Sugar Cookies With Raspberry Frosting

Sugar cookies are practically a staple in our house from December through February (and all through the rest of the year if I’m being honest). Christmas lends itself to whimsical sweets, and we like to keep that tradition going through Valentine’s Day, along with many of our other favorite Valentine treats. To switch it up a bit, we top our heart shaped sugar cookies with a sweet and tangy raspberry cream cheese frosting that will absolutely knock your socks off! The fruit creates a natural pink color perfect for this time of year, and is a delicious variation to our classic Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. Your sweethearts young and old will all adore these cookies! If you do any baking at all, you probably have all the items to make this classic sugar cookie recipe right in your pantry already. No fussy or unusual ingredients here! Just butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, almond or vanilla extract and flour. That’s it! These homemade sugar cookies come together in a snap! And this recipe is versatile, you can use it over and over again to create goodies for every occasion.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

The Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting is the star of the show! It is such a treat, you’ll love it! And it’s really simple to make. The raspberries turn the frosting a glorious shade of pink. It’s something to behold! It is all natural – no food coloring here.

Getting the Right Consistency

The thickness of the frosting is up to you. This is kind of a delicate dance, where you’re the leader. If you want the frosting thicker, add powdered sugar a little at a time. If you want the frosting thinner, add some of the drained raspberry juice a little at a time. When making the frosting for cakes or cupcakes, you may want to whip in a little extra confectioner’s sugar and some heavy cream (a tablespoon at a time) on high speed until you reach a more fluffy consistency. This will make it easier to pipe or to add between cake layers.

Ingredients in Raspberry Frosting

Cream cheese – softened Softened butter – salted or unsalted butter works great Raspberries – fresh or frozen Extracts – we use both vanilla and almond extract Confectioners sugar (aka powdered sugar)

Raspberry Options

For this recipe you can use fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries. You can even use raspberry puree or raspberry jam. To make your own pureed raspberries, you can place the raspberries in a food processor or blender and process until pureed. If you prefer your raspberry frosting smooth and without seeds, you can press the raspberries through a sieve and make a raspberry sauce. Just use ½ cup raspberry sauce instead of the fresh or frozen raspberries in the recipe.

Suggestions for this Recipe:

Be sure to start with ROOM TEMPERATURE butter and cream cheese. If you’re a fan of soft, chewy cookies don’t over bake! Start the cookies out in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, and then check on them. If you prefer a crispier cookie, roll them thinner and extend the baking time slightly. Try other kinds of berries in the frosting! Blueberries, strawberries or blackberries blend perfectly with cream cheese to create decadent, dreamy icing with beautiful natural colors. After frosting your cookies you may have some icing leftover. If you’re like me, you’ll be more than happy to sample some with a spoon, but you can also store it in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. It’s never lasted that long in my house, but theoretically it will stay fresh for that long in the fridge. I like to make a big batch of these cookies and freeze them unfrosted. You can keep them in the freezer for up to three months. After they’re frosted and kept on the counter, they’ll stay nice and fresh for a few days. Make sure to keep them in ziplock bags or an airtight container for storage. This recipe makes just about 8 large round cookies – approximately 5 inches in diameter. I almost always double the batch.

Read More: 35+ Valentine’s Day Dessert Recipes

There’s a sugar cookie for any time, any season! Here are a few of our frosted favorites that we bake year-round: