These cute little Sugar Cookie Cups topped with frosting and sprinkles or other toppings make perfect mini desserts for any party or holiday.
Baked in mini muffin pans, these cupcake-shaped cookies are super easy to make and they look adorable once decorated for a holiday or special occasion.
We've already shared recipes to make chocolate chip cookie cups, peanut butter cookie cups, Snickerdoodle cookie cups, strawberry cookie cups, and more (see all of our cookie cup recipes, here) but today I'll show you how to make sugar cookie cups.
This recipe is similar to our delicious cut-out sugar cookie recipe.
The cut-out cookie recipe worked as a base for this recipe but had to be adjusted so the cookies would spread into a cup shape in the pan. To accomplish this, I added more butter to the recipe.
Not only do the cookies spread more easily, but they have a rich buttery flavor which is really nice.
Once baked, the cookies are soft and chewy and are perfectly shaped for toppings like frosting, fruit curd, cookie spread, peanut butter, Dulce de Leche, and more.
For these cookies, I chose to top mine with vanilla and chocolate frosting, orange and cherry curd, and Biscoff Cookie Spread. Each of these toppings gave the cookies a very unique flavor.
To make the cookies look really fun, I encourage you to add sprinkles, chopped nuts, toffee bits, or Crispearls (tiny balls of crisp rice cereal dipped with chocolate or colored-white chocolate).
Let's bake some cookies!
Ingredients
sugar cookie ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- salt - Table salt works best.
- baking powder - Always make sure your baking powder is fresh.
- butter - Use unsalted butter that has been slightly softened. When you press your finger into the butter, it should give slightly. I find that cutting the butter into slices and letting them sit in the mixing bowl for 15 minutes works great. If you prefer to use salted butter, just eliminate the salt from the recipe.
- granulated sugar
- egg
- vanilla extract
- almond extract (or other extracts)
flavorings
I enjoy flavoring my sugar cookie dough with almond extract but depending on the toppings you plan to add, you may want to use lemon, orange, cake batter, maple, peppermint, strawberry, or coconut extract instead. Or simply use vanilla.
frosting ingredients
You can simply use a tub of Duncan Hines Whipped White Frosting to decorate your cookie or you can make a batch of homemade buttercream frosting using the ingredients listed below.
- butter - You can use unsalted butter or salted butter to make this filling. Just be sure to allow it to soften so that it's similar in texture to the shortening.
- shortening - Use shortening to give the filling a whiter appearance and a flavor that is more similar to an OREO Cookie filling.
- vanilla extract - Pure vanilla extract will give you the best flavor.
- confectioners powdered sugar - I recommend sifting the powdered sugar to remove any lumps before mixing the filling.
- heavy whipping cream or milk - You'll need to thin out your frosting using cream or milk. Either work fine.
See the recipe card for quantities and the recipe.
To make chocolate frosting, I simply added some sifted cocoa powder to the frosting, then thinned it out with a bit of cream.
Equipment
- mixing bowls - I love using Pampered Chef Batter Bowl. They have sturdy handles which makes mixing easier.
- hand-held mixer or stand mixer - This dough can be made using a hand-held mixer or even a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. I love my Confetti (sprinkles) Silicone Spatulas.
- non-stick mini muffin pan - Use one 24-cavity pan or two 12-cavity pans.
- baking spray - Spray just the insides of the muffin pan with baking spray.
- disposable pastry bags or regular pastry bags with a coupler
- 1M open star piping tip
Instructions
Cut the slightly softened butter into small pieces and place them in a mixing bowl. Pour the granulated sugar on top.
Beat on medium speed until creamy about 3 minutes if using a hand mixer or 2 minutes if using a stand mixer.
Crack open an egg into a small bowl.
Lightly beat the egg.
Add the egg to the sugar and butter and beat until well blended 30-45 seconds.
Pour the vanilla and almond extract into the bowl.
Beat until creamy and smooth about 30 seconds.
Blend together the flour, baking powder, and salt using a fork or whisk.
Pour the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl.
Beat on low speed until the dough comes together.
Use your hands to mix the dough until it comes together in a ball. Do not overmix the dough.
Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough into a mini muffin pan that's been greased with baking spray.
Roll the dough into balls then flatten the balls into cupcake shapes in the muffin pan. The top edges will be smoother if you roll the dough first.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 14-16 minutes until the edges are browned and the top of the cookies are no longer shiny.
If you use a really dark (black) non-stick pan, you'll want to lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Allow the sugar cookie cups to cool for about 20 minutes, then carefully turn the pan over and allow the cookies to fall out. Turn the cookies right side up and set them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Variations
These cookies look and taste great when topped with a variety of toppings.
Vanilla frosting is a perfect topping for these sugar cookie cups. Fill a pastry bag that's fitted with a large 1M open star tip with your frosting. Pipe a big swirl of frosting onto your cookie cups.
To decorate the frosted cookie cup, sprinkle on some rainbow Crispearls or your favorite sprinkles. I love the look and taste of the Crispearls. They are tiny balls of crisp rice cereal coated in white chocolate.
Frosting crusts as it air drys so be sure to add the sprinkles after you pipe the frosting onto each cookie otherwise the sprinkles may not stick.
Creamy chocolate frosting looks and tastes great on these cookies too. Fill a pastry bag with frosting and pipe on a swirl.
