These Brown Sugar Cookies with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting are soft with a caramel-like flavor and are covered in a sweet but mild blueberry cream cheese frosting and drizzled with a gorgeous blueberry icing! No mixer is needed for the cookie dough so clean-up is a breeze! Best yet, these brown sugar sugar cookies are gluten free, egg free, nut free and can easily be made vegan!
I cannot get enough of these gorgeous Brown Sugar Cookies with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting! The sugar cookie base uses melted butter and zero mixer, so clean up is a breeze! And it takes no time at all to make the jammy blueberries that get mixed into the frosting and icing; just a few minutes in a microwave! The stunning blueberry icing's magenta color is all natural as is the blueberry frosting's lilac hue! My daughter says they're the perfect Easter Cookies or Mother's Day Cookies!
For more blueberry recipes, try my Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream, my Blueberry Crumb Cake, my stunning Blueberry Curd and my Blueberry Cookies.
Jump to:
- Reasons to Love These Brown Sugar Cookies with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Ingredient Notes
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to Make Brown Sugar Cookies with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Recipe FAQs
- More Frosted Cookies You'll Love
- 📖 Recipe
- Brown Sugar Cookies with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Reasons to Love These Brown Sugar Cookies with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Allergy Friendly- These cookies are gluten free, nut free, egg free and can easily be dairy free (vegan)!
- Chewy Sugar Cookies- The cookie base is fluffy and chewy!
- Easy to Make- You don't need a mixer of any kind to make the cookie base! All you need is a whisk and a spatula to create this fast cookie recipe just like my Quick Chocolate Chip Cookies!
- Their Gorgeous Colors- The colors of the frosting and the icing are all natural!
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Flour- If you also have nut allergies, make sure to use a brand that’s made in a nut free facility. I really love to use this gluten free flour because it’s free of the top 9 allergens. It also contains xanthan gum which really helps give baked goods their bounce and prevents them from falling apart.
- Milk- If there are no dairy allergies or if you’re not vegan, you can use regular whole milk. For non-dairy, use a dairy-free milk of your choosing.
- Butter/Vegan Baking Stick- For the cookie dough, we are actually using melted butter. Make sure to cool it so it's creamy in texture. For the frosting, only use room temperature. Even softened will make the frosting super runny and it won’t be fixed by putting it in the fridge. If using vegan butter, make sure it's on the cold side versus room temperature.
- Cornstarch and Water- This is an egg free sugar cookies recipe so this mixture is needed to help bind everything together.
- Dark Brown Sugar- We are using dark brown for this recipe to add that molasses flavor and to make the cookies more like little chewy cakes!
- Vanilla- Make sure to only use pure vanilla extract otherwise the cookies can have a chemical flavor.
- Blueberries- You can use fresh or frozen blueberries to make them jammy. Frozen blueberries will create a stronger blueberry flavor than fresh. Please keep in mind since this is a quick frosting and we are not reducing the blueberries on the stove, the frosting and icing have a very subtle blueberry flavor. If you're looking for a stronger blueberry flavor you can use the recipe for my Blueberry Frosting, but it is a bit time consuming to make and you'll need to divide the recipe in half.
Cream Cheese- Wouldn't be a cream cheese frosting without this key ingredient. Please only use full fat block cream cheese, not cream cheese from a tub and if vegan, only use vegan block "cream cheese" and have it be on the colder side vs room temperature.
Confectioners' Sugar- Essential in frosting recipes, this gives the frosting its fluffy texture and sweetness! - Water- You may or may not need 1 tablespoon for the frosting depending on its consistency and we use 1 tablespoon for the blueberry icing drizzle.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
How to Make these into Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Use a gluten free flour that’s free from dairy.
- Make sure the brand of sugar you use is vegan.
- Use vegan baking sticks instead of butter.
- Only use a non-dairy milk of choice.
- Buy a vegan cream cheese.
Make this Recipe with All Purpose Flour
- Use 1 ¾ cups packed AP flour (294 grams).
- Use 3 tablespoons milk.
- You still need to chill the dough due to the lack of eggs.
Make Smaller Sugar Cookies
- Use a small cookie scoop or roll the dough into 1 inch balls and flatten into discs.
- Bake the cookies at the same temperature but for 12 minutes. Reshape as needed. Should make 24 cookies.
For Blueberry Frosting without Cream Cheese
- In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the butter until smooth; about 2 minutes.
- Slowly add in 2 cups confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon jammy blueberries, ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 1 pinch of kosher salt; beat until combined and smooth.
- Slowly beat in 1.5 tablespoons water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. You may not need to use all the water.
Frosting with a Stronger, Less Subtle, Blueberry Flavor
- Use my Blueberry Frosting Recipe
- Divide the recipe in half.
This recipe has not been tested with some of these substitutions and/or variations due to celiac disease and food allergies. If you change any of the ingredients, please let us know how the recipe turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Brown Sugar Cookies with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Here are the step by step instructions for how to make brown sugar sugar cookies from scratch!
Step 1: Melt the Butter for the Dough
Microwave the butter in 11 second increments until halfway melted. Whisk until fully melted; the residual heat will melt the rest. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Whisk Together the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder and kosher salt. Set aside.
