Soft, simple Lofthouse Cookies are easy to make, and are a fun treat for birthdays and other special occasions. These sugar cookies with sweet homemade icing will just melt in your mouth!
- Just like the store-bought version: This Lofthouse cookie recipe is scarily close to the store-bought version – I can’t even begin to tell you how dangerous this will be for me, my jeans, and my sprinkle collection. (Yes, I said sprinkle collection.)
- Melt-in-your-mouth texture: These Lofthouse sugar cookies have that classic super-soft texture that all but melts in your mouth with every bite.
- Perfect for all occasions: These cookies are wonderful Christmas cookies but they also make great cookies for birthday parties and any other occasion. Feel free to change up the colors of the icing and sprinkles!
(P.S. Love sugar cookies? Check out these Soft Maple Sugar Cookies, easy Funfetti Sugar Cookies, buttery Spritz Cookies, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, Butterscotch Haystacks, and the best Chocolate Sugar Cookies, too!)
Lofthouse cookies are those sugar cookies you find in the plastic containers in the bakery section of the grocery store – those super soft ones with a thick layer of icing and sprinkles.
In 1995, a husband-and-wife team, Dave and DeAnn Stone, started a cookie-baking business and sold their cookies to local grocery stores. The product took off, and became known by the company name: Lofthouse. Eventually, Lofthouse Foods, Inc. was bought out, but those famous Lofthouse cookies are a still a household name!
The Ingredients
This Lofthouse cookie recipe is so simple, and the ingredients are all probably items that you already have on hand. Scroll down to the recipe card for measurements.
For the Cookies:
- Flour: The actual amount of flour you’ll need varies, depending on factors like humidity, how large your eggs are, etc. Plan on 5 – 6 cups.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Using both together gives the cookies a thick, airy texture.
- Butter: The butter should be at room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar: Plain granulated sugar is fine.
- Eggs: You’ll need three whole eggs.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract gives the best flavor.
- Sour Cream: I used light sour cream for these cookies. It helps keep the cookies soft and moist.
For the Frosting:
- Butter: Again, make sure your butter is at room temperature, or it won’t beat up properly.
- Vanilla
- Powdered Sugar: This light, finely-ground sugar gives your frosting the perfect smooth and fluffy texture.
- Cream: A small amount of heavy cream is used to thin the frosting to the right consistency.
- Sprinkles: Use whatever sprinkles you like to decorate your Lofthouse cookies.
Here’s an overview of how to make these ultra soft cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card for more detailed instructions.
- Make the dough: Combine five cups of flour with baking soda and baking powder. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla and sour cream at a low speed. Beat in the flour mixture on low, then add more flour 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough is thick enough for rolling and cutting.
- Chill the dough: Divide the dough in half then flatten each piece to 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill overnight in the fridge.
- Cut out the cookies: Sprinkle the work surface with flour then roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to cut the cookies.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes, until pale golden and just set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Make the frosting: Cream the butter and vanilla, then slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Add in the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, until the desired thickness is achieved.
- Decorate: Frost the cooled cookies then add sprinkles immediately. Let the cookies set so the frosting hardens.
Recipe Notes
Before you start baking, I hope you’ll take a minute to look over these helpful tips and recipe notes. Each one will help make sure your Lofthouse sugar cookies turn out perfectly soft, sweet, and scrumptious.
- Handling the Dough: Since this dough is so soft, it may be helpful to have a small-ish spatula for lifting both the unbaked and baked cookies, until they’ve cooled and hardened a little bit. It’s also very important to chill the dough and cookies thoroughly according to the recipe instructions.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: To keep things light and airy, you want the cookie dough to come together thoroughly without overmixing. To do this, make sure that your ingredients, especially the butter, are at room temperature.
- Don’t Brown the Cookies: No one loves a golden-brown, perfectly baked cookie more than I do – but in this case, you should take the cookies out before they get any color on them. Lofthouse cookies are known for their pale, soft, just-baked texture.
- Let them Sit Overnight: These cookies need their resting time overnight to develop their flavors and textures completely. As yummy as they are freshly-baked, they will taste like real Lofthouse cookies the next day.
Easy Variations
This recipe is great if you’re looking for standard Lofthouse cookies, but it’s also a perfect starting point for customized, personalized cookies! Check out these simple variation ideas, and enjoy!
- Colorful Cookies: Feel free to add a few drops of food coloring to the cookie dough, to make a colorful cookie that goes with your holiday or party theme. Fun!
