Lofthouse Sugar Cookies Recipe

4.91 from 22 votes

Lofthouse Sugar Cookies Recipe

Lofthouse Cookies 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!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 210kcal

Author: Dorothy Kern

Cost: $5

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.

Video

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 9x13-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.

Nutrition