Grinch Cookies
Grinch Cookies are the cutest and tastiest treats to make over the holidays! With that signature Grinch green color and a tiny Grinch heart, everyone loves them!
FOR ALL THOSE GRINCH LOVERS
Grinch Cookies are the perfect treat to make this holiday season! These festive and delicious cookies are sure to bring a smile to anybody who loves The Grinch. That recognizable green color and little red candy heart will let everyone know automatically what these cookies were inspired by. A super soft cookie that is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face this Christmas!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S) :
Many stores like Walmart, and craft store like Michaels, sell these cute little hearts. You can also buy them online at places like Amazon (paid affiliate link).
If the above sources aren’t helping you out much, you can just swap the hearts out for red M&M’s.
Nope. If you don’t care for almond extract, just omit it. No need to add anything in its place.
I used the Betty Crocker neon green gel food coloring (not an affiliate link.) This particular mix of neon colors has pink, purple and orange along with this particular color of green. If you don’t have the right green, start with a couple drops of yellow and add just a tiny drop of blue until you reach your desired color. It’s okay if it is not this same exact color.
Leftover Grinch Cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to 4-5 days. Or, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- salted butter – if you only have unsalted butter, that is fine. Just add an additional 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the batter.
- sugar – I think you could use a sugar substitute here although I haven’t personally tried it.
- cream cheese and sour cream – these are going to create the creamiest and softest cookies. If you don’t want to use sour cream, try substituting with plain Greek yogurt.
- large eggs – if you have time, allow the eggs to come to room temperature. This allows the eggs to incorporate better into the batter and create a fluffier cookies.
- vanilla and almond extract – You can use just vanilla extract and leave out the almond you don’t like almond flavoring. It really adds something special to the cookies though.
- green food coloring – see my FAQ above about the kind of food coloring I used here.
- all purpose flour – I usually don’t sift the flour but you certainly could if you prefer. The main goal is not to pack your measuring cup or you will end up with too much flour in your cookie dough. Don’t measure flour directly from the bag as that ends up pushing too much flour into the measuring cup. Pour it into a bowl and stir with a fork. Then dip your measuring cup in and swipe off the excess with the flat side of a butter knife.
- baking powder and baking soda – it’s really important to make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. If they are no longer good or expired, your cookies will turn out flat and hard.
- red candy hearts – see my FAQ’s above to see where to purchase the candy hearts.
HOW TO MAKE GRINCH COOKIES
In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Add cream cheese and sour cream and mix.
Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the other.
Add vanilla and almond extract and mix in. Add food coloring and mix again. In a separate medium bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk all the ingredients together. Add flour mixture slowly to the butter mixture and mix just until flour is mixed in. Cover and refrigerate the batter for at least an hour or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough with a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop (for large cookies) and roll into a ball then the ball in powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheet.
Bake cookies for 14-16 minutes, start checking at the 12 minute mark, adding 1-2 minutes each time. Remove from the oven, add candy heart while warm. Cool on cookie sheet. Enjoy!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Grinch Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 Tablespoon green food coloring
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 candy hearts
Instructions
- In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar for 3 minutes.
- Add cream cheese and sour cream.
- Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the other.
- Add vanilla extract, almond extract, green food coloring and mix again.
- In a separate medium bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk all the ingredients together.
- Add flour mixture slowly to the butter mixture and mix just until flour is mixed in.
- Cover and refrigerate the batter for at least an hour or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough with a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop (for large cookies.) Roll into a ball then the ball in powdered sugar.
- Place on cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies for 14-16 minutes, start checking at the 12 minute mark, adding 1-2 minutes each time.
- Remove from the oven, add candy heart while warm. Cool on cookie sheet. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Substitutions for Cream Cheese.
https://www.thismamacooks.com/2021/03/best-substitutes-cream-cheese.html
Thanks Colleen but those are all still cheeses and she says she doesn’t like any cheese. There’s already sour cream in this recipe
That’s a good question – I really don’t know. The only other options I have for you is other types of softened cheese. I’m sorry! Maybe one of our other readers who are expert bakers can chime in with some suggestion! 🙂
Love cookies like this, along with the whole family.
When I make; what are called chocolate crinkle cookies, I first roll in white granulated sugar before rolling in powdered sugar.
Mmmmm nothing better!