Then, add rainbow jimmies on top. The bright colors contrast nicely against the dark brown frosting. Red heart sprinkles would look great too.
You can pipe swirls of orange curd, lemon curd, or lime curd onto your cookie cups too. Curd is a little softer than frosting but it does hold a swirl nicely.
Just before you serve your cookie cups, dust some powdered sugar over the top. Just know that the powdered sugar will melt into the curd over time.
If you plan to add orange curd, lemon curd, or lime curd, you might want to swap out the almond extract for another flavoring. You can use lemon or orange extract or you can add the zest of a lemon, orange, or lime to the cookie dough.
I found jars of cherry curd and was excited to try it as a topping on these cookies. It tasted great. I think it would be delicious on chocolate cookie cups too.
A little of dusting of powdered sugar was a nice contrast to the tart cherry flavor of the curd. Plus, the white powder looks pretty against the deep burgundy curd.
Storage
You can store plain cookie cups at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 7 days. I store mine in 5.5 cup Rubbermaid Containers. They are the perfect size for cookie cups.
If you add frosting or Biscoff Cookie Spread, they will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days, and if you add fruit curd for up to 2 days.
Freeze the plain cookie cups in zip-top bags or airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies before adding your toppings.
Top Tips
Roll the sugar cookie dough into balls then flatten it into a cup shape before placing the dough in the cupcake cavities in the muffin pan. This will ensure your cookie cups have a nice shape to them.
Rotate the pan halfway through the baking cycle so the cookies brown more evenly. The cookies on the outer edges of the pan will be darker than those in the middle.
Related
Looking for more sugar cookie recipes? Try these...
Recipe
sugar cookie cups
Soft and chewy sugar cookie cups topped with frosting, fruit curd, or Biscoff Cookie Spread are the perfect sized dessert for a party, holiday, or special occasion.
Ingredients
cookie dough
- 256 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, softened slightly
- ¾ cups (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (or other extract like lemon)
vanilla frosting
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
- 4 tablespoons shortening
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk
chocolate frosting
- add 3 tablespoons cocoa powder to the vanilla frosting
optional toppings
- sprinkles, chopped nuts, toffee bits, Crispearls
- fruit curd
- Biscoff Cookie Spread, peanut butter, Dulce de Leche
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 C) or 325 degrees F if using a dark(black) non-stick pan.
- Grease 19 cavities in a non-stick mini muffin pan with baking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed using a hand-held mixer for about 3 minutes or using a stand mixer for about 2 minutes until creamy and lighter in color. Scrape down the bowl midway through mixing.
- Lightly beat the egg then add it to the sugar mixture and beat for about 30-45 seconds until creamy and smooth.
- Scrape down the bowl, then mix in the vanilla and almond extract until blended.
- Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- Use your hand to pull the dough together into a ball.
- Scoop out 19 2-tablespoon-size balls of cookie dough, roll them into balls, flatten them into cups shapes, then place them in the mini muffin cups.
- Flatten the cookie dough in the cups pressing down to ensure the dough fills the cups.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes, rotating the pan midway through the baking cycle, until the edges of the cookie cups turn golden brown and the top of the cookies no longer look wet.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a cooling rack.
- Allow the cookie cups to cool for 20 minutes in the pan.
- Then, remove carefully and invert the pan allowing the cookies to fall out onto your counter.
- Turn the cookies right-side-up, place them on a cooling rack, and allow them to cool completely for about 25 minutes.
- If making the frosting, beat the softened butter, shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of cream or milk in a mixing bowl on medium speed until combined. Then, beat, adding more cream or milk if needed, until fluffy and smooth. If making chocolate frosting, add the cocoa powder with the powdered sugar. Add more cream or milk if needed to make the frosting creamy and smooth.
- To decorate the cookie cups, fill a pastry bag fitted with a large 1M open star piping tip. Pipe a swirl of frosting over one of the cookies. Immediately add sprinkles. Repeat.
- If using lemon, orange, Iime, or cherry curd, fill a pastry bag with a large 1M open star piping tip and pipe a swirl of curd onto a cookie cup. Just before serving dust with powdered sugar.
- To use Biscoff Cookie spread, creamy peanut butter, or Dulce de Leche, fill a pastry bag fitted with a large 1M open star piping tip with the topping. Pipe a swirl on a cookie, then sprinkle on some toffee bits, chopped nuts, or sprinkles.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
storing your cookie cups
Store your plain cookie cups at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 7 days. If frosted or topped with cookie spread, peanut butter, or Dulce de Leche, the cookie cups will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days, and if topped with fruit curd for 2 days.
Freeze the plain cookie cups for up to 3 months.
measuring flour
It's best to weigh your flour so you get the most accurate measurement. If you don't have a kitchen scale, spoon the all-purpose flour into your measuring cup, then scrape across the top of the cup removing the excess.
softening butter
Soften the butter until it is just soft enough to press your finger into it leaving an impression. To soften butter quickly, cut it into small tablespoon-size pieces, and set them in a single layer in the mixing bowl for 15-20 minutes. It should be soft enough to cream with the sugar at this point.
calories
The calories listed are for a single cookie cup only. Total calories including frosting, fruit curd, Biscoff Cookie Spread, sprinkles, nuts, and more will vary.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
19Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 148Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 102mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g
HowToMakeEasyCookies.com offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you use to create this recipe.
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