Nutella lovers, unite! These cream cheese cut-out cookies with Nutella glaze are the softest, thickest, and creamiest sugar cookies to ever come out of my oven. They stack and store for easy transport, so you can bring them to cookie exchanges, parties, or any gathering. (Or pack them in your own personal lunchbox!)
Like my original sugar cookies, this new recipe for cream cheese cut-out sugar cookie dough is extra soft, while still holding its shape for cutting out with cookie cutters. Cream cheese makes the dough extra soft and creamy, which I love in so many cookie recipes, like apricot cream cheese thumbprints and maple walnut tassies. Whenever I need a flavor upgrade from plain sugar cookies, this is the recipe I choose!
Here’s a handful of reasons why I know you’ll love them too:
- The dough is so easy to work with
- The cookies hold their shape beautifully
- They include almond extract, which is fantastic paired with Nutella
- Each bite is soft, smooth, and creamy
- No fussy piping tips or decoration required
Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies Details
- Texture: Super soft + smooth + thick + creamy = PERFECT.
- Flavor: Enjoy a little tang, a little sweet, and a whole lot of nutty Nutella icing on top. They’re like regular sugar cookies but with a flavorful flair!
- Ease: The dough and glaze are easy to prepare, but you’ll need a couple special tools like cookie cutters and a rolling pin. Plus, Nutella is super sticky and thick, so it’s easiest to use a handheld or stand mixer to beat all the icing ingredients together.
- Time: Though this recipe does take a few hours to complete, most of the time is spent waiting for the dough to chill. I promise they’re worth the wait!
Key Ingredients in These Cookies
- Brick-Style Cream Cheese: Follow my #1 cream cheese rule: choose the right cream cheese for baking. Don’t reach for cream cheese spread sold in a tub. You know the stuff you schmear on bagels? Not that. Cream cheese in the tub is much thinner because it’s meant for spreading. You want the more solid bricks of cream cheese. The 8-ounce bricks of cream cheese are perfect for cooking and baking. You’ll need 4 ounces, or half of an 8-ounce brick, for these soft cut-out cream cheese cookies.
- Almond Extract: I love using almond extract in recipes like sugar cookies and butter cookies because it adds a little something extra. A little bit can go a long way, so stick with 1 teaspoon in this dough. And feel free to reduce down to 1/2 teaspoon or you can skip it entirely if you aren’t a fan.
- Nutella: Sweet, chocolatey, and nutty, this easy Nutella glaze is lick-the-spoon DELICIOUS. And it’s made from just 5 ingredients including Nutella, heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a little salt.
And one other thing to note, this recipe makes a good amount of cookies so if you’re looking for 3 dozen cookie cutter cookies, this recipe can be your prime choice!
How to Make These Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos so you have a clear idea what to expect. These cream cheese cut-out cookies are pretty simple, but be mindful of the order of steps.
Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately per the recipe instructions below and then bring it all together. The dough will be soft and creamy.
Time to roll out and chill. Divide the dough in half because smaller sections of dough are easier to manage. Roll out each portion of dough and then chill them in the refrigerator. Since this is a very soft cookie dough, make sure you flour your hands, rolling pin, and work surface. Here’s half of the dough rolled out:
Cut the chilled dough into shapes and bake.
Let cool completely before decorating.
Rolling Out Cookie Dough: The Trick Is the Order of Steps
Notice how I roll out the dough BEFORE chilling it in the refrigerator? That’s the trick to the cookies holding their shape, and let me explain why it works.
To prevent the cookies from over-spreading, the cookie dough must be refrigerated first. Right after you prepare the dough, it’s too soft to cut into shapes but it’s not too soft to simply roll out. (Don’t chill the cookie dough and then try to roll it out because it will be too cold and stiff to roll.) I divide the dough in half before rolling it out because smaller sections of dough are easier to handle.
Another trick! Roll out the cookie dough directly on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper so you can easily transfer it to the refrigerator. Pick it up, put it on a baking sheet, and place it in the refrigerator. If you don’t have enough room for two baking sheets in your refrigerator, stack the pieces of rolled out dough on top of each other, with a layer of parchment paper in between. (That’s what I do.)
