Sugar Cookie Cups with Frosting Filling
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Sugar Cookie Cups are an adorable treat for any holiday! Fill them with the frosting of your choice & add food coloring for a seasonal flair.
I used my Mom’s famous Sugar Cookie recipe to make these perfect little cookie cups, then filled them with creamy vanilla frosting and a few sprinkles, of course!
If you love my Red Velvet Cookie Cups or Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups, then you’re sure to love these new Sugar Cookie Cups!
I love cookie cups! They’re bite sized treats that are so easy to eat and great for sharing with friends and at parties.
I’ve gotten in a tasty little habit of making cookie cups for every occasion. Last Christmas season, I made Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups with Marshmallow Creme Filling. They were a HUGE HIT so this year I decided to turn my Mom’s famous sugar cookie recipe into cookie cups!
My Mom has been making this sugar cookie recipe since I was a little girl. We make it every year at Christmas, then frost and decorate the cookies together. This year, I put the frosting right in the cookie cups and added some festive holiday sprinkles!
These sugar cookie cups are not just for Christmas. They’re great for birthday parties and holidays year-round! I simply added red food coloring to vanilla frosting to make the filling. But you could add any food coloring of your choice and decorate the cookie cups with all different kinds of toppings, from sprinkles to fruit to candy!
Top these Sugar Cookie Cups with a few M&M’s for Halloween or with strawberries and blueberries for 4th of July! Add red and pink sprinkles for Valentine’s Day or use green food coloring for St Patrick’s Day!
The possibilities are endless with these deliciously cute little sugar cookie cups!
How to make Sugar Cookie Cups
-
Make the sugar cookie dough.
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together.
- Beat in an egg, milk and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture and beat until well combined.
- Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator to chill for 10-15 minutes.
-
Make the cookie cups.
- Grease two 24 cup mini muffin pans with cooking spray.
- Fill each of the mini muffin tins 3/4 full with cookie dough.
- Place in a 350°F oven for 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and immediately use the end of a spatula or wooden spoon to indent the middle of the sugar cookie cups. (See image below.)
- Note: When I say immediately, I mean it people! Once the cookies are cooled, you won’t be able to get that perfect indentation to make them cookie cups!
- Allow the cookie cups to cool in the muffin tins for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, place frosting in a plastic bag.
- Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag, then pipe the frosting into the cookie cups.
- Quick Tip! Do NOT use Ziplock stand and fill bags. Because the bottom of the bag folds out to fill, it will not work for piping the frosting.
- Optional: Add toppings, like sprinkles, fruit or candy!
What kind of frosting should I use to fill Sugar Cookie Cups?
That’s totally a personal preference, but I used a Creamy Vanilla Frosting with added red food coloring. You can purchase pre-made frosting at the grocery store. If you’re choosing this option, I recommend Duncan Hines Homestyle Classic Vanilla.
You can also make your own Perfect Vanilla Frosting from scratch. (Recipe from my friend Julianne at Beyond Frosting!)
You can also mix it up with different frosting flavors or colors. Add orange food coloring to vanilla frosting for halloween or green food coloring to vanilla frosting for St Patrick’s Day.
Check out some of my other ideas below!
- Chocolate Frosting – for the chocolate lover out there!
- Cream Cheese Frosting – because you can never go wrong with a creamy filling!
- Lemon Frosting – for those that like a tart & sweet combo!
- Strawberry Frosting – naturally pink & perfect for Valentine’s Day!
- Funfetti Frosting – the perfect choice for a fun birthday celebration!
Can I refrigerate or freeze the sugar cookie dough?
Yes! The sugar cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
I recommend storing the sugar cookie dough in the freezer in already portioned out small cookie dough balls. This way, you can easily pop them in a mini muffin tin & make these cookie cups anytime!
Looking for more delicious sweet treats? Check out these 5 popular cookie recipes!
- Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Caramel Filling
- Salted Caramel Cashew Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
- Double Chocolate Cookies
Sugar Cookie Cups
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup creamy vanilla frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
- Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture and beat until well combined.
- Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator to chill for 10-15 minutes.
- Grease two 24 cup mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
- Fill the cups ¾ full with cookie dough, place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and immediately use the end of a spatula or wooden spoon to indent the middle of the sugar cookies to make cookie cups.
- Let cool for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, place the creamy vanilla frosting in a plastic bag.
- Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag then pipe the frosting into the cookie cups.
- Add toppings, like sprinkles, candy or fruit, if you’d like.
Notes
- Frosting: I used a creamy vanilla frosting with added red coloring in this recipe. You can use a store-bought frosting or make a homemade vanilla frosting. You can also use another flavored frosting, such as chocolate, lemon or strawberry.
- Cookie Dough Storage: Leftover cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I recommend making pre-portioned small cookie dough balls and storing them in the freezer, so that you can easily pop them in a mini muffin tin and bake these cookie cups immediately anytime!
Nutrition Facts
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