• Food coloring and other candy decorations optional for decorating the cookies.

Make the Sugar Cookie

• Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside
  2 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour, 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ Teaspoon Salt
• In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and butter. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beet 1 to 2 minutes until well combined and smooth.
  1 ½ Cups Granulated Sugar, 8 Ounces Cream Cheese, ½ Cup Butter
• Add the granulated sugar and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to get everything incorporated. Next add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
  1 Large Egg, 2 Teaspoons Vanilla
• Add the flour mixture to the cream cheese, sugar, and butter mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• You are now ready to shape into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. You can also like the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Bake time will vary with your individual oven temperature. The edges should be set.
• Allow cookies to cool 1 to 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. This will do two things. The cookie will continue baking a little from the heat of the pan. Then they will start to cool off and it will be easier to move them to the cooling rack.
• Cool on a cooling rack completely before frosting.

Make the Buttercream Frosting

• To make the buttercream frosting, in a medium bowl combine the powdered sugar, softened butter, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add another teaspoon of milk. If the frosting is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
  2 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar, ¼ Cup Butter, 3 to 4 Tablespoons Milk, ½ Teaspoon Vanilla
• Tint with food coloring as desired.
• Use a knife to spread a little less than a teaspoon of the frosting per cooled cookie. If you wish to be fancier, add the frosting to a piping bag and pipe the frosting onto each cookie.
• Add candy decorations such as sprinkles as desired.
• Store in a covered container at room temperature.