Nutella Glaze
You need a mixer for the Nutella glaze. After preparing it, spread it on the cooled cookies. No piping tips or complicated decoration required! And if you’re feeling extra nutty (I can relate), you could sprinkle some chopped hazelnuts on top.
Like royal icing, this Nutella glaze sets on top of the cookies. It doesn’t dry super hard, but it will set enough to make for easy stacking + storing + transport.
Oh the Nutella possibilities! This Nutella glaze would also be delicious on muffins, donuts, shortbread, waffles, chocolate pop tarts, or even drizzled on chocolate chip scones.
Yes, instead of Nutella glaze, you could decorate these cream cheese cut out cookies with easy cookie icing, chocolate buttercream, or traditional royal icing. This dough would be perfect for decorating Valentine’s Day cookies, too!
If you end up loving these tangy and soft cream cheese cut-out cookies, you may enjoy these raspberry sugar cookies too. I actually used today’s recipe as the base for that raspberry flavored dough!
Other Sugar Cookie Recipes
- Raspberry Sugar Cookies
- My Favorite Regular Sugar Cookies
- Drop Sugar Cookies
- Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Soft Cream Cheese Cookies with Nutella Glaze
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 36 3-inch cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Extremely soft and thick sugar cookies made with cream cheese and almond extract and topped with creamy Nutella glaze.
Ingredients
- 3 cups + 2 Tablespoons (390g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Nutella Glaze
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup (100g) Nutella
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- optional: 1/2 cup (60g) chopped hazelnuts for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium-high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat until mixture is fluffy and combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Dough will be very soft and creamy.
- Generously flour your hands and rolling pin. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat to about 1/4-inch thickness. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
- Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. If it’s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. (I like these heart cookie cutters.) Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. Note: It doesn’t seem like a lot of dough, but you get a lot of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.
- Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 12-13 minutes until very lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. I like to decorate the cookies directly on baking sheets so I can stick the entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to help set the Nutella glaze. If you’d like to do it that way, place the cooled cookies back on baking sheets.
- Make the glaze: In a medium bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat all of the ingredients together on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Taste. Add another pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. Spread on each cooled cookie then decorate with hazelnuts, if desired. Nutella glaze will set at room temperature after 3-4 hours and even quicker in the refrigerator, about 1 hour.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Plain or decorated sugar cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Wait for the icing to set completely before layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months before rolling it out. Prepare the dough through step 3, divide in half, flatten both halves into a disk as we do with pie crust, wrap each in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the disks in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 4, then chill rolled out dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes – 1 hour before cutting into shapes and baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin | Cookie Cutters | Cooling Rack
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: soft cream cheese cookie with Nutella galze
These were so soft and delicious! Completely addicting and dangerous to have around if you’re trying to cut back on sweets! Fully recommend this recipe!
★★★★★
When you say to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, are you taking the silicone mat and placing it on the rack, or do you remove the cookies from the mat and put them directly on the rack?
Hi Marg, we remove the cookies with a spatula and place them directly on the rack.
I am going to make these cookies Sunday for valentines day. I am curious if I can add freeze dried raspberries (ground up) for pink color and flavor. Any thoughts?
Hi Louise, We recommend following the recipe for these raspberry sugar cookies instead (and you can certainly top with the Nutella glaze). Enjoy!
This Soft Cream Cheese Cookies with Nutella Glaze seems so delicious , will love to make this one with us . Thanks for sharing this one with us.
★★★★★
Soft Cream Cheese Cookies with Nutella Glaze seems amazing ,will love to make this one . Thanks for sharing with us .
★★★★★
Thanks for making me look good Sally! Im am not a pro by any means, but i really wanted top make something nice and tasty for friends around the holidays and this did the ticket, along with those yummy thumbprint cream cheese cookies. Thank you for sharing your talent. We can’t all live close enough to you to buy your cookies, but thank you for coming to my kitchen and helping me bring something special to others needing joy.