Step 3: Make the Cornstarch Water
In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the cornstarch and water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
Step 4: Mix in the Sugar, Cornstarch Water and Vanilla
Into the cooled and creamy melted butter, whisk in the brown sugar, cornstarch water and the pure vanilla extract until fully emulsified.
Step 5: Add in the Flour Mixture and Milk and Chill
Starting and ending with the flour mixture, whisk half the flour into the melted butter mixture. Add the milk and whisk until combined.
Using a spatula, gently fold in the rest of the flour until combined. Do not over mix or the dough will become shiny and too sticky.
The dough will be very sticky. Add it to a freezer safe bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap and freeze for 45 min.
Step 6: Scoop into Balls and Flatten into Discs
After 45 min, using a large cookie scoop, make 12 scoops with the dough.
If the dough is sticking to the cookie scoop, wash the scoop half way through to get off any stuck on dough.
Flatten each scoop into a thick disc versus a ball.
You must flatten or the cookies will remain in the ball shape when baked.
Step 7: Bake the Cookies and Cool
Place the discs about 3-4 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
Immediately reshape the cookies when they come out of the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack.
Step 8: Make the Jammy Blueberries
In a medium microwave safe bowl, heat ½ cup blueberries in 20 second increments, smashing them with the back of a fork, until they are soft, liquidy and jammy.
You should have at least 2 tablespoons of liquid. It will thicken as it cools.
Scoop out any large skins with a spoon or strain through a mesh colander if desired. Set aside to cool.
Step 9: Make the Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth; about 2 minutes.
Slowly add in the confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon jammy blueberries and pure vanilla extract; beat until combined and smooth.
Step 10: Frost the Cookies
Using an icing spatula or a butter knife, frost the tops of the completely cooled cookies. Don't go all the way to the edge of the cookie. Make sure you can see the cookie on the edges.
Step 11: Make The Blueberry Icing
In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon of the cooled jammy blueberries and the water until combined and smooth.
Step 12: Drizzle the Blueberry Icing
Hold your hand about 6 inches above the cookies and move your arm side to side while drizzling to create a horizontal pattern. Then get more glaze and move your arm from top to bottom to create a vertical pattern.
Let icing harden before enjoying!
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
For the Brown Sugar Cookies
- Use Packed Cups of Flour- Normally in baking we do not use packed cups however, when working with gluten free, I've found using packed cups works best to help the baked goods keep their shape. For this recipe make sure to use packed cups or please read the gram amount.
- Use Cooled Melted Butter- The butter cannot be bubbling/browned or the cookies will be very thin, spread out and oily. Microwave until there is a little bit of butter left unmelted; whisk it until the residual heat melts the rest of the butter. Then set aside to cool as you prep the rest of the recipe. When it is time to use the butter it should be cool and thick/creamy. Whisk it again to make it smooth. You can see in my video.
- Add the Flour then Milk then More Flour- Do not add the milk with the wet ingredients. The batter will be too wet and shiny and the cookies will be very buttery and flakey. You must add half the flour, then the milk and then the rest of the flour.
- Freezing the Dough- If you don’t freeze the cookie dough for at least 45 minutes, the dough will be too sticky to form into scoops and discs.
- Wash the Cookie Scoop- If you notice the dough getting stuck in the cookie scoop, wash and dry your scoop halfway through making the dough balls.
- Reshape the Cookies- If you want your cookies nice and round, reshape them as soon as they come out of the oven. Use a spatula to push them back into a circle shape. Work quickly because they harden pretty fast.
For the Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream the Butter and Cream Cheese- You could technically put all the ingredients in the bowl together and beat them at the same time. However, this can leave chunks of butter and cream cheese throughout the frosting. Your best bet is to beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese first until it is smooth for about two minutes. Then beat in all the other ingredients.
- Use Room Temperature Butter and Cream Cheese- Do not use softened ingredients. If using vegan ingredients, make sure they're more cold than room temperature. Vegan baking sticks are different than butter in the sense that if they are too soft in your frosting, they will create a liquid mess and your frosting will be sliding all over your cookies, cakes and cupcakes. At that point, even putting the frosting in the fridge would not help. If you are using butter, popping the frosting in the fridge will sometimes help resolidify and make the frosting thicker and firmer but not always.
- Only Use Block Cream Cheese- Do not use spreadable cream cheese. It is way too soft and your frosting will be a runny mess. Even putting it in the fridge will not fix it. If using vegan cream cheese, use it on the cooler side rather than actual room temperature.
- Making The Frosting and Icing- If the frosting or icing is too liquidy, add more confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. If the frosting or icing appears too thick, add a little water ¼ teaspoon at a time or ¼ teaspoon jammy blueberries until you reach the desired consistency.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. You can make the sugar cookie dough the day before. Keep the dough in a bowl and cover the top with plastic wrap. Store it in the fridge.
If doing this, there is no need to freeze the dough prior to baking.
