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BETTER than the original Lofthouse Cookies, these are a copycat sugar cookie that’s soft with a thick layer of sweet frosting. These cookies are also called sour cream sugar cookies and they’re perfectly soft! If you or your kids can’t resist those packaged cookies from the grocery store, try this recipe – you’ll never need to buy them again!
Table of Contents
Best Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Every single time we go to the grocery store Jordan begs for those soft frosted sugar cookies you see in the baking department. I think they’re called Lofthouse Sugar Cookies and they’re actually really good: they are a soft cake-like cookie topped with a sugary sweet frosting. They’re almost always colorful and have lots of sprinkles and they always call out to me.
Recently Jordan was asking for them and I wondered if I could make them at home. Sugar cookies are kind of my weakness when it comes to cookie recipes (you probably know that from the amount of sugar cookie recipes I have on this site) so I decided I needed to add another to my repertoire.
At first I thought that the Lofthouse Cookie Recipe must just be like my perfect sugar cookie recipe but with a sweeter frosting. I mean…aren’t all frosted sugar cookies the same? But I was wrong: They have a few special ingredients that make them unique…and is probably why they taste so darn delicious.
Other Ingredients Needed
- Butter – you’ll need unsalted softened butter for both the cookie and the frosting.
- Granulated Sugar – I just use granulated sugar in my sugar cookie recipes, instead of a combination of sugars.
- Egg – Always buy large eggs!
- Milk – milk is used to thin the frosting to spreadable consistency. You’ll use between 1-2 tablespoons whole milk. If using nonfat or low-fat milk or heavy cream, you’ll use less (or more). More fat content = more milk needed for consistency.
- Powdered Sugar – to make the frosting
How to make Lofthouse Cookies
This easy sugar cookie dough comes together in minutes. There is no rolling and no chilling; just scoop, flatten, and bake them. They don’t even spread much!
- Mix butter, sugar, and sour cream in a hand or a stand mixer until smooth.
- Mix in egg, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla.
- Mix in flour until cookie dough forms, being sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.
- Scoop two tablespoons of dough per cookie, placing on the guides on the parchment paper so they are at least 2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a glass to press the cookies flat. (If the cookie dough sticks to the glass, spray it first with nonstick cooking spray for easy removal.)
- Bake cookies for 7-9 minutes or until they JUST loose the glossy sheen and are barely light golden around the edges. Do not over bake these! Err on the side of underdone.
- Make my vanilla buttercream frosting (which is way better than the lofthouse cookie frosting) and then frost the cookies and add sprinkles!
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- When you’re making these copycat Lofthouse Cookies, you have to be sure and flatten them. They don’t spread much at all, so if you want an ice flat cookie for the buttercream frosting, flatten them with the bottom of a glass.
- When you’re baking these soft sugar cookies, be sure to not over-bake them. That is key to getting the soft cake-like Lofthouse Cookie taste and texture. I took them out when they were JUST no longer glossy and barely light golden. If you wait until you see the bottoms be golden, you’ve over-baked them.
- Just a tip: depending on your oven, I highly recommend rotating the pans horizontally and vertically during baking. My oven is new but the back cooks faster, so anything on the back of the cookie sheet will burn. Make sure to check your cookies halfway through baking.
- I love using pure vanilla extract in the cookies and frosting. You can also add a bit of almond extract for extra flavor.
- Use food coloring to tint your frosting just like the real Lofthouse Cookies!
FAQ
These are a soft sugar cookie, with a bit of a cakey texture. The cookies themselves aren’t very sweet, so the frosting is perfect on top.
Store these tightly covered or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The frosting will dry a bit on the top but still be soft, so a bit might transfer if the cookies are stacked.
Freeze these with or without frosting. You can also freeze the frosting separate.
Lofthouse Cookies are so soft because of a combination of sour cream, baking soda and baking powder. Baking powder makes a more cake-like cookie but the acid in the sour cream activates the baking soda giving these even more soft texture!
Lofthouse Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (184g) sour cream room temperature
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (310g) all purpose flour
For the frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- Food coloring if desired
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper with SmartGrid.
- Mix butter, sugar, and sour cream in a hand or a stand mixer until smooth. Mix in egg, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Mix in flour until cookie dough forms, being sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.
- Scoop two tablespoons of dough per cookie, placing on the guides on the parchment paper so they are at least 2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a glass to press the cookies flat. (If the cookie dough sticks to the glass, spray it first with nonstick cooking spray for easy removal.)
- Bake cookies for 7-9 minutes or until they JUST loose the glossy sheen and are barely light golden around the edges. Do not over bake these! Err on the side of underdone.
- Make the frosting: mix the butter and powdered sugar with a hand or stand mixer slowly until crumbly. Add vanilla, salt, and 1 tablespoon of milk and mix until frosting is smooth, adding more milk as needed for spreadable consistency. Tint with food coloring, if desired.
- Top each cookie with about 1 tablespoon of frosting. Smooth and sprinkle with sprinkles, if desired.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- You have to be sure and flatten them. They don’t spread much at all, so if you want an ice flat cookie for the buttercream frosting, flatten them with the bottom of a glass.
- When you’re baking these soft sugar cookies, be sure to not over-bake them. That is key to getting the soft cake-like Lofthouse Cookie taste and texture.
- Depending on your oven, I highly recommend rotating the pans horizontally and vertically during baking.
- I love using pure vanilla extract in the cookies and frosting. You can also add a bit of almond extract for extra flavor.
- Use food coloring to tint your frosting.
- Make them into lofthouse cookie bars: press them in a 9×13-inch pan that’s been lined with foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 18-24 minutes or just until the top loses it’s glossy sheen. Frost after cooling.
Recipe Nutrition
Make Copycat Lofhouse Cookies with this easy soft frosted sour cream sugar cookie recipe! They’re homemade with the best frosting recipe! You can also make these into bars!
Favorite Cookie Recipes
Last Updated on June 13, 2023
These were amazing 🤩 Tasted better than the store bought ones! Definitely keeping this recipe. Thank you!
So glad you liked them!
Love these cookies from the store .. I want yo try making them.
Made these cookies for Santa. My kids and us loved them so much that we had to put away the last 2 cookies for Santa.
😀
All I can say is “Oh…My…God!!!”! Spot on recipe!
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