1/2" thick (I prefer ½") for the best texture.
- Full of flavor: The combination of vanilla and almond extract gives these a sweet, bakery-style flavor like the Crumbl, Sodalicious, or Swig cookies!
- Giant! No small cookies here! Be sure to make these at least 3" in diameter, so that the center is soft and perfectly dense.
Tips for Success
- Don't overbake: The trick to the dense, yet soft texture is to only bake them until you see the tiniest amount of brown on the edges. They will look a little underbaked but will finish baking on the hot pan after they come out of the oven.
- Roll thick & big: For a Crumbl-style cookie, you need to roll them a minimum of ⅜" thick (this is the largest ring on my adjustable rolling pin) and around 3" in diameter. I personally like to roll them ½" thick when I really want a dense, thick cookie!
- Use flour to roll: The dough is a little softer than a typical roll-out sugar cookie dough, so it can be helpful to roll it in between two pieces of parchment paper that have been dusted with flour.
- Use a toothpick for the frosting! It's easy to use too much food coloring, so if you want to achieve that signature pale pink color, dip a toothpick in the food coloring and swipe across the frosting. This way, you can control the amount and build it up to the color you want.
- Chill before eating: After frosting, I recommend placing them in the refrigerator for them to chill and set a bit. It's not necessary but will help all the flavors mesh together and gives the cookies an amazing texture.
Vanilla Almond Buttercream
What makes these cookies so good is the pink almond frosting! It's a super soft, spreadable buttercream that gives the cookies a nice finishing touch. Because the dough isn't as sweet as some of the recipes I've made, the frosting adds a vanilla almond flavor that meshes so well with the cookie.
Storage, freezing, gifting
- Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing: These cookies freeze well! To avoid messing up the frosting, freeze the frosted cookies in a single layer on the cookie sheet and then transfer them to a container. Use parchment in between each stacked later. For ultimate flavor preservation, once frozen, wrap each cookie in plastic wrap.
- Gifting: Package them up in cute plastic bags with tags or boxes and give to friends, coworkers, or family! These make the perfect giftable cookie on their own, as they are big and substantial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these without almond extract?
You can, they just won't have that signature Crumbl or Swig flavor! To do so, just replace the almond with more vanilla extract.
Can I use this for other cut-out shapes?
You could certainly cut them as other shapes, but because this dough is soft & spreads a little, I would stick to super basic shapes.
Chilled Pink Sugar Cookie
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough
- ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract this gives it the iconic flavor but you can replace with more vanilla, if needed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Vanilla Almond Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 drops red food coloring
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.
- In a large bowl, cream together softened unsalted butter (¾ cup, i.e. 1 ½ sticks) and granulated sugar (¾ cup) on medium speed for 20-30 seconds. You do not need to whip it, just until it's incorporated.
- While mixer is on medium speed, add in egg (1 large), vanilla extract (1 ½ teaspoons) and almond extract (½ teaspoon).
- Add baking powder (1 teaspoon), salt (½ teaspoon), and all-purpose flour (½ cup at a time on low speed).
- Once mixture is combined and all the flour disappears, transfer dough to the piece of floured parchment paper. Press mixture into large ball so that it is all incorporated and any loose, floury pieces are pressed in.
- Use a rolling pin to roll dough ⅜ - ½" thick. *This dough is softer than many roll-out sugar cookie doughs, so if needed, you can place a piece of parchment paper on top as you roll.
- Use a 3" circle cookie cutter (or drinking glass) to cut out and transfer to a parchment baking sheet.
- Bake at 350℉ for 11-12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may look underdone at 11 minutes, but I recommend removing them from the oven before seeing any brown on the edges.Allow the cookies to cool on the hot pan for 15-20 minutes until transferring to a cooling rack.
- To Make Frosting: In a large bowl, whip softened unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e., 1 stick) on high speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), almond extract (1 teaspoon), and salt (⅛ teaspoon). On medium/low speed, begin adding in powdered sugar (½ cup at a time, 1 ½ cups total) until all is incorporated. Mix at high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Once cookies are completely cooled, spread or pipe on frosting.
- Store in airtight container for 3-4 days for ultimate freshness. For variety, store cookies in refrigerator for a chilled version (my favorite way to eat them!)
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.
Nutrition
Have you tried an original Swig or Crubml pink sugar cookie? If so, if you end up making these I'd love to hear how you think these compare!
Jen says
The taste and texture of these are delicious. I don’t like rolling out cookies, so I formed balls and then pressed each ball down with the bottom of a cup dipped in sugar. They may not be as pretty as roll out but they’re yummy! Thanks for the great recipe, saving :)
Melissa says
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Jen! Thank you so much for leaving a review, I really appreciate it!
Brooke says
How long should these be chilled for?
Melissa says
They don't have to chill too long, maybe an hour to get the chilled cookie effect!
Kristi says
Second time using this recipe and they are the best!!!
Mollie says
Omg my new go to cookie recipe 😍 this recipe was very simple and super delicious. I love them chilled!! The hardest part was rolling out the dough 😂 thank you for this great recipe dupe :)
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Mollie! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Adut Acuoth says
These cookies are absolutely amazing! The dough is just perfect to work with and the taste is so amazing! It tastes good with and without frosting, definitely my favourite sugar cookie recipe!
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Alycea says
Love love love this recipe! I think I like these more than crumble and swig and recipe was easy to follow!
Melissa says
I am so happy that you found this recipe easy to follow and delicious Alycea!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Sue Scanlon says
I made these cookies for a church gathering and just referred to them as “sugar cookies”. A friend who grew up out west (we are both in Connecticut now) knew that these had a different name and were from a soda shop in Utah so you clearly nailed the recipe! They were a hit.
Melissa says
So glad that you and your friends enjoyed these cookies Sue!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Sabrina says
LOVE THIS! It was super easy to make and tastes amazing, the only thing I would add is that the frosting is way too sweet for MY liking, obviously you have your own opinion but I would alter that. Overall- probably one of the best cookie recipes I’ve tried out!
Melissa says
So glad you loved them, Sabrina! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
You might like my cream cheese cookie frosting better, as the cream cheese cuts the sweetness of the typical sweet buttercream!
alice says
these cookies are so good!!
would recommend :D
Melissa says
Thank you Alice for leaving a review. I am glad that you enjoyed these cookies!
Janea says
Easy to make cookies that are delicious! Love the icing! Will be making these again! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Melissa says
Thank you Janea for leaving this wonderful review. I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!
Brianna says
This is my second time making your recipe— these are the real deal swig cookies!! I’ve tried several other copycat recipes out there, but this is the most authentic!
Melissa says
Ahh this makes me so happy! I'm so glad you love them as much as I do. I too had tried several copycat recipes (and also tried their boxed mix!) and could never get that signature texture/flavor until these!
Sue says
I have real swig cookies in my freezer. Visited there a couple weeks ago. Bought one and half dz. Heavy cookies. Delicious. Cross between shortbread and sugar. Smooth edges. So so good.
Melissa says
Oh man, I'm jealous of your freezer stash! I miss going to Swig now that I moved away from Utah!
Caroline says
I've never heard of a swig cookie before (I live in Australia), but these look amazing! Thanks for the recipe :)
ELISE LANEY says
Get in my belly!!! These look sooooo good. :)