Freezing Raw Dough: Form the dough into the discs. Place dough discs (not stacked) on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer uncovered. Freeze for 10-15 minutes or until hard. Once frozen, store the dough discs in a zip top bag for 1 month. When ready to use, bake at the same temperature for 17 minutes instead of 15.
If making them ahead of time I recommend not adding the frosting and glaze until serving. Once the frosting is added, the cookies must be kept in the fridge due to the cream cheese.
You can store unfrosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Yes. You may make this blueberry frosting the night before. Store it in an airtight container or a bowl covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge.
When ready to frost the cookies, let the frosting come to room temperature and rewhip to regain a creamy consistency.
That is because no food coloring is required to get that amazing hue; it's all natural so the color will be different every time.
The color of the frosting will vary depending on what type of blueberries you use, how ripe they are and if you used fresh or frozen.
In this recipe I used fresh so the color is softer. The color is never 100 percent the same, which makes it so fun.
For example, in my Chocolate Blueberry Cake, I used frozen blueberries to make the frosting and it came more magenta and much darker.
Storing: Store the frosted cookies in a single layer, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Do not stack. Do not leave the cookies at room temperature due to the cream cheese.
They're still soft when in the fridge but you can let them come to room temperature before eating if desired.
Freezing Baked Cookies: To freeze already baked cookies, place cookies (not stacked) on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer uncovered. Freeze for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are completely frozen. Once frozen, you can store them in a zip top bag in the freezer for up to 1 month. To defrost, take the container out and leave at room temperature until soft. 1-2 hours.
Freezing Raw Dough: Form the dough into the discs. Place dough discs (not stacked) on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer uncovered. Freeze for 10-15 minutes or until hard. Once frozen, store the dough discs in a zip top bag for 1 month. When ready to use, bake at the same temperature for 17 minutes instead of 15.
More Frosted Cookies You'll Love
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📖 Recipe
Brown Sugar Cookies with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Brown Sugar Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, melted and cooled
- 1 ¾ cup multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 rounded tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
- 1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
Make the Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup blueberries
- ¼ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Blueberry Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon jammy blueberries
- 1 tablespoon water , room temperature
Instructions
For the Brown Sugar Cookies
- Place the ½ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick in a heat safe bowl. Place a paper towel on top of the bowl so the butter doesn't splatter.Microwave in 11 second increments until almost melted. Whisk until fully melted; the residual heat will melt the rest. Set aside to cool. Do not microwave until it bubbles or browns.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 ¾ cups multipurpose gluten free flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the 2 rounded tablespoons of cornstarch (26 grams) and the 3 tablespoons of water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
- Whisk the cooled butter until a creamy liquid. It may be thick from sitting out.
- Into the cooled and creamy melted butter, whisk in the 1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar, the cornstarch water and the 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract until fully emulsified.
- Starting and ending with the flour mixture, whisk half the flour mixture into the melted butter mixture. Then add the ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk and whisk to combine.Add in the second half of the flour mixture gently with a spatula. Do not over mix or the dough will become shiny and too sticky.
- The dough will be very sticky. Add it to a freezer safe bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap and pop the entire bowl of dough in the freezer for 45 min. When the dough is almost done chilling, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Do not grease.
- After 45 min, using a large cookie scoop, make 12 scoops with the dough. (I use a 2 ounce cookie scoop).If the dough is sticking to the cookie scoop, wash the scoop half way through to get off any stuck on dough.
- Flatten each scoop into a thick disc versus a ball. If you don't do this step, the cookies will remain in the ball shape when baking.
- Place the discs about 3-4 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.I only bake 6 at a time. Pop the rest of the dough discs in the fridge while the first batch is baking.
- Immediately reshape the cookies when they come out of the oven. Use a spatula to push them into a circle and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack. If any cookies have puffed up, gently push them down with the back of a cookie spatula.If you don't let them cool on the pan, the cookies will break apart into a giant mess when you try to lift them up.
- Let the cookies cool completely before adding the buttercream, otherwise the frosting will turn into a liquid mess.Repeat this with the remaining dough discs.
Make the Jammy Blueberries
- In a medium microwave safe bowl, heat ½ cup of blueberries in 20 second increments, stirring after each time, smashing with the back of a fork, until they are soft, liquidy and jammy. This took me about a minute.Scoop out any large skins with a spoon or strain through a mesh colander. Set aside to cool.
For the Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the ¼ unsalted butter and 2 ounces cream cheese until smooth; about 2 minutes.
- Slowly add in the 2 cups confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon jammy blueberries and the ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract.Beat until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Using an icing spatula or a butter knife, frost the tops of the completely cooled cookies. Don't go all the way to the edge of the cookie. Make sure you can see the cookie on the edges.
Make the Blueberry Icing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon of the cooled jammy blueberries and the 1 tablespoon water until combined and smooth.
- Drizzle the blueberry icing on top of the frosted cookies.It is easier to hold your hand about 6 inches above the cookies and move your arm side to side while drizzling to create a horizontal pattern. Then get more icing and move your arm from top to bottom to create a vertical pattern.Let the icing harden prior to eating or it will have a strong confectioners' super flavor.
John says
These cookies are a fan favorite in our house! so easy to make and delicious!