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Desserts | March 11, 2011

Pan Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

If you have known me for any length of time, you have probably had one of these. I originally posted Pan Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies back in September of ’08, when I first started blogging. I love sugar cookies. What makes a great sugar cookie? Soft, sweet, tender, great frosting.
 
 
 
 
5 from 1 vote
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Pan Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

The best sugar cookie ever! Pan Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies are baked in a sheet pan instead of rolling and cutting out induvidually. Perfect dessert for a crowd and for make ahead.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword pan cookie, sugar cookie, sugar cookie icing, sugar cookies
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
cooling time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 24
Author abountifulkitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 8 oz cream cheese (only regular, no low or no-fat) softened
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional but recommended)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla (optional, or you may use 1 1/2 teaspons vanilla and omit almond extract)* see recipe notes
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 ½ cups All Purpose flour

Frosting:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 4 oz cream cheese – only regular (full fat) softened (see recipe notes)
  • 3 ½-4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • dash of salt
  • milk or half and half to thin icing
  • food coloring if desired

Instructions

  1. Set rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees while making cookie dough. Generously grease a jelly roll pan with cooking spray or butter. Set aside.

  2. Cream 1 cup unsalted butter and 8 oz cream cheese together for about 1 minute in a stand mixer. Add granulated sugar. Mix for an additional minute on medium speed.

  3. Add egg, almond and vanilla extract, blend until smooth.

  4. Mix in all of the dry ingredients at once. Do not over mix. Mix just until wet and dry ingredients are incorporated on low speed.

  5. Spread the dough into the pan with a long knife or spatula. I usually sprinkle some flour on the dough, so it is easier to spread. You can also use a mini rolling pin (floured) to spread the dough. Try not to press the dough too much, just spread into the pan evenly.

  6. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cook just until the top is light golden brown. Let cool completely. While cookie is cooling, make sugar cookie icing.

Sugar Cookie Icing

  1. Cream 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 4 oz softened cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer.

  2. Add vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth.

  3. Add milk a little at a time, until the frosting is spreading consistency.

  4. When the pan of cookies are cooled completely, top with sugar cookie icing. Refrigerate, covered until ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

  • When making this or any other recipe, make sure to follow directions and ingredients precisely for best results. Make sure to use regular and not low fat or no fat cream cheese in this recipe. The texture of the cookies and icing depends on using regular cream cheese! 
  • As with traditional sugar cookies, this dough is best when handled as little as possible. After making the dough, remove from bowl and spread into the sheet pan using a large knife or spatula. You may spray the spreader with a bit of cooking spray or LIGHTLY sprinkle the top of dough with a little flour to help with ease of evenly spreading the dough into the sheet pan. Do not press the dough too much. The more the dough is pressed into the pan, the tougher the dough becomes. Spread and then bake!
  • The dough should be baked just until the top is light golden in color or a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan of dough comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached!
  • The sugar cookie dough calls for 1 teaspoon almond flavoring and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. If you dislike almond flavoring, you may leave it out. The flavor is very subtle and most people who love this cookie love the almond flavoring. If omitting almond, you may use vanilla in its place.  I use pure vanilla extract, but always have a large container of imitation almond extract on hand and have had great results with imitation almond for this recipe. 
  • Make sure to GENEROUSLY grease the pan to prevent sticking of the dough. You may also use a sheet of parchment. 

26 thoughts on “Pan Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

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  1. Well, here I am leaving a comment in hopes to make Spencer's day, week year, maybe even LIFE!!! We are Jimmer fans in our house for many reasons, but since I'm writing the comment, I'll tell you a couple of reasons why I love the guy. First of all he so closely resembles one of my very handsome cousins so there is some kind of emotional connection, second he IS an amazing basketball player, and last but not least I'm impressed with his ability to communicate. He's just a nice kid! And by the way, I made these delicious Pan Sugar Cookies long ago after an earlier post and we love them! Thanks Si!

  2. We have a house FULL of boys with Jimmer fever. Cougs fans, through and through. My son has been following Jimmer intently all year and would LOVE to don that Cougar blue with Jimmer's number on his chest! I would prefer the Youth Large, but the Adult Large would make my hubby happy too, I'm sure. [email protected]

  3. My favorite tourney memory. When Utah went to the final four. I am not kidding either, because unlike some people I know, we are BYU fans…not Utah haters:)
    Youth large, like I had to put that.

