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These adorable Sugar Cookie Cups filled with buttercream are the tastiest little treats!! Keep them simple or dress them up for any holiday or occasion!
Jump to Recipe
First off, HOW CUTE are these little sugar cookie cups?! I love their bite-sized look, the colorful filling and the addition of sprinkles on top! The versatility of changing the frosting and sprinkles colors means it’s a great sweet treat for any holiday!
Not only are these little morsels so stinkin’ cute, they’re also absolutely delicious!!! The combination of the chewy sugar cookie (very similar to my cut-out cookies!) and the creamy buttercream frosting is heavenly!
And surprisingly, these are quite simple to make, too. I’ve got an “all homemade” recipe, but also explain how these can be made with store-bought sugar cookie dough & frosting in the recipe notes. So whether you’re in a time-crunch or have a little extra time, I’ve got you covered!
Ingredients Needed
As I mentioned above, you can make these totally homemade or use store-bought cookie dough and frosting. Here’s what you need if you’re making them from scratch!
- Butter – I use salted butter
- Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla and/or Almond Extracts
- Baking Powder
- All Purpose Flour
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk or Heavy Whipping Cream
How to Make Sugar Cookie Cups from Scratch
First, you’ll make the cookie dough. Once the dough is ready (no need to refrigerate), you’ll scoop rounded tablespoon size balls of dough. The dough will go into a mini muffin tin and then get pressed down. You do not need to press dough up the sides of the muffin cups – just flatten the dough.
Then, you’ll bake the cookie cups until they’re a light golden brown around the edges. Once they come out of the oven, you’ll want to press the centers down right away. I like to use the cap of my vanilla container – use whatever you’ve got that’s about the right size!
Let them cool for 5 minutes then remove from the pan to a cooling rack. DO NOT let them cool completely in the muffin tin or they’re more likely to get stuck in the pan!
Let them cool completely on the cooling rack. Once they’re cool, it’s time to mix up the frosting. Then scoop it into a piping bag (or a Ziploc bag!), cut the tip off and pipe the frosting into the center of each cup. Top with sprinkles and that’s it!!
Other Delicious Cookie Recipes
- Spritz Cookies
- Fruit Pizza Cookie Bites
- The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Sugar Cookie Fruit Pizza
- Cookies & Cream Cookies
Delicious Recipes for Valentine’s Day
Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats
Sugar Cookie Cups
Equipment
- Mini Muffin Tin
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough*
- 3/4 cup salted butter softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups flour
Buttercream Frosting*
- 1/4 cup salted butter softened
- 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon milk or heavy whipping cream
- food coloring optional
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
Make the Sugar Cookie Cups
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease 36 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until well-combined.
- Stir in the egg, vanilla and almond extract (if using).
- Add the baking powder and flour and stir until combined.
- Scoop the dough by rounded tablespoons (about 1" in diameter) and roll into a ball. Place one in each muffin tin cup and flatten with your fingers (no need to form a "cup"….just flatten).
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
- Use the cap of a bottle (I use the cap of my vanilla extract bottle) to press into each cookie to form a "cup."
- Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire cooling rack.
Make the Frosting and Assemble
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir the butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and stir to incorporate.
- Add the milk (or cream) and beat until smooth, adding an addition 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of milk, if needed for desired consistency. Stir in food coloring, if desired.
- Scoop the frosting into a piping bag or resealable baggie and pipe into each of the cooled cookie cups.
- Top with sprinkles, if desired.
They are so pretty! Frosting is my favorite, so frosting filled cookies are totally my style!
These are so good! Just finished making them with my 6yo daughter. I love that the icing isn’t crazy sweet.
Super yummy! These cookie cups are a great idea to use your mini muffin pan for! I filled them with a cream cheese icing instead of buttercream, and subbed 1/2 cup margarine for some of the butter, since I didn’t have enough butter.
Can you make these in a regular size muffin tin?
Hi Sandra – I haven’t made these in regular sized muffin tins. I’m sure you could, but it would take more time in the oven. Let me know how they turn out! ~Kelsey
Hi! How much longer do you think it would take to bake in a regular muffin tin?
Hi Gaia! I’m not sure – I’d start with 15 minutes and see how they look! ~Kelsey
Made these for a baby shower….they’re OUTSTANDING!!!
These are simply amazing! I wanted to make a little treat for some elementary school aged kids I do childcare for once a week, and these cookie cups were a smash hit! So soft and perfect!
Awww good!! I’m so happy to hear the kiddos enjoyed them! ~Kelsey
Would these work if I used pudding instead of frosting? Or would they get soggy?
I’m worried it would get soggy….but I think if you combined half pudding and half whipped topping, it wouldn’t get so soggy. OR just fill with pudding right before serving and it would be fine! 🙂
can you freeze baked cookie cups?
Yes, works great!!!
Have you ever tried freezing these with the homemade frosting and cookie dough preparation? I wanted to make them as part of my holiday platters for Christmas but was going to freeze some in between parties!
Hi Jen – I’ve only ever frozen these once they’re totally done and it worked great! If you want to keep the tops looking really nice, I recommend placing them on a sheet pan, freezing them for a couple hours, then placing into freezer baggies. Hope that helps! ~Kelsey
I want to try these but have a question. I live in a high altitude area (6400’). Are there any adjustments I would need to make?
Hi Josie – I haven’t tried these at a high altitude so I’m not sure. Hope they work out well! ~Kelsey
Do you spray the muffin tin?
Yes! I do recommend doing that. ~Kelsey
These are so yummy!! Took them to our family Christmas and they were gone instantly and everyone was asking for the recipe!! 🙂
So glad everyone enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a wonderful review! 🙂 ~Kelsey
I like the recipe
These were so delightful. My granddaughters and I made and served them for coffee after church. They were an absolute hit.
They do need to be watched closely in the oven as they are small and bake quickly. Also I doubled the frosting, making two colors without too much left over.
I made this recipe today for my church family for lunch tomorrow. I like it but I wish I had used a different flavoring for more flavor in the frosting like almond, maple, or lemon. If I make these again, I will try another flavor.
Hi Iris – I think all of those flavor ideas sound amazing! I actually have a new blog post (Fruit Pizza Bites) that remind me of these sugar cookie cups, but with a little more flavor and fresh fruit topping! 🙂 ~Kelsey
Love these!!
Hi…. just saw this video! So cute for 4th of July, but in your video for the patriotic cookies, you roll your cookies in a sanding sugar, I think. Just want to clarify. Thank you and Happy 4th! 🇺🇲
Yes! That is correct! 🙂
Best cookies ever! I highly recommend useing the almond extract, it makes a delicious difference. I put them in the oven for exactly 10 minutes and they were perfect. I used my own buttercream with them and me and my family are obsessed!! 🤩 🩷
Love to hear it, Matthew! Thanks for leaving a review! ~Kelsey