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Frosted Apple Butter Sugar Cookies

Frosted apple butter sugar cookies with cinnamon-sugar dusting and caramel drizzle. The buttery cut-out cookies bake just until the edges set, then get a smooth apple-butter cream cheese frosting.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For cut-out sugar cookies
  • 3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 lb unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.25 cup apple butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
For apple butter frosting
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp apple butter
  • 2.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp milk
Cinnamon sugar and caramel for finishing
  • 1 cinnamon sugar
  • 1 caramel

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the cut-out sugar cookie dough
  1. Beat unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and apple butter until smooth and creamy, then scrape the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until fully combined.
  2. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon just until no dry streaks remain.
Chill, roll, and cut
  1. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour while you preheat the oven to 350F. Visual cue: dough should firm up and lose its sheen.
  2. Roll the chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into rounds or apple shapes and place on a sheet pan.
Bake and cool
  1. Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just set. Visual cue: tops look lightly matte, not browned.
  2. Cool cookies completely before frosting. This prevents the frosting from melting and sliding off.
Make frosting and finish cookies
  1. Beat cream cheese, unsalted butter, apple butter, powdered sugar, and cinnamon until smooth and spreadable. If needed, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to reach a thick but pourable consistency.
  2. Frost each cookie with the apple butter cream cheese frosting, then dust with cinnamon sugar and drizzle with caramel. Visual cue: frosting should show soft swirls on top.

Notes

Pro tip: if the dough cracks while rolling, let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften, then roll again. Store frosted cookies airtight in the refrigerator up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before serving. Freeze unfrosted baked cookies up to 2 months; thaw and frost after thawing. For a lighter option, use low-fat cream cheese and reduce milk slightly to keep the frosting thick.