Crumbl Vanilla Sugar Cookies
This copycat recipe for Crumbl Vanilla Sugar Cookies features thick tender sugar cookies topped with a generous swirl of homemade vanilla buttercream frosting. They are easy to make (no hard to find ingredients here!), freezer-friendly, and oh so good! Try my Crumbl Fruit Pizza Cookies or S’mores Cookies next!
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I continue to add to my list of Crumbl Cookie Recipes and this one has to be a favorite. While I love the almond flavor in the Classic Pink Sugar Cookies, not everyone does. When Crumbl released their twist on the cookie, a Vanilla Sugar Cookie, it quickly became a fan favorite.
This cookie mimics the original with a sweet buttery cookie that is delicious on its own, but even more so with the generous swoosh of homemade vanilla frosting on top.
It’s such an easy recipe to make, I know you’ll love these!
Three Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- The cookies are soft and tender thanks to the confectioners’ sugar (irresistible with or without frosting!).
- They are very generously frosted and it feels a bit like eating a slice of cake. I am 100% fine with that.
- Homemade cookies means you control the ingredients and can double the recipe, freeze some for later, or switch things up however you like!
Can’t get enough cookies? Don’t forget to check out my library of Cookie Recipes including many more Crumbl-Inspired treats!
Ingredients You Will Need
The image below shows the ingredients you will need to make the sugar cookies and I also included a quick list of the buttercream ingredients too.
For the cookies: unsalted butter, confectioners’ sugar (also known as powdered sugar), granulated sugar, a large egg, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour (I suggest weighing the flour to get the correct amount and prevent dry cookies), baking powder, and salt.
For the vanilla frosting: more unsalted butter, confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream or whole milk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
How to Make Crumbl’s Vanilla Sugar Cookies
The most notable difference between these cookies and Crumbl’s Pink Sugar Cookies is the switch from almond to vanilla flavors and from pink to white icing. I also changed up my own recipe a bit so the cookie is butter-only (no oil) and the frosting is about 1.5x the amount I used on the pink ones. Yes, yes, I’m packing the butter into these!
Cream: Use a hand mixer on low speed to cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
Dry ingredients: add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the dough and beat gently until combined. Use a spatula to mix in any last streaks of flour/dry ingredients.
Chill: Honestly, I’ve made these without chilling the dough and you can skip it if you have to. The cookies will spread more however. I prefer a quick session in the fridge (only 30 minutes) to firm up the dough and give the flavors time to rest.
Scoop: use a hefty 1/3 cup scoop/disher to get big Crumbl sized cookies. Gently flatten the very top of the scoops (not pictured because I forgot!) to get a smooth finish to frost.
Bake: Careful not to overbake these. I go until the cookies are beginning to turn golden brown on the edges. Overbaking can dry out cookies.
Make the frosting: Use a hand mixer to beat the softened butter and confectioners’ sugar until incorporated. Add in the heavy cream, vanilla extract and a tiny pinch of salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
Frost: Frost each cooled cookie with a large swoosh of frosting and store chilled in the fridge.
Can I Make the Cookies Smaller (Catering Size)?
Yes! Instead of 9-10 large cookies, you could use a smaller cookie scoop to portion the dough into up to 24 cookies. Gently flatten the tops of the scoops lightly with your fingers or a glass and bake for less time to compensate for the smaller size. I would start with about 9 minutes and pull the cookies when they are lightly golden brown on just the edges.
More Tips and Tricks
Cookies too sweet? Like all things Crumbl, these cookies are sweet! If you prefer a less-sweet/more buttery cookie, cut the confectioners’ sugar down to 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup. You can also frost with a thinner layer of frosting and freeze the remainder for another future batch or use.
Cookies too dry? Over-measuring the flour is usually the culprit. Pick up a kitchen scale and you will LOVE it. Perfect cookies every time and you can skip washing measuring cups each time you bake.
Another possibility with dry cookies is that they were overbaked. We just want a slight tinge of golden brown on the edges of these cookies before pulling them from the oven. Having an oven thermometer is also handy to check if your oven is running hot or cold.
Can’t get enough cookies? Don’t forget to check out my growing list of Crumbl Copycat Recipes.
How to Store the Cookies
Store frosted cookies in the fridge for up to 5 days. Use an air-tight container. Unfrosted cookies can be stored at room temp or in the fridge, whereas the frosting should be stored in the fridge.
How to Freeze the Cookies
For long-term storage, cookies can also be frozen (frosted or unfrosted) for 1-2 months in freezer-safe packaging.
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Crumbl Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter soft, room temp (8 ounces)
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 4 ounces
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 3.5 ounces
- 1 large egg room temp
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 10 ounces
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temp, 6 ounces
- 2 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar 9 ounces
- 1 ½ tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Beat 2-3 minutes until the mixture is lighter in color and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat until just combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the dough and beat it in on low. Use a spatula to mix in any remaining flour. Don't overmix.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes to firm up the dough and allow the flavors to meld. If you have to skip, that's ok, but the cookies will spread more.
- Divide dough into 9-10 cookies using a 1/3 cup scoop/disher or similar. Place the scoops of cookie dough 3” apart on a baking sheet and gently press down with a small flat-bottom glass or your fingers until each cookie is about 3/4” thick.No cookie scoop? Divide the dough as evenly as you can, roll into balls, and gently flatten them to about 3/4" thick on the baking sheets.
- Bake cookies one tray at a time for about 14-16 minutes until turning golden brown on the edges. The centers will still be soft/slightly underbaked. Allow to cool completely on cooling racks before frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter with a hand mixer on low speed for about 1 minute to loosen it up. Add in the confectioners' sugar in three or four additions, beating it in between additions.
- Once the sugar is completely incorporated, add in the heavy cream, vanilla extract and a tiny pinch of salt. Now, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for 2-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl as needed to fully fluff all the frosting. If you'd like the frosting to be a bit thinner, add more cream slowly in very small amounts.
- Frost each cooled cookie with a large swoosh of frosting and store chilled in the fridge. I like to allow the cookie to sit at room temp for 5-10 minutes to just slightly soften the frosting before digging in.Once the frosting has set a bit, the cookies can be gently stacked (I go with two layers max) with wax paper or parchment paper in between the layers.