- Flavor Ideas: A little bit of extract or flavoring can really up the flavor ante here. Consider adding peppermint extract, orange extract, rum flavoring, almond, lemon… so many great options. Some extracts and flavorings are stronger than others, so it’s a good idea to start small (like 1/4 teaspoon) and add more if needed.
- Topping Options: Who says you have to use sprinkles? Lofthouse cookies are just as yummy with plain frosting, or with fun toppings like chopped nuts, crushed candy bars, M&Ms, or whatever you like.
- Fridge: You can store these in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. I prefer to serve these at room temperature, but they can also be served chilled.
- Freezer: To freeze your Lofthouse cookies, line them up in layers in an airtight container, with a layer of wax paper or parchment paper between each layer to protect the frosting. Freeze for up to three months. (Note: It’s best to freeze them without sprinkles, so that the colors don’t run into the frosting after freezing and thawing.)
Looking for more delicious cookie recipes? Here are a few more reader favorites I think you will love:
- Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
- The Best Cookie Cake
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Soft, simple Lofthouse Cookies are easy to make, and are a fun treat for birthdays and other special occasions. These sugar cookies with sweet homemade icing will just melt in your mouth!
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 6 cups flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups light sour cream
Icing:
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- Sprinkles
Instructions
For the cookies:
- In a medium bowl, whisk 5 cups of flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough needs to obtain the right consistency for rolling, so add additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until this is achieved (up to 1 cup more flour).
- Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches thick, then wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
- Generously flour a work area and rolling pin. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes, until pale golden. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
For the frosting:
- To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is achieved.
- Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. Let cookies sit overnight before serving to allow the flavors to develop.
Notes
Recipe Note: Make sure and let these sit overnight! They are really perfect and soft the next day!
Storage: You can store these in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. I prefer to serve these at room temperature, but they can also be served chilled.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cookies, Calories: 435kcal, Carbohydrates: 60g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 216mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 35g
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I made these cookies several times a few years ago and almost panicked when i couldn’t immediately find your recipe again. So glad i did! By far the best we have ever made. ❤️❤️❤️ Thank you!!
Just wanted to say these are my go to recipe for sugar cookies. Everyone loves them and I make them a few times a year. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
We made these cookies in October and my whole family loved them! The dough is a tad sticky but just dust your hands with some flour. Will definitely make again!
After reading your reviews on these cookies I’m not at all into wasting my time.
Most of the reviews are “pretty sprinkles”, “gonna try it soon!”.
Please has anyone made these?,tried them?.
I go by reviews of actually from people who have tried the recipes,not because they like the photos.
So hoorah!,for pretty sprinkles,let’s hear a shout out for how they actually worked out and tasted. That’s what I’d like to read about.
I’m sorry for any rubbing any shoulders,or being negative I’m just being honest about, why I’ll be moving on with my search for a cake like “suger cookie recipe”.
One more note ,if there are reviews from people who made these cookies,may I suggest putting or mixing those into the top ten to read first not “oh how pretty”.
Have these on my pinterest board. And they are very good! Made them a few times now and everyone enjoys them.
Yes! These are probably the best/softest sugar cookies I’ve made. Lofthouse are by far my favorite though so I’m biased.
I have been looking forever for a recipe for
soft sugar cookies! THANK YOU. These are
SO GOOD!!
Is normal for the dough to be super sticky?? I added the additional 1 cup of flour however it was very stick, decided not to add anymore flour. Sitting in the fridge now, hopefully it will turn out good.
Do I store them in the fridge or on the counter to let the flavor develop?
I know that a lot of cookie recipes say they makes a bunch of cookies, such as 4 dozen cookies. Then, once you make them it only makes half (or less) the cookies the recipe says it makes.
Does this really make 4 dozen cookies?? How big are the cookies? Are they the same size as the original loftouse cookies, 2 inches? Does it make 4 dozen 2 inch cookies?
I’ve got my dough sitting in the fridge but was really hoping to bake them tonight. Does the dough have to sit in the fridge all night before I can bake them or can I just chill it for a couple hours and then bake them?
Thanks!
-Jess
Hi! They will still be tasty if you make them immediately, but they are best if you let the dough rest. The flour absorbs the moisture and it’s much better texture of the cookies similar to the store bought ones.
I made these cookies for Easter, they turned out wonderful. Easy peasy. I made lavender, pink and yellow with a hand mixer. Nice, soft and delish.
Recipe calls for 1 cup of butter 2 different times on the ingredients list. Was that a typo? Or should I be using 2 cups of butter to cream with the sugar?
