I have to be honest. I’m mostly drawn to these gluten-free pink frosted sugar cookies for one superficial reason — their looks. I tend to love serving pretty things. The brilliant addition of freeze-dried raspberries to the buttercream frosting adds both depth of flavor and a vibrant, candy-pink hue that is so pretty on the plate. Served alongside some berries, these cookies make the perfect sweet ending to a meal.
To achieve cookie perfection, please adhere to this crucial step: chill your dough. Freezing your dough for 15 to 20 minutes helps solidify the fats, ensuring the cookies hold their form during baking, and it makes it easier for you to handle the raw dough. Cheers to baking up these pretty and delicious treats!
Pink Frosted Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups gluten-free flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- sprinkles for garnish
For the frosting:
- 1 cup freeze-dried raspberries finely ground
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
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Make the cookies: In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, sugar and salt until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and whisk to incorporate some air and to dissolve the sugar crystals, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and baking powder until just incorporated.
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Heat oven to 350℉ and line two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper. Using two spoons or a cookie scooper, plop out 2 tablespoon rounds spaced a couple of inches apart. Place the sheet pans in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky and easier to handle.
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While the dough chills, make the frosting: In a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl, sift the ground raspberries, using a spoon to help pass them through, until most of the ruby-red powder is in the bowl and most of the seeds are left behind in the sieve. (Discard the seeds.)
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To the bowl, add the 1 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt and, with an electric hand mixer, mix on low speed until the butter absorbs the sugar. Then, turn the speed up to high and beat until the frosting doubles in size, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated. Transfer the frosting to a small container, cover tightly, and set aside.
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Remove the sheet pans from the freezer. Roll the chilled dough into even balls and flatten them slightly with your fingers so they’re about 2 inches wide and 1 inch high. Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans and switching racks halfway through, or until they no longer look wet on top, are still light in color and spring back to the touch. They will puff up and crack slightly. Let cool completely on the sheet pan.
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Using a butter knife or offset spatula, frost each cooled cookie with the raspberry frosting and adorn with the sprinkles.
This recipe was adapted from the New York Times Frosted Sugar Cookies recipe.
