Soft and Fluffy Sugar Cookies
Soft and fluffy Sugar Cookies that remind me of the Lofthouse cookies! We love making these soft sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day and Christmas.
SOFT AND FLUFFY SUGAR COOKIES
Over Christmas last year I made over 100 sugar cookies for both preschool and our church party.
I remember thinking if I don’t see another sugar cookie for another year it will be fine with me.
Well…we’ve made up since then. Sugar cookies and I that is. I have literally tried over 5 sugar cookie recipes in the past couple of months and for me this one tops them all.
I love this recipe but sugar cookies are like eggs…everyone likes ’em different. Some like them thin and crispy, others big and dense.
This one met my criteria for a stellar cookie. It’s really moist and soft but still holds its shape so that it’s easy to frost. This cookie works best for a round shape and will spread if trying to do cut out shapes.
This is a fluffy soft cookie if you’re looking for a thinner, sturdier cookie, this is not it. John stole one while I wasn’t looking and said, “I have to tell you that this may be the best sugar cookie I’ve ever had.” Thanks to my friend Allison for the recipe.
WHAT MAKES SUGAR COOKIES FLUFFY?
The key ingredient in making sugar cookies fluffy is sour cream! It makes them light and airy.
CAN THESE BE FROZEN?
Yes. Just bake as directed and freeze unfrosted. Thaw and frost!
OTHER COOKIE RECIPES:
- Buttery Sugar Cookies
- Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- No-Bake Cookies
- Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Soft and fluffy Sugar Cookies that remind me of the Lofthouse cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup butterv
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla (I like almond)
- 6 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Combine sour cream, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla/almond extract. Beat for 2-3 minutes.
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Add dry ingredients and mix well. Dough will still be wet and sticky. Let the dough chill in fridge for 25 minutes or until firm. Note: I trick I started doing is placing some of the dough in between two sheets of parchment or wax paper and rolling it out to the desired thickness. Put the sheets in the fridge until firm then when ready start cutting into shapes with cookie cutters.
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Roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters to make shapes or circles. You may have to add a little flour to roll them out so the dough is workable but remember the less flour you use the softer your cookie will be.
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Bake until LIGHT golden brown about 8-10 minutes. When you take them out they will seem underdone but they aren't. Let them cool on the pan and they will be perfect and moist. It you like them harder and more crunchy just bake them a little longer.
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For the Buttercream Frosting:
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In a mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue creaming until well blended. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.
Recipe Notes
Source: my friend Allison Tolbert
Did you use unsalted butter or regular. I have this recipe but it call for margarine instead.
I always use unsalted butter when baking so I can add salt on my own.
This is awesome. I was searching for a great sugar cookie recipe and my sister-in-law Allison told me about your blog long ago, so I always check it out when I am on a recipe hunt. So, I am reading the recipe, and am excited to try it. Then I get to your source….who just so happens to be…my sister-in-law!
How funny. I love Allison! She’s a good friend to me…
I have to say, I have made almost half of your recipe index! I love your recipes. And, I have not had one thing flop. Maybe we cook similar? You describe each step exactly as i would.
These cookies are Just as you described…and I love how they hold shape. I did what you suggested with the sheets of paper and the flour. My batch was very forgiving as well.
So after months of cooking with your blog nightly I had to say THANKS! I feel like I know you even though I so dont! Funny how blogs do that. Keep on cooking! My family loves your ideas.
The Atkins Crew in San Fran
Paige,
Thanks! If we like the same food we probably would be friends if we lived closer!
Thanks for doing the work for me trying all those different sugar cookie recipes. These were delightful. I normally do cream cheese buttercream frosting but was out of cream cheese so I tried this buttercream. Oh my heavenly! Seriously, I had to give most of the cookies away so I wouldn’t eat them all. I think I will have dreams about them.
PS- I wish I was the Alison that gave you the recipe. She rules.
My husband made these tonight and they were SO good! We love soft cookies, and these were perfect. Lovely recipe! 🙂
Hi
I love how the cookie looks but unfortunately I’m not good with cup measurements can you tell me the measurements in grams. I would love to make them
I’m not good with gram measurements unfortunately. I think I would totally mess it up.
After 8 years of marriage my husband finally told me I make something better than his mother…and it was these sugar cookies! And that is high praise because sugar cookies were a major part of family traditions growing up in his family. He has also insisted that I print out this recipe so that he can make them as well and to make SURE I don’t lose it. Thank you for giving me a leg up! 🙂
You’re welcome!
Ah… I’m dropping my head and shaking it with sadness… I’d been trying to avoid your blog for a while as I’d been too tempted to make all sorts of wonderful goodies now that I’ve cut out sugar and white flour (well for 6 out of 7 days of the week – let’s keep things reasonable). How I followed one link to another to come back again, who knows? But I think this recipe may be worthy of my “cheat day”. They look very much like those Lofthouse cookies. Which I LOVED! Thanks a whole bunch, Christy. (kidding)
Hi there,
This recipe looks great, I definitely will try. I do have a recipe that I
have been using and instead of rolling out right away, you take a
couple of handfuls of dough, roll to a 1/4 ” thick between two pieces
of wax paper. repeat till all dough is rolled between wax paper sheets.
place the stack of rolled dough in frig for a couple of hours or over night.
when ready to bake, pull out one sheet at a time, cut out cookies and bake.