1 cup of butter is for the frosting and 1 cup of butter is for the cookie batter/dough! :-)
Hey, I don’t have heavy cream at the moment and I really want to make these. Do you have any substitutions on that?
I have made these cookies before, and they are amazing! My favorite soft sugar cookie that I’ve made. I’m about to make them right now, and realize that I don’t have sour cream…. Would plain greek yogurt make an okay substitute?
I’ve made these probably dozens of times now, I love them so much! I bring giant plates into work and they are gone in minutes. Most recently I added 1tsp of nutmeg to make christmas cookies. So good!!!
These look and sound amazing, yum!
xx Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes
Hey, to all of you who need a much stiffer icing. Make royal icing, it has meringue in it and it hardens up but is still edible. And for all of you who need a clear Vanilla for the icing and white cookie, use Wilton’s Clear vanilla, you can purchase it at Walmart and Michaels “in the cake decorating section”, I also use clear butter flavoring. But when you change flavorings make sure to keep the same measurements of liquid so not to change the wetness of the recipe. And real butter has salt in it unless it is stated on the package; this recipe doesn’t call for unsalted butter, so it is regular butter.
Pinned these a whole ago. Finally made the dough last night and cookies and frosting today. I actually used an imitation sour cream as my husband can’t tolerate dairy. They came out gorgeous and delicious!! I only frosted 1/2 and put the rest in the freezer for another day. Thanx for the recipe – it’s a keeper!
I recently made these cookies…..we love them! One hint I have, that worked well for me: When it came time to refrigerate the dough, I rolled it into long rolls, about the diameter of a baked cookie, then wrapped the dough. The next day, I simply sliced the cookies. No rolling out dough. No cookie cutters. Just slice and bake. Worked like a charm. I will be making this recipe more often!
Wonderful recipe I have made several times. I was able to use a basic round, flower cut out and they turned out pretty cute even after puffing up. All of your directions are spot on and I hope users follow them all! Especially leaving the dough in fridge overnight. My personal preference is to add an add’l tsp of vanilla and 1/4 tsp almond extract as well as a little freshly grated nutmeg. Background flavors that you can’t spot but add up to delicious! Thanks for a great blog!
Help! My cookies came out looking like the picture but they taste and feel like sweet dinner rolls… not like a cookie at all! What did I do wrong??
Jessica, my daughter is getting married in September and I love the look of the loft house cookies for the cookie table. Do you think can be frozen after they have setup?
Hi Wendy, I do not have any experience freezing these cookies. However, I think you have plenty of time to experiment. Congrats to your daughter!
the dough is in my fridge right now! I didn’t have any sour cream so I substituted greek yogurt instead. So far it seems to work. I need them tomorrow morning so I thin I will chill them for about 5 hours. Do you think that will work?
I made them with the Greek yogurt and they were fabulous! Couldn’t tell the difference!
Would using greek yogurt instead of sour cream yield the same or similar results?
Hi Katie! I don’t know anyone who has successfully tried using greek yogurt instead. The fat content is a little different than sour cream…and while that doesn’t usually matter in a savory dish, it can effect the cookies.
If you end up trying it, I would love to hear your results.
I have to say – I have made these several times and they are always a huge hit. A few weeks ago I had a real lofthouse cookie for the first time – these are SO much better! This recipe makes approximately 999 dozen cookies that last about 15minutes when I bring them into work : )
Just wanted to say; thank you for this recipe, it’s amazing! I used it at Christmas time and am going to use it again to make Canada Day cookies! Everyone loved them, they were absolutely delicious. So soft too, best sugar cookies I’ve had.
OK, thanks! Yes, I did get those 3 attachments with my mixer. I’ve hidden the dough hook away somewhere, and never used it, though.So that is really clear now.
And I have to say, I made a whole bunch of these cookies for a reception the other day, and they were fantastic! This is a keeper recipe!
I’m in the process of making these, and I’m sure they’re going to be great by the way the raw dough tastes! (No one needs to warn me about the raw eggs; I’ll take my chances!)
What I am wondering is what is the difference between the 2 mixer paddle/flat attachments? I have a stand mixer, and I have a wire attachment and a white attachment. Is there another type available?
That’s just a funny way of saying paddle attachment. I don’t know why I never caught that before, but I will change it to say Paddle instead!
