If you’re a fan of soft and cakey lofthouse style sugar cookies, then this is the recipe for you! Add a generous layer of frosting and some rainbow sprinkles, and these cookies are party-ready.
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Have you ever eaten a Lofthouse sugar cookie? They’re a soft and cakey sugar cookie with a generous layer of frosting and sprinkles.
Video: How to make Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
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Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
Prepare Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
I set out to recreate these special lofthouse style cookies at home. They start with a rich sour cream and sugar cookie dough. The sour cream in the batter helps make these cookies incredibly soft and also adds a subtle tangy flavor that balances the sweetness.
The batter itself is very soft, almost like between a batter and a batter, and that also helps create a very soft cookie. Chilling the dough before rolling and keeping it cold between bakes is a key component of making these cookies, but it’s well worth the effort.
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The Best Frosting Frosting
The frosting is a classic fluffy American buttercream flavored with vanilla extract, and it’s a great counterpart to the cakey, not-too-sweet cookie.
Once the icing dries, it develops a thin crust, making the cookies easier to stack and store between layers of parchment.
And one last tip: Dissolving the food coloring in milk beforehand will help keep the color vibrant, but you can of course just add it directly to the frosting mixing bowl.
Better the next day!
These cookies are great the day they’re made, but seem to get even better the day after they’re baked and frosted. The flavors meld and the vanilla emerges more prominently, while the texture becomes a bit more compact and powerful – but still very smooth!
How to save or freeze these cookies
These cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, separated by layers of parchment to keep them from sticking together.
You can also freeze them, baked or unbaked, glazed or unfrosted!
- How to freeze unbaked cookies: Roll biscuits and then place on a baking sheet without flattening. Freeze on the baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a freezer container and freeze for up to a month. Allow the dough balls to thaw on the baking sheet before baking, then flatten and bake as usual.
- To freeze baked non-frozen cookies: Allow to cool completely, wrap the cookies in a double layer of foil and place in a plastic freezer bag. Freeze for up to a month. Thaw on the counter and freeze before serving.
- To freeze frosted cookies: (Note that while this works and doesn’t affect flavor, sometimes the frosting doesn’t look quite as pretty.) Let cool completely, glaze, then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once the cookies are set, stack them 3 or 4 high between parchment paper, wrap in foil, and place in a freezer bag. Freeze and thaw at room temperature for up to a month.
Looking for a different sugar cookie?
Soft and tough is not quite your goal today? Check out these other variations!
- Easy Soft Sugar Cookies – soft and chewy!
- Simply cut out sugar cookies – thin and tender
- Holiday Sugar Cookies – Tender, a little crunchy, and tough enough for frosting
Or try these other favorite cookies!
- Brookies (chocolate chip cookies)
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- chocolate chip cookies
- Soft and chewy lemon biscuits
- Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Lofthouse style soft frosted sugar cookies
ingredients
- For the dough:
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3 3/4 cups (510 g) all-purpose flour
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1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
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1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
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1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
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2 large eggs
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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1 cup (227 g) sour cream
- For the glaze:
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1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
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4 cups (455g) powdered sugar
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1 tablespoon vanilla extract
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
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1 to 2 tablespoons milk
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Food coloring to color the frosting
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Sprinkles for decoration
special equipment
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blender
method
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Combine the dry ingredients:
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
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Prepare cookie dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Crack in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
Beat in the vanilla and sour cream until combined. Then, in two separate additions, beat in the flour, scraping out the bowl after each addition. This creates a soft and fluffy dough.
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Gently fold the batter into the bowl:
Using a stiff rubber spatula, fold the dough in the bowl a few times – scoop down the side of the bowl and under the dough, then lift and fold the dough over itself. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the process. Repeat this a few times until the dough is smooth.
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Cool dough:
Press a piece of cling film onto the surface of the dough and refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight to firm up. (Transfer the batter to a separate bowl if you need the mixing bowl for something else.)
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Preheat the oven:
Once the dough has cooled and you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack on the middle position. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Shape cookies:
Lightly flour the counter. Using a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons), scoop out some of the batter and let it fall onto the counter. Gently roll the dough against the counter and between your hands to form a round ball. Brush off excess flour and place the ball on the baking sheet.
Repeat scooping and rolling more cookie dough balls until the sheet pan is full, keeping the cookies a few inches apart. Cover the remaining dough and place back in the fridge.
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Flatten cookies:
Dip the bottom of a drinking glass in flour and use it to press the cookies onto the baking sheet until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Reflour the drinking glass as needed to prevent sticking.
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Bake cookies:
Bake the first sheet of cookies in the center of the oven for 11 to 13 minutes. When done, the cookies should be slightly puffy, dry on top, pale around the edges, and (when lifted with a thin spatula) barely golden on the bottom.
Let them cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Shape and bake the remaining cookies like the first ones.
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Prepare glaze:
Using the mixer attachment, cream the butter in the bowl of a food processor. Add half the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and beat on low for 1 minute to combine. Add the remaining powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk and beat for another minute.
The glaze should be fluffy, pale and spreadable. If it’s stiffer than you’d like, beat in an additional tablespoon of milk.
To make the frosting pink (or any other color), add a few drops of food coloring and mix to combine. (I used about 2 drops each of dark pink and red food gel for my cookies.)
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Glaze the cookies:
Spread the frosting over the cooled cookies and decorate with sprinkles.
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Save the cookies:
These cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, separated by layers of parchment to keep them from sticking together.
