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This cream cheese frosting for cookies is thick, tangy, and sets perfectly without being overly sweet. It spreads beautifully and hardens just enough for stacking!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
This is a brief summary of the recipe. Jump to the recipe to get the full details.
Jump to RecipePrep Time
5 minutes
Total Time
5 minutes
Servings
24 cookies
Difficulty
Easy
Calories *
90 kcal per serving
Technique
Cream butter and cream cheese, add sugar, vanilla, and cream.
Flavor Profile
Creamy, tangy, and perfectly sweet cream cheese frosting.
* Based on nutrition panel
I needed a frosting that wasn’t overly sweet for a batch of sugar cookies. This spread easily without tearing them! My family said it tasted like a lighter version of cheesecake topping and they already asked me to put it on the next batch of cookies I’m making tomorrow. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lauren
Why You’ll Love This Cream Cheese Frosting
- Not too sweet. The balance of cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, and heavy cream keeps this frosting from being cloyingly sweet.
- Sets beautifully. Thanks to the confectioner’s sugar, this frosting firms up enough to stack cookies or pack them for gifting.
- Works with all your favorites! I’ve used this on pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies, cinnamon sugar cookies, and even these butterscotch blondies.
Table of Contents
If we are being honest, cream cheese frosting is my favorite frosting! You can use it to make frosted red velvet cookies, but it is also the perfect frosting for this soft sugar cookie recipe or these chocolate sugar cookies! It is also phenomenal sandwiched between two thick chocolate chip cookies or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
Icing cookies requires a thicker frosting than you would use to frost cakes. The more powdered sugar you add, the thicker the cream cheese frosting becomes, so it is a delicate balance between thickness and sweetness.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butter
- Cream Cheese: Full fat original Philadelphia Cream Cheese is best. You can use reduced-fat, but whipped cream cheese will make the frosting too loose.
- Powdered Sugar: The sugar helps stabilize the frosting and gives it structure for piping or spreading.
- Vanilla Extract
- Heavy Cream: I like to use full-fat heavy cream, which is sometimes labeled heavy whipping cream.
Variations
- Add color. Gel food coloring works best. Make a few colors and swirl them on top of these funfetti cookies!
- Flavor it with extracts. Try almond extract, maple extract, or coffee extract.
- Mix in extra flavor! Add dehydrated strawberry powder to make the frosting naturally pink and strawberry-flavored, or add some lemon juice for tang, or add some bourbon, like I do when I make the best red velvet cake recipe!
- Make it chocolate. Mix in cocoa powder or melted chocolate for a chocolate cream cheese frosting.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting for Cookies
Use these instructions to make the best cream cheese frosting! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Cream base. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the room temperature butter and cream cheese. This can also be done with a hand mixer.
Step 2: Add sugar. Slowly add the powdered sugar, then the vanilla, until the mixture is light and smooth. Sift the powdered sugar if it’s super lumpy.
If you want your frosting white, omit the vanilla or use clear vanilla extract.
Step 3: Whip. Switch to the whisk attachment. Add heavy cream and whisk on high until light and fluffy.
Step 4: Frost cookies immediately or chill the frosting briefly if piping.
This cream cheese frosting for cookies is thick, tangy, and sets perfectly without being overly sweet. It spreads beautifully and hardens just enough for stacking!
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
For an even thicker frosting, omit the heavy cream.
Recipe FAQs
Store frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Once you’ve frosted cookies, they can stay at room temperature for up to 3 days before the cream cheese spoils. For longer storage, refrigerate frosted cookies for up to a week.
This recipe is specifically designed for cookies. For cakes, use my cream cheese buttercream frosting instead—it’s lighter and tangier! Plus, it pipes beautifully.
Cold butter or cream cheese. Let them come to room temperature before mixing. Or you can condition them both separately before combining.
It sets to a soft firmness—not rock hard like royal icing with meringue powder, but firm enough to stack cookies without smudging.
Cookie Recipes for Your Cream Cheese Frosting
Date Night
Red Velvet Cookies
Pumpkin Dessert Recipes
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
Cookie Recipes
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Cookie Recipes
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Brownies & Bars Recipes
Gingerbread Blondies
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Cream Cheese Frosting for Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 6 tablespoons cream cheese softened
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the room temperature butter and cream cheese.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar, then the vanilla until light and smooth.
- Switch to the whisk attachment. Add heavy cream and whisk on high until light and fluffy.
- Frost cookies immediately or chill briefly if piping.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this frosting recipe. Check out our other delicious cookie recipes, these easy buttercream and frosting recipes, or use your new frosting powers on these gingerbread blondies!
I needed a frosting that wasn’t overly sweet for a batch of sugar cookies. This spread easily without tearing them! My family said it tasted like a lighter version of cheesecake topping and they already asked me to put it on the next batch of cookies I’m making tomorrow.
When I finished making this frosting, my daughter and I went about our merry way and decorated cookies with it. Went to clean up and saw my block of cream cheese still sitting on the counter. No where in the instructions does it say to use the cream cheese, although it is listed in the ingredients. Oops!! 🤷🏼♀️
Whoa Tiara! You’re totally right, I’ll update that when I get back to my laptop on Tuesday. Thank you so much for commenting, and I hope you enjoyed your cookies {baking with your child is something I can’t wait to do! My little one is still so little 😆}