  4. WOW—- a sweet treat and a Jimmer jersey….the Large Adult please. We love B ball at my house. We always do college brackets and pick a winner. Who's ever team goes the farthest, gets to choose dinner for the family….always a restaurant, never home cooked food…because I don't cook recipes, I just read them and drool!

  5. Those treats look yummy! I am hoping for a youth jersey since my kids love Jimmer. My husband and I also love to watch Jimmer do his thing. Thanks for your post!

    lund[dot]jennifer[at]gmail[dot]com

  6. Can't help but have Jimmer fever…what's not to love?? I may or may not give it to my son at BYU to wear during the tourney 'cause an adult large would fit me too!! Ü

  7. You are making a pregnant girl drool, literally, over those delectable looking cookies. I want them now!! 🙁 (But please, no BYU jersey, blech!)

  8. First of all let me say that I have only had these sugar cookies once, and i'm pretty sure i've known you for at least ten years. But the one time I had it I absolutely LOVED it!!!! Second-Adult Large- And What I love is that My family is such a UoU family but my extended family –cousins and grandpa–are HUGE BYU fans. We can go at it all day long. Dad bought a UoU summer canopy that we set up on family vacation and all hope that grandpa won't have a heart attack when he realizes that the U is shading him.
    ANother fave. memory is last season is when I finally got into the whole march madness–Living with my aunts it is the only thing we watch for the season. Finally I was able to actually understand what was going on and what was happening during the game.
    And the third fave (You did say after all that I get two entries so I'm trying to do my part) Is when making my college bracket I like to choose winning teams based on color of jerseys/ most attractive point guard/ or mascot. And I always seem to get pretty far! 🙂

  9. Youth Large for us. I almost think you should just give it over because we have had major jimmermania this year. It's been a fun season. I hope my favorite tournament moment is this year! [email protected]. I'm a follower too!

  10. Mark sent me your link and I think I am going to have to make those cookies! Yummy! We would love the youth large. Grady has Jimmer fever pretty bad but it is safe to say he has bball fever in general. Since we cheer for both teams we watch A LOT of sports at our house. My favorite memory this season is watching Grady shoot hoops on his little indoor hoop while watching BYU and the Utes battle it out. At 3 years old he is so into it! [email protected]

  11. First off I can't believe you even allowed those blue things in your house…anyway we are big fans so the adult large would be our choice. I do remember the Utes playing for the championship. We were in Boston and we were the only two people in the sports bar cheering on our home team…hostile, but fun.

  12. My in laws definitely have Jimmer Fever. Adult large please. I, not a huge sports fan, married into a family where they calculate the seasons by which sport they are fanatically following. So my basketball memory of the year…coming back from shopping while on vacation, to spend 2 hours in a hotel room watching BYU and Jimmer beat SDSU. Gotta love it. (note the sarcasm) 🙂 Although I would be the favorite daughter-in-law for the year if I won this for them! [email protected]

  13. Forgot to mention in our first post that we would love the adult large! Also, what constitutes a "follower"? I drool over and make many of your recipes…does that count? If so, enter me twice 🙂 Thanks Si!

  14. Love those Cookies! I might have to make some tomorrow.

    My fav NCAA memory-watching the Utes play in the final four in San Antonio.

    Jimmer Jersey-Adult Large. If I win it will be given away to a good friend. If I win, the jersey will have to be given away immediately. My son has had enough of Jimmer fever!

  15. Those cookies look beyond fabulous!

    My favorite NCAA memory was last year when my work did a March Madness bracket contest with a big Easter basket prize. I ended up winning! (Good guessing probably!)

    My husband would love the adult large jersey.

    [email protected]

  16. 5 stars
    What size pan do you make these in? I made them in a half sheet pan from Gygi, and maybe I didn’t spread the batter thin enough, but it only covered about 3/4 of the pan. Absolutely delicious, though!

    1. Hi Tarra,
      Sorry I missed this comment / question earlier. I use a half sheet pan, which measures about 13×18. you have to spread the dough quite thin!