★★★★★
The nutella frosting is great. The cookie dough was, as other people noted, very sticky. I weigh all ingredients and it’s winter here, so mismeasurement and humidity weren’t the problem. I added nearly a cup more flour before I was able to roll it out. Before I had some experience baking, I probably would have been nervous to add that much more than the recipe called for. I added a tad more extract and salt to keep up the flavor, but I forgot to add a tad more sugar. In the end it turned out great. The cream cheese adds the slightest kick, and it’s a very easy dough to work with (if you add more flour).
★★★★
Hi Sally,
I want to make these as Christmas gifts. However, I want to divide the dough into 3 different flavours which are the original vanilla- almond, pandan and blueberry ( I’ll use powder for these two flavours). May I ask at which step should I divide the dough and add the powder to make the other two flavours?
Thank you so much!
Hi Mint, we haven’t tried dividing the dough and creating different flavors this way, but we’d recommend doing so after step 3 once the wet and dry ingredients have been mixed together. You can divide, add the powder, and mix again. Let us know how it goes!
Hi Sally
Do these freeze well??
Absolutely! See recipe notes for freezing instructions.
Hi Sally! I am wondering if I can just add sprinkles to these before baking and leave out the icing. Do you think they would come out good? I am looking to use this recipe for Halloween cookies. Thank you! 🙂
Hi Dawn, You can definitely add sprinkles to this dough before rolling it out. We recommend beating in 3/4 cup after you mix the wet and dry ingredients together. You may need to use a little arm muscle (or very sturdy cookie cutters) to cut through the sprinkles (we recommend using smaller sprinkles). You may also love our drop sugar cookies. Enjoy!
I love these cookies! The dough is so easy to make and to work with. Sally gives such good instructions with her recipes too. I used her Easy Icing with these cookies and decorated them with all kinds of sprinkles. The were beautiful, stored well and traveled well too. Thank you, Sally! I have been trying to master a good sugar cookie for quite a while, and I think I’ve got it now.
★★★★★
Made these for a party and they were really tasty! Thank you so much Sally & Team 🙂
★★★★★
I made these cookies this weekend and they were delicious! I had a lot of trouble using them as cut-out cookies, though. Reading through these comments, I’m not seeing ANYONE else with the same issue, which is now making me second guess if I messed up the measurements in the chaos of preparing for our first birthday party. Did anyone else have trouble with the dough being super soft and not punching out of a cutter? Or did I make a mistake with the flour quantity? Will be trying the recipe again to see if it was user error. Love the site for all things baking!
These are my absolute favorite! I use your Cream cheese frosting instead of the Nutella. So rich and delicious!
I love this original recipe but wanted to see how it would do with lemon. I took out the vanilla and almond extract and added about a tablespoon of lemon zest and probably almost 1 1/2 teas of lemon juice. It was delicious. Its also delicious with the Nutella but i was looking for something with lemon this time and I love this cookie texture. I’ve also tried the recipe using the freeze dried strawberries! LOVE IT!
★★★★★
These were easier than I thought they would be. Made beautiful and tasty & perfectly soft Easter eggs. Thank you! (Used your royal icing recipe too!) I shared a pic on insta I was so proud!
★★★★★
Hi Sally! You are my baking guru- I’ve been following you and trying your recipes for years! This one turned out great in the end, but I just thought it worth mentioning: after I made the dough, I absolutely could not roll it out – it was way too sticky. Maybe I softened the butter and cream cheese too long. I was about to give up as I’m use to sugar cookie failure by now. But I figured I’d try chilling the dough for just a little bit. I left it in the fridge for 30 minutes, and that made the dough just perfect for rolling out. Cookies turned out beautifully from there! I did not have time to make the extra cookies that came from the remnants of the dough, so I rolled them into two balls and stuck them in my fridge. Do you think this dough will work okay if i let it sit out for awhile to get to room temperature, roll out, and refrigerate for 2 hours again? Any other glaze recipes since I used up all of my Nutella?
★★★★★
Hi Leslie! Yes, you can use the leftover dough to roll more cookies. You may love this easy icing recipe!