And just an FYI, you should have gotten three attachments in your kitchenaid stand mixer. A Paddle, Whisk and Dough Hook: http://helpful-kitchen-tips.com/image-files/kitchen-mixers/kitchenaid-artisan-stand-mixer-attachments.jpg
I do not have a mixer. I always use my food processor. Do you think it will work for this recipe. I have a wedding in a month. I am going to get bride and groom sprinkles!
Hi Sonia – I haven’t tried it using a food processor, but if that is what you always use for things like this…then I am sure it will be fine!
If I use half and half instead of heavy cream in the frosting will it turn out fine?
I would recommend sticking with Heavy Cream, but it’s worth a shot!
P.S. I used half and half because I didn’t have heavy cream. Also, I made the mistake of only doing half of the recipe and it was a horrible decision.
These were amazing! I suck at making cookies for some reason, seeing as I bake pretty well, but these turned out perfect. They were really easy, too. Thanks for the recipe!
Oops Changes ***
Hey! Worked Great at High Altitude without any chances!! I live at 10,000ft also so a lot higher than most the world! Only odd thing is the frosting tasted a bit odd to me. I am not sure why? I had a new carton of Heavy Cream, but wonder if maybe it was spoiled or something when I bought it that afternoon.
Otherwise the cookies were amazing and the texture great. I also did not have a cookie cutter so I had a can of Condensed CHicken Noodles soup that I ate and then cleaned and it made PERFECT circles!
I just finished making these tonight. I am hoping letting them sit overnight will “develop” the flavors like your recipe said because right now…the cookie is super bland, frosting is yummy, but am I thinking the missing ingredient is salt. Any reason why you did not include salt?
I also like the idea of adding almond extract…I will make a note of that on my print out for next time. I am intrigued enough to keep trying :)
I think it needs a little more favor. So I added a little almond flavoring
. What a difference also used cream cheese frosting..
Hi Jessica – I’m just wondering if I can put them in the freezer to speed up the process…I need them for tomorrow morning and didn’t read the part about refridgerating them until my dough was ready lol.
Thanks!!
Hi Trish,
I have never tried putting the dough in the freezer. The dough sits overnight in the fridge to develop…meaning the flour sucks up the moisture and does other magical cookie things. I don’t think the same effects will happen if the dough is put in the freezer.
I wanna cut the recipe in half. If there’s 3 eggs then how much do I put?? 1 egg or 2?
You will need 1 1/2 eggs. I use this method: http://greekfood.about.com/od/tipsforbeginners/qt/divide_eggs.htm
i dont have a paddle attachment is that a big must or will it work anyways? love these cookies and im having a tea party for my baby girls birthday and these would be so perfect! please help!
You can use any attachment you have, the paddle attachment is just the easiest/best for this type of recipe. Hope you enjoy them!
These cookies look like Italian Biscotti, which is one of my favorites. Im gonna try them. Thanks!
Thank you! Thank you! Now one of my favorite cookie recipes!! And everyone whom I recommended them to loves them as well! Now to make sure I always give most of them away so I won’t eat them all!
I’m looking forward to making these for Valentine’s Day! Hopefully my hearts are close enough to a circle they’ll turn out. Anyway, since many of you have been mentioning having a hard time getting the frosting to harden like the cookies from the market, I thought I’d let you know about an old trick my mom uses. She uses essentially the same frosting recipe, with the addition of an egg yolk. I know that’s a little weird (raw egg), but I’ve been eating it for 25 years and am fine! It makes the frosting form a nice dry shell, good enough for care packages filled with cookies!
Hi I tried making these cookies and I love baking an found this recipe and decided to try it. The cookies turned out great but when it came time to make my icing it was too runny and I couldn’t get it to thicken up. Any ideas or tricks to get the icing to turn out right?
I just made these for christmas and I used different cookie cutters. I wouldn’t recommend really small detailed cutters-they look quite distorted. The big snowman and Santa cutters, stars, and Christmas trees turned out fine.
-definitely keep flour on hand while working the dough.
So these are YUM!! Thank you! My only question being even more novice a baker than you is about the frosting. I do not have a fancy stand mixer with the different attachments so I just used a regular old electric hand mixer, and while light, fluffy and delicious, my frosting looks very airy compared to your picture, do you think this is why?
I think it is probably just being spread on the cookie compared to being in a bowl. Stand mixer or hand mixer, they all do the same thing! :) Hope you enjoyed your cookies!!
I substituted 0% greek yogurt for sour cream. I made the dough the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator over night. The cookies turned out fine. I would expect they may be slightly more tender with full fat sour cream, however, they are very light and fluffy. They are cooling right now. I am going to add 1 tbsp of corn syrup to the frosting to see if that assists hardening. Can’t wait to try the finished product.
