Cream Cheese Meltaways are soft butter cookies topped with cream cheese frosting. You only need a few minutes and a handful of ingredients to make these easy melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies.
In case you haven’t noticed by now, I adore cookies with cream cheese.
Some of my favorite cookies have cream cheese baked right in to the dough – like these Cream Cheese Cookies. In today’s recipe the cream cheese is whipped into a fluffy icing and piped onto buttery cookies.
These Meltaway Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are Day 11 of our 12 Days of Cookies
Be sure to check out all of the other days for more goodies!
Day 1 – Fluffernutter Cookies
Day 2 – Toffee Coconut Oatmeal Bars
Day 3 – Double Chocolate M&M Christmas Cookies
Day 4 – Lace Cookies
Day 5 – Whipped Shortbread
Day 6 – Chocolate Spritz Cookies
Day 7 – 3 Ingredient Sugar Free PB Cookies
Day 8 – Wasabi Chocolate Crinkles
Day 9 – Christmas Sprinkle Cookies
Day 10 – Stained Glass Cookies
Day 11 – You’re on it!
Day 12 – Peppermint Sugar Cookie Cups
SAVE THESE EASY CREAM CHEESE MELTAWAY COOKIES TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
Sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting are a new holiday favorite! Of course, you can totally make them any time of year. Just change up the colors or sprinkles to suit your fancy.
This Cream Cheese Meltaways recipe is amazingly easy. It’s perfect for both beginner bakers and seasoned cookie making veterans.
What do I need?
For the sugar cookie dough you will need:
- butter
- cornstarch
- powdered sugar
- all purpose flour
And you need these ingredients for the cream cheese frosting:
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- vanilla
I also like using sprinkles or a touch of food gel coloring to give the frosted cookies some festive flair.
Why cornstarch?
Cornstarch is the secret to making super soft cookies. For Cream Cheese Meltaways we use almost as much cornstarch as flour. Mixed with plenty of butter and fine powdered sugar, this dough bakes into the softest cookies you’ve ever tasted.
Cream cheese cookies with cornstarch really do melt in your mouth!
Tips for Meltaway Cookies
- Measure dough with a teaspoon. These cookies are best when made on the smaller side.
- Flatten slightly before baking. Dip the bottom of a glass in powdered sugar then lightly press each mound of cookie dough into a disk.
- Let cool completely. Give the cookies plenty of time to cool before adding the cream cheese frosting. Warm cookies will cause the frosting to run off.
Use a butter knife or rubber spatula to spread frosting over each cooled cookie. Then dress them up with sprinkles to your hearts content! For different colored frosting, add a drop or two of food coloring to the frosting before decorating.
How much food coloring?
A little goes a long way when it comes to food coloring. To control the shade of your frosting, place a couple of drops onto a paper plate. Dip a toothpick into the gel then swirl the gel through the cream cheese frosting.
Repeat until the frosting reaches your desired perfect color or shade.
Should you refrigerate cream cheese frosting?
Cookies frosted with a cream cheese icing should be stored in the refrigerator if not eaten within a few hours. Stored in the refrigerator, these cookies stay good for about one week.
Easy Cookie Recipes
The busy holiday season is prime time for quick and easy cookie recipes.
When you need a last minute homemade dessert for the office party, these 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are a lifesaver. They’re flour-free and ready in 13 minutes!
For a treat that’s as colorful as it is easy, my Peppermint Blossom Cookies are a winner. Readers loved them so much I made a chocolate version too.
No oven? You don’t need one to make these popular No Bake Peanut Butter S’Mores Cookies. I love the addition of soft marshmallows to a classic no bake cookie.
More Cookie Recipes
Cozy up this Christmas season with even more delicious cookies with these other easy recipes.
- Lace Cookies
- Chocolate M&M Christmas Cookies
- Toffee Coconut Oatmeal Bars
- Whipped Shortbread
- Chocolate Spritz Cookies
- Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies
- Peppermint Frosted Sugar Cookies
Everyone loves sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting! This Cream Cheese Meltaways recipe is one of the easiest and best tasting cream cheese cookie recipes for the holidays.
A big thanks to Nickie, one of my Facebook followers, for sharing this recipe with us. ❤️
Cream Cheese Meltaways
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- ¾ cup cornstarch
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- food coloring, and / or sprinkles if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with a pieces of parchment.
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the cornstarch and sugar.
- Add flour and mix until well combined.
- Drop by small teaspoonfuls onto a prepared baking sheet. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in powdered sugar to prevent sticking, gently press down to flatten the dough.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Let sit for about a minute before transferring to wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and thoroughly combine. Add food coloring if desired.
Comments & Reviews
How much of each ingredient? Maybe I missed it but I don’t see how much butter or cream cheese, etc.
Sorry I just scrolled through again and found it. Thanks.
3 ounces–BUT, I had to increase the frosting recipe ingredients by a third to have enough icing for all the cookies. So, if you need more frosting for your cookies here are the measures I used: 4 ounces of cream cheese, 11/3 cups powdered sugar (about 161 grams), and 2/3 teaspoon vanilla (I use vanilla paste), and I top with shimmer white sugar sprinkles.
Love this recipe! Great taste and melts in your mouth so easily!
Awesome, thank you, Kathleen!
Getting ready to make these this week. I am excited. However I need to know if I can make the cookies in advance and how long they are good for WITHOUT the frosting? I see in the article how long WITH frosting…. But I’d like to make the cookies ahead if time and frost the day of or before Christmas dinner . Thank you
Jennifer, I know it’s a busy time of year and getting things done ahead of time is key. I think making the cookies a few days ahead of time and then frosting them the day before should be ok. I haven’t done that, but I don’t think it should be a problem. I wouldn’t bake the cookies more than three days ahead at the most though.
Have a Merry Christmas!
I e never used so much cornstarch in a recipe. is that amount correct??
Jeanne, I haven’t either, but it is correct! It makes for a very delicate cookie.
Can you freeze these cookies?
Christine, I haven’t frozen them, but I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to.
I made these last year and I will be making them again!! They are so easy and very delicious!
How many does this recipe make? Did I miss where it said? If so I’m sorry, but I’m excited to try this recipe!
MJ, no problem. It is a little tough to see the amount. You’ll find it next to the description in the recipe card. It say the recipe makes about 88 cookies. Enjoy them!
Hi Lauren how are you ? looking forward to making these I will add that recipe to my other ones , thanks for sharing.
Do you recommend using salted or Unsalted butter?
Tiana, you could use salted butter for this recipe without any issues.
Love these cookies. They didn’t turn out as nise as yours but they were still good. Thank you
My New Favorite Christmas Cookies for gifts. Thanks so very much for sharing. Merry Christmas. Happy Baking
Made these today, it was hard to tell when the cookies were done. I also used stone cookie sheet and switched to an aluminum sheet as the cookies did not spread. The cookie itself was very soft but not “soft” cookie. They are more of a crumbly cookie and not a sweet taste, for me they needed they frosting. I have had cream cheese cookies befor these weren’t what I was looking for, but if you prefer a cookie less sweet these are for you.
Terrible recipe. Used ingredients exactly and ended up with dust for batter
Roni, I’m sorry that happened because I know how frustrating that can be. Not sure what went wrong, but I’m thinking it may have been the way your flour was measured? If you scooped the flour out of the container then you would have had too much which would have made the dough dry and crumbly. I always recommend scooping it out with a spoon to put it into the measuring cup and then leveling it off with the flat side of a knife.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Deborah, it says in the recipe card under the picture that the recipe will make 88 cookies.
Enjoy them!
Can you freeze these cookies if made ahead of time?
Ashlee, I have not frozen these cookies, and they are so delicate that I can’t say for sure if they would freeze well. If you do want to try to freeze them, I would do so before you frost them, as the cream cheese frosting’s consistency could change altering the texture and taste.
Please let me know if you do, as it would help others who may be interested in doing the same.
Thanks!
Hi. I’m looking to try these but I wanted to know if the frosting crusts so I know how to transport them.
Paula, the frosting will harden a bit, so you can transport them. I would suggest putting wax paper or parchment between each layer of cookies. Enjoy them!
Completely flat! Not new to baking and scooped flour into measuring cup. Tastes great but did not work at all! Not sure how they would rise without baking powder so that was my first concern. I get cornstarch “fluffs” but obviously not enough. Waste of a lot of butter.
Danielle, they are a flat cookie, and won’t typically “rise” like other cookies might. The cornstarch helps prevent spreading as it bakes in the oven and gives them that softer texture, creating that melt-in-your-mouth kind of effect.