I have made SO many cookies from this site and they are all amazing. I was starting to think I’d met all of the show stoppers of Sally’s but honestly these are like witchcraft. I just made them for Valentine’s Day ‘for my family’ and I keep pairing down the lot I am going to gift because they are just so perfect. extra soft cookie with a layer of everyone’s fav chocolate spread (although I did use a palm oil free alternative). the salt portions were perfect (I added ‘to taste’ as per the recipe with the glaze). I feel my pants tightening and my teeth cracking but it’s so worth it. THANK YOU!
This cookies were very easy to make. they rolled out beautifully and I had no trouble cutting out different shapes. However I was vert disappointed with the Nutella glaze. It was so thick and very difficult to spread. I used half of it and made a cream cheese frosting which worked much better.
mimilynn
★★★★
Making these as Valentine’s gifts for all my girlfriends! Adore your blog & your recipes are always perfect, thank you!
★★★★★
I’m not normally a huge sugar cookie fan, but these are a true exception! I frosted them with cream cheese buttercream and they’re out of this world! Made them for Valentine’s Day, but I doubt they’ll last that long 😉
★★★★★
These were easy and so delicious!!!!
Definitely will be making them from now on
Thank you for the recipe
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
These look amazing! I just have one quick question – when you say that the “nutella glaze will set”, does that mean it won’t spread onto the other cookies if placed in a tupperware? I have just started baking and found a passion for it thanks to your recipes, so I’m still learning and don’t know the terms well yet.
Thanks!
– Kare
Hi Kare, absolutely. It won’t become hard or anything, but it will set enough to make the cookies convenient to stack, store, transport, etc. Hope they’re a hit!
Hello Sally! My daughter is dying to make the stained glass window cookies & I wondered will this recipe work with the “stained glass” idea or is it too soft? I thought we would make some with windows and some with the hazelnut topping for Valentine’s Day.
We have quite the little baker on our hands and she loves to watch your videos on YouTube! She especially likes the ones where you explain the recipes. We bake together on the weekends and she always asks to watch “Sally’s Bakin’ Addition”. It’s precious! Thanks for making content we can enjoy together. <3
Hi Sara, this recipe should work just fine for stained glass cookies. Would love to hear how they go for you!
Fair warning: These cookies are so light and delicious that it is VERY easy to consume multiple in just a few minutes!! My boyfriend and I were obsessed with the soft and thick texture of these, not to mention the flavor was amazing! I used coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar and they were still amazing, a slightly more tan color though as to be expected! My only issue I ran into was that the rolled out cookie dough completely stuck to the parchment paper after being refrigerated…but I easily resolved the issue by breaking it apart off the paper and re-rolling it out. The cookies still held their shape just fine after baking them! These have by far been my favorite homemade cookies. Will be making these again this week for my boyfriend’s family and mom’s co-workers as a nice Valentines treat 🙂 Thank you Sally I absolutely love your recipes!!
★★★★★
Add my vote for this as the perfect sugar cookie recipe. I followed the recipe exactly and the results were wonderful with rave reviews from everyone who ate them. I used different frosting, but the cookie itself is everything one could want. It holds its shape, stays fresh and soft and tastes delicious. Having tried many of Sally’s recipes, I can say that I have such high confidence that, if you follow the directions, you will achieve the best baking results you’ve ever had. I sure did!
★★★★★
They baked beautifully but unfortunately I found the almond taste to be overwhelming! The cream cheese frosting was delicious and I didn’t have any trouble with the cookies spreading.
★★★★
What would you suggest as some alternative icings for this cookie recipe? Royal icing, buttercream? I make your sugar cookie recipe all the time. I have some cream cheese I need to use up before it expires and this looks like an awesome cookie recipe to try. Don’t want to run to store for one missing ingredient, Nutella.
Hi Jennifer! Royal icing or Easy Icing would both be perfect on these cookies.
I’ve been baking cookies for 60 years and these are the best!
★★★★★
These cookies were amazing!! Made zero changes and were so easy.
I don’t like chocolate much though, so I did make a peanut butter cream cheese frosting instead. I subbed out the 1/3 cup Nutella for the peanut butter, added an ounce of cream cheese and about a 1/4 cup more icing sugar and another tablespoon of milk. Delicious on top of the soft, melty cookies!
★★★★★