We just made these cookies and they are a bit more cakey and less “cookie” if that makes any sense. Is this how yours came out?
Yup, that is the right consistency. Some people have even commented saying it’s biscuit like. Once you add some icing and let them sit overnight, they should taste great! :)
How many cookies does this recipe yield? I need to make atleast 36 cookies for an upcoming holiday party and I’m hoping one batch will do the trick… Thanks!
The recipe yield is right below the title, it makes about 4 dozen cookies!
I just made these with my son… Having only skimmed the recipe before asking if he wanted to bake, I missed the whole ‘refridgerate overnight’ part.
OOPS! Oh well, I was committed now. So we mixed it up and added in our own shortcut and twist as I didn’t realize we had no sour cream. With no time to wait forever we put the whole mixing bowl in the fridge, waited 30 min pulled it out and used a small cookie scoop for uniformity then floured fingers to flatten them… They were absolutely AMAZING! Only baked 15 tonight, will finish them in the morning
I’m glad you still were able to make them work and had a fun time baking with your son! :)
Things look delicious, just like my favorites. I have been searching for the perfect holiday sugar cookie, and i was wondering if you think these would still be delicious and keep there shape if instead of cutting them in the traditional circle, i used “fun” holday shaped cookie cutters?
Someone above commented they cut them into shapes and they held their shape ok. They are not a traditional cookie cutter cookie, and do puff up.
I just answered my own question, I think. I made these without any high altitude alterations and they turned out great. I even cooked some of them before refrigerating them because we just wanted cookies now. I used left over buttercream frosting from my daughter’s birthday cupcakes. We will try them again tomorrow after refrigeration. Can’t wait!
Glad you answered your own question because I know absolutely nothing about high altitude baking! …well besides the fact that it can mess up a cake! ;)
I am really glad they tuned out great for you!
Any high altitude adjustments?
Thanks Jessica! I’m going to make my second batch this weekend and I’ll let you know how it goes! thanks for sharing your recipe!
Do you think this recipe will make 2 (9×13) pans for cookie bars?
I have never made it in that way, so I really have no idea. It’s probably worth a shot, but I can’t promise it will be good. Sorry I’m not more help!
I am going to attempt making these with a gluten free flour mixture over the weekend. I love the Lofthouse cookies but can’t eat them anymore due to a gluten allergy. Let’s see if these are just as good…
I finally made these! They are so soft, but mine didn’t taste exact, but they are very close. I’m wondering what kind of flour and butter you used.
When I made these, I think I had Target brand all purpose flour and some store brand butter.
Hi there, I fell in love with lofthouse cookies when I visited Orlando a few years ago and would love to replicate these. Could you confirm which type of flour you use – cake flour or AP and we don’t have cake flour in the UK so would need to make my own if that’s what you’ve used. Many thanks!
I used regular ap flour! :)
I gave cookies cutters a shot, and all the shapes turned out just fine ( maybe a bit poofy, but still good). Awesome recipe, thanks!!
Just finished making these cookies this morning, and im about to get busy making the frosting. I think i can officially say these cookies have outdone my grandmothers. They are very good, and i suggest everyone make these! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!!!!
I am from the US and LOVE these cookies. I made these for my students in Spain for Halloween…i decorated them with halloween designs, but since we don’t have sour cream here, I used Creme Fraiche by the Presidents brand. It worked out so well! My students were asking me how to make them so their mom’s could make them for them! I highly recommend these.
Jessica! Thank you for your reply! I left the cookies out on the counter per the instructions and experienced no problems. The cookies were soft and the frosting was delicious. You were right(not that I doubted that) -the cookies were better after they sat overnight.
Again, thank you for your reply!
Hi! Just finished baking the cookies! Yes, my kids’ hands and my arms, hands, and face are still covered in flour and powdered sugar as I type! So far the cookies are delicious. They are soft and perfectly puffed. On storage, do I store in airtight container on the counter or in the fridge? I am assuming just out on the counter but it is kind of warm in our house. Just want to make sure the frosting does not run.
Thanks in advance.
jean in Texas
Hi Jean!
Glad to hear it! I am a couple days late, so I’m sure you already figured out what works best for you…but I stored mine on the counter with no issues. If it really is that warm, maybe it’s better if they are in the fridge at your house!
Hope you didn’t have any running icing issues! :)
I would love to make these but where I live I can’t find sour cream. Sad isn’t it? :-) I have seen creme fraiche but not sure if that is the same thing. What could I substitute for the sour cream? Thanks so much for any advice!!
Oh man. That is such a hard thing to sub in these cookies. I think your best bet would be to use Plain Greek Yogurt in it’s place.
These are no joke. I don’t bake cookies very often but that might have to change! This is a huge batch and was gobbled down pretty fast when I brought them into work. Everyone was asking for the recipe. Delicious soft cookies with AMAZING frosting. I seem to have trouble getting the ratio of my buttercreams right, they are always too sweet, but this is PERFECT. Just perfect.
AWESOME! I love getting to hear good reviews like this. Glad they were perfect for you Mary! :)
I know it says to use a 2 1/2 round cookie cutter, would you be able to use an shape instead of round?
This cookie is not a traditional sugar cookie and will puff up. Which is why it’s only good with a round cutter. But if the shape isn’t too detailed it might be ok.
Jessica, I can not thank you enough for this awesome recipe! I found it on pinterest this summer & no joke I think I have made these cookies 10x now. :) My family begs me to make them for them, ha. It’s such a perfect recipe! It does take some extra effort to make them but its well worth it. And as someone said don’t let them brown at all, I take mine out after exactly 7min. & put them directly on a wire rack. Thank you so much!
I am SO glad to hear that Katie!! :-)
Making these for hubby in a gluten free version. Mmmmm..
YUM! I love this cookies and grab a box any time I spot them at the grocery store :)
hey Brianna don’t feel alone ours didn’t work out at ALL either it was like cake batter but thicker but certainly unmanageable. We kept trying to add flour to make it a better constancy but that just made the dough taste awful. I’m sorry to say that these did not work out for us.
Hope, I wish I had an answer for you! For every 10 people that this recipe works for it seems there is 1 person that it doesn’t.
I have no idea what the issue is or why it seems to not work for some people.
Tried these today and while the dough was really soft, the cookies came out fine. Extra yummy with the icing. I had to laugh because they reminded me of something I couldn’t put a finger on–until my husband ate one and said “oh, you made kringla!”. Well, no I didn’t. But that’s what the cookies (without icing) reminded me of…my Norwegian mother-in-law’s recipe for kringla. The amounts of the same ingredients differ and there is buttermilk instead of sour cream, but basically the same recipe base. Love the cookies and thanks for posting the recipe!
How interesting! Now I want to try Kringla!
I just made these, and they are fantastic! The recipe made a TON though. More like 60 something. Next time I will definitely cut it in half.
What the heck did I do wrong?! I was SO excited for these cookies but they turned out like those wafer things you get in church! I followed the directions exactly. Added the last 1 cup of flour 1/4 cup at a time. The dough was weird. It kept “climbing” up my mixer so that I would have to stop and do my best to scrap it off. Even though it was SUPER sticky I still mangaed to get it into a rectangle, wrap it and refridgerate over night. I just pulled them out of the oven and every batch is horrible. They taste awful, really bland, I can’t even describe it. Normally I would think it was the recipe itself but it seems like only 1 other person has had a problem and everyone else loved them! The only thing I can think of is the type of flour I used? I was using King Arthurs flour and ran out for the last cup so I switched to Pillsbury…………….? Your cookies look SO AMAZING and mine do not look a thing like them!
Briana, I wish I had an answer for you! For every 10 people that this recipe works for it seems there is 1 person that it doesn’t.
I have no idea what the issue is or why it seems to not work for some people. :(
Also, I put the dough in the fridge b/c I didn’t have time to finish cooking them. They were better when I refrigerated the dough a few hours.
Amazing recipe! It is my new favorite sugar cookie recipe. Hint: do not overtake, don’t even let them brown.
I’m making these now for my daughter’s birthday party. I must say that I am rushed to do it because I didn’t realize that you pretty much need 2 days to do it (letting the dough sit for one and then letting the cooked cookies sit another), but luckily I started them early enough in the morning that I *should* be able to have them done in time. But my question is about the dough. I mixed it right as the directions say (even added the extra 1 cup flour as described) but it’s sooooo soft, I’d almost want to describe it as having a very thick, semi-runny consistency. After having the beaters lifted out of the bowl for 5 minutes, it was soft enough that I had thick blops of batter began dripping off of the them. There was no way I could remove it from the mixer and mold into 1.5″ thick squares. So I placed it in the fridge, still in the mixing bowl. I don’t think this is right. What did I do wrong? Or will a miracle occur and all be fine 7 hours from now when I pull it back out to roll out the dough and cut? HELP!
Hmm that is so strange! I haven’t heard of anyone having that issue. Was your butter melted instead of just room temp? I wonder if something was funky with your sour cream?
If it’s your butter, an hour or so in the fridge should firm it up and the dough should be ok. I would check it in an hour and see what it looks like then.
I made the dough yesterday and I am about to roll out and bake! I’m very excited because the raw dough was DELICIOUS ( yes, I know it’s not good to eat raw dough)!
I do not like the heavy frosting from the Lofthouse cookies and scrape it off but the cookies itself are wonderful. So, I will be icing mine with a thinner shiner icing. We shall see how it turns out. I also think sprinkles are beautiful but can’t stand how they taste… Blahhhhh
Someone said something about the icing not hardening… Has anyone tried corn syrup?
I love this recipe! I have already made these cookies twice now, they turned out perfect both times! I only made 1/2 a recipe because it makes soo many, it made 41 cookies. Wonderful recipe, everyone in my family loves them!
Yay! So glad to hear it Katie!! :-)
I absolutely positively cannot wait to try these out for my friend’s birthday; our sixth grade teacher would buy these for us every Monday so we have a lot of memories associated with them! I love your blog, by the way – I have you linked in my blogroll :)
I just finished making these cookies and I was so excited to try one fresh out the oven only to find out that they taste kind of like biscuits. How do I fix this? I had to put in flour so at what point do I need to put in more sugar to balance out the flour?
Haha, Jess I remember us going to Kroger on our Junk food runs getting boxes of these and mini brownies! Good times. I did want to know if you or anyone else would know if these would hold up shape well if I used a cookie cutter? I’m looking for a great cookie texture and great shape. Thanks.
– D
Hey Diana!
I do not think they will hold their shape well for cookie cutters. They tend to spread and rise some and are not the traditional flat sugar cookie.
I ended up going to the store and getting butter, my dough is in fridge! I am so tempted to pull it out and start baking!
Is it okay to use Margarine instead of butter?
I would not recommend using margarine instead of butter. The cookies will have a difference texture and probably will not taste the same.
Has anyone tried to freeze this cookie dough? If so, were they still yummy!
I personally have not tried freezing the cookie dough…hopefully if someone has they will see your comment and have an opinion!
If you do end up trying it, I would really be interested to hear how it worked out! ;-)
Salted or unsalted butter in the dough and frosting?
These are fantastic! They were the PERFECT recipe for a church event this summer. We coated them with different color sprinkles for some summer jazz and they were great! Thanks so much! :)
OK Great thanks. hope they turn out as excellent as everyone is saying!
If I dont have a stand up mixer what should I use? A regular mixer or should I use my hand with a spatula?
You should be fine to make them in a regular mixer! :)
These look just like those delicious and sweet cookies from the store.. can’t wait to try these ones!!!!!
I found theses on Pinterest and honestly have been putting off making them for fear that they would be another one of my Pinterest Fails. You know, those recipes that look great online but when YOU make them they either taste like cardboard or look like you let your toddler have full control of your kitchen. Or both!
Well, last week I made them for my husband’s coworkers. First, the good parts….they were beautiful (mine turned out just like the pictures, shocking!), chewy, and overall really good cookies. The bad…okay, not bad, just tips I guess. I dont think this needs to freeze overnight, maybe just a few hours to allow the dough to firm up. I needed to let mine defrost on the kitchen counter for an hour before my rolling pin would even make a dent! Without the frosting, the thick freshly baked cookies taste more like biscuits than sugar cookies, so dont skip the frosting! I also took the advice of another reviewer and added 2 Tbps meringue powder to the frosting. That really helped my frosting firm up enough to stack, but didnt turn into a rock.
I will be tossing out my old recipe and using these as my go-to recipe for sugar cookies. Thanks for making a recipe that tastes as good as it looks!
Thanks for your tips Erin. Glad they turned out good for you! :)
I am thinking about making these. On the frosting, can I use a hand mixer as I don’t have a stand mixer with paddle.
You can definitely use a hand mixer! Happy Baking! ;-)
Thanks! These turned out AWESOME! The dough was a little hard to work with at first, but by the second batch, I had a better time of it… you weren’t kidding when you said to GENEROUSLY flour the work area:) Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe!!!
haha! I know the dough is a pain to work with, but the end result is so worth it! Glad they turned out good for you! :-)
Could not get the frosting right….and the vanilla turned it brownish. :(
Can you use different shape cookie cutters! Like a Mickey Mouse? I was wondering if they would swell to much and not keep the shape!
Sorry Merie, they will swell. They won’t hold their shape :-( but Mickey Mouse would have been cute!
Well, I have cooked half the batch and I am not sure they are even going to be able to sit over night!! With four kids and my husband walking by, grabbing and frosting before they have even cooled off completely.. crazy! I need to put security bars on my kitchen when I cook these cookies, they are awesome, thanks for the recipe!!
These look amazing, I’m just worried being 7200ft elevation that they wouldn’t work :(
I wish I could be more help, but this Texas girl that currently lives in Florida….knows NOTHING about cooking in elevation!
I currently have the dough in the fridge! It was super soft when it went in – I assume that’s right?
Yes it makes a soft dough! Hope they turned out well!
I made a similar soft buttermilk sugar cookie for my niece for her birthday. If you tint icing yellow and then decorate the cookies with M&M’s into a smiley face, it is so cute for childrens birthdays :)
These look DELICIOUS… but how do you expect these cookies to sit over night without being devoured?? :)
I wonder if you could half this recipe?
4 doz. of these cookies and I would be struggling (even more) to get my jeans on lol
Yes you can make a half recipe! Just whisk two eggs together and only use 75% of the whisked eggs. :)
WOW! I was looking for a great cookie – and Here It Is. Just finished pulling out my first batch and OMG. These are perfect looking, deliciously sinful and I haven’t even gotten to the frosting yet. THANKS. My new Go To cookie/dessert. (I ran out of full fat *yikes* sour cream and opted for about 1/2 cup of my kiddos vanilla yogurt – fab!)
Those look amazing !!! Do i need to use LIGHT sour cream and can i do regular sour cream ? (I am from France, we don’t even have sour cream here so i have to make my own for recipes … )
thank you !!
Hey Margaux! Use regular sour cream! :) You want the full fat!
I must try these. I have a serious weakness for the Lofthouse cookies!
By the way, the addition of meringue powder (In the cake decorate dept) should help the frosting to firm up for you!
I had a little sugar cookie test over the weekend, comparing several recipes from Pinterest. Your recipe won! It is the absolute best sugar cookie I have ever made and best i have ever tasted! Thanks for sharing!
I am so glad to hear it Noelle! I love these cookies!!
On the issue of the sticky frosting…
I added 2T of Wilton’s Meringue Powder to the mix. It’s been about 20 minutes and the frosting has a nice crust on it, but it’s still soft. I even did a test run of stacking them, and it doesn’t seem to be sticking. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
omg these cookies look amazing! i can’t wait to try them out. about how many days do they last though?
p.s. i <3 the pics
They should be good for about 4-5 days!
These look yummy! I am going to try this:) oh and being a photographer for a living, i must say great photos!!!
Thanks!! That means a lot! :-)
WOW! These sound amazing and look super cute :) I’m definitely going to give these a go soon. I love to bake and just began baking for friends – additions to Christmas presents and birthday gifts, etc. I love the process and think it personalizes the present too. Awesome blog xx
Are these storable/freezable? Trying to find something I can make in advance for Christmas.
Hey Heather! Sorry I didn’t get to reply when you commented or before Christmas! I was on a cruise and didn’t have email! Annnyyywayyss…
I have never tried freezing them. I would be worried the texture would change and the icing would get weird. But I do think they are better the next day and they store pretty well in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days!
They came out excellent!! My boyfriend, (whom hates all things sugar..weirdo.) LOVED them! I can’t wait to make a batch to share on xmas! Thanks! :) oh and by the way..I may have eaten your fontina and arugala grilled cheese three days in a row now..may have? ha! Its AMAZING!! Thank you for a fab recipe!
Yay!! So glad you liked them and your loser sugar hatin’ boyfriend did too! :-P
And oohhh girl! I have eating that grilled cheese way more times then I care to admit! Haha
I currently have this dough sitting in my fridge waiting to be rolled out and turned into delicious cookies! Its all i can do to keep my fingers out of it! Yumm!
Yay! How did they turn out??
I just finished frosting these. I made the batter last night, let it sit in the fridge overnight. Then I rolled them out, baked, and frosted them this am. They are PERFECT!!!! They’re sitting on the counter at home waiting for me to come home from work…Question: will the frosting get more firm like the ones from the store as they sit? The frosting is delicious, but if it’s touched, it smudges. Not a problem since I assume they’re be devoured in .02 seconds, but for transporting I was just wondering. People reading