There is no extra flour needed. The edges of your cookies are sharp and
clean. the extra dough you just repeat rolling between wax paper and repeat.
very clean, no flour messes on counter.
Thank you! I’ve actually been using this tip lately and it works perfectly!
I just finished baking these cookies and they turned out excellent. I let them chill in the fridge overnight and although the dough was still a little sticky I had no problem rolling them out with a little flour. I have steel counter tops that are very cold which might have helped but all in all this is the BEST sugar cookie recipe I’ve tried so far. I used vanilla in the first batch but i’m certainly going to try the almond extract in the second batch. Thanks for the recipe and Happy Holidays!!
great frosting recipe for these cookies – soften 3 or 5 oz cream cheese & 1 tsp butter, add1/2 tsp vanilla & 1 cup confectioners sugar. beat until smooth. Tip- Let them air dry over night they stack easier on a plate. VERY ADDICTING!
I was really excited to try these cookies, they look delicious and the rave reviews were promising. I unfortunately had the same problem as others, I refrigerated my dough over night, went to roll it out, it was a sticky mess. I got so frustrated because it wouldn’t work no matter how many tricks I tried (I.e. dust with flour, roll between two parchment sheets, flash froze, etc…) I thought it might have been something I did wrong, so I made a second batch, but the same problem occurred, so I added more flour, which allowed me to get a very messy batter in the oven, only to find out it doesn’t retain it’s shapes well, however it tastes delicious.
My conclusion is, it must be that I live in a high humidity state? Even though I won’t be using this as my go to cut out sugar cookie, it will however make a fantastic sugar cookie bar.
I have a tip for cut out sugar cookies. When your rolling out the dough use half flour and half powdered sugar. The dough will be easier to handle and the cookies won’t come out dry because the powdered sugar melts into them. Give it a try-it always works for me.
Taste ok, not super sweet, though. My husband asked if I forgot the sugar 🙂 Also had big problems with crazy sticky dough. Even though they were chilled. I added a TON of flour when trying to roll out. After finally getting only 6 cookies cut out, I was done for the night.
I’m so disappointed! I let my dough refrigerate overnight after reading a few of the posts which mentioned their dough was too sticky. I also added flour to roll the dough out and it’s an absolute bust! No cookies here b/c the dough is ridiculous. The small part I was able to roll out was ruined after trying to remove my cookie cut out b/c again it’s so sticky that it mis-shaped my cookie. I’m so bummed. No Valentine cookies now ;(
YUM! Made these tonight. Still making them, actually! I chilled the dough and am too lazy to roll them out so I dropped onto my cookie sheet using my cookie scoop. Cooked for 10 minutes and they are divine! I might save half the dough and roll them out tomorrow though.
@hair blooms by Kristen,
Yes, the dough is sticky but once you chill it and add probably a 1/2 cup of flour when you roll it out it’s manageable. Did you chill yours?
I am making these tonight, and I followed this recipe exact, and my dough is super super sticky, I’ve even added extra flour and it isn’t doing much, I even made a second batch to see if I missed something in my first and it turned out just the same, hopefully I can even get it to roll out, any suggestions?
Mandy,
Sorry! The recipe listed both so it was confusing. You can use either but I prefer almond for sure!
Hello this recipe looks yummy I was just wondering did you use almond extract or vanilla? Sorry to be so confused. I am excited to make some.
Amanda
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@Anonymous,
Funny. I just made them tonight and I think they are awesome. I guess that just proves that all tastebuds are made differently. Good luck on the search for a recipe that fits your tastebuds.
I was so excited to try this recipe. Followed the recipe to the “T” and I am sorry to say this was the worst sugar cookie recipe I have ever made. I’m hoping the iceing I put on these cookies will make them sweet enough. Sorry
Oh my I just found your site and I’ve been searching for cookies exactly like these! Looking forward to making them all today, and hoping not to eat them all today! Thanks for the recipe!
Darnit!! I totally forgot the vanilla. I’m gonna have to make a superb frosting to compensate. Does anyone have a good frosting recipe that withstands shipping? Besides royal icing, that is
so I have a recipe for the best chocolate frosting recipe you have ever had in your life!
didn’t make the cake recipe, just the frosting!!!!!
http://hubpages.com/hub/Dark-Chocolate-Cake-With-Rich-Chocolate-Frosting-Recipe
do it and you will only want to eat this for the rest of your life 😉
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@Laura,
I’ve used these for activities and the recipes make around 4 dozen. They are a soft cookie…more cakelike but still hold their shape. If you are looking for flatter cookies try http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/12/sugar-cookies.html
which are good for decorating as well.
I dont think I should look at your blog at night….everything looks so good and makes me so hungry! awesome recipe index….made it so easy to find just what i was looking for!
trying to find a sugar cookie recipe for ryan’s ym activity next week….we need to make dough for 12 or 15 dozen ahead of time and then they are going to cut out, bake and decorate the cookies and deliver them. how many cookies do you think a bunch of teenagers could get out of this recipe….per batch? Are these pretty forgiving if they dont do it exactly right?
thanks for your help!
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