People Are Obsessed with Utah’s Pink Cookies—Here’s How to Make Them

While few things are as good as a fresh, warm chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven, cookie shops in Utah have a better idea. Sugar cookies served cold are on the menu, and everyone is obsessed. But these aren’t just any sugar cookies.

The pink sugar cookies that have developed a following in Utah and in parts of Southern Idaho are giant, soft, topped with a distinct light pink frosting, and they are almost always handed to you cold. But now, you don’t have to drive to find a roadside stand to try these cookies. Instead, make them at home with this copycat recipe to see just what all the hype is about.

Also, check these sugar cookie tips for the best-ever treats.

The Origin of Utah’s Pink Sugar Cookies

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Giant sugar cookies with pale pink frosting are a go-to snack or dessert in Utah. And while most locals would say they originated at a gas station and bakery outside of St. George called Dutchman’s Market, it was the popular Southwestern chain Swig that made them gain even more traction.

Swig is known for its dirty sodas pairing soda and cream, but its menu also consists of more than 30 sodas combining a variety of fruit flavors, along with energy drinks and flavored sparkling waters. Another highlight of visiting a Swig location? Swinging by for a big pink sugar cookie to pair with your drink. They’re not the same as the popular pink Lofthouse cookies though, which are soft and fluffy. These cookies are hefty, with a dense chewy texture thanks to the addition of powdered sugar and vegetable oil, each with plenty of sweet pink frosting on top.

Pink Sugar Cookies Recipe

While this recipe takes inspiration from the popular Swig sugar cookies, it is closer to Crumbl’s version (which also originated in Utah) thanks to the addition of almond extract. This recipe makes eight giant pink sugar cookies.

Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 6-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2-1/2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• Pink gel food coloring

Directions

Step 1: Cream the butter, oil and sugars

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, granulated sugar, powdered sugar and oil. Cream until well combined and smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract.

Step 2: Add the dry ingredients

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a soft dough forms.

Step 3: Press the dough

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form large balls of dough, about three tablespoons each. Roll them into smooth balls and place four or six on the prepared baking sheet so they have plenty of room. Use the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar to press down each ball of dough, keeping them about 1/2-inch thick. Chill the baking sheet for 10 minutes before putting the cookies in the oven. Bake the cookies for eight minutes, remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Make the pink frosting

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In a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter. Mix in two cups of powdered sugar and the milk. Gradually mix in the remaining powdered sugar until the frosting begins to form. Turn the speed up on the mixer to whip the frosting until smooth. Mix in one to two drops of pink food coloring to achieve desired light pink color. Use a flat spatula to generously frost each cookie.

Tips for Making Utah’s Pink Sugar Cookies

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Press the cookie dough with a glass

Utah’s pink sugar cookies have a signature look to them, with textured edges. To create this classic look, form large balls of cookie dough. Then, use a glass to press the dough instead of your hand. Dip the bottom of the glass in sugar to help create that textured design.

Don’t bake too long

These cookies aren’t in the oven for very long, and that’s on purpose. To create the perfect texture, pull the cookies out of the oven before they start to turn golden on the edges. Leaving them on the hot baking sheet right out of the oven and allowing them to cool on the baking sheet plays a role in creating that signature soft texture.

Keep them cold

These cookies are soft and dense, and keeping them in the fridge truly does make them that much better. It helps to keep their structure and texture intact while maintaining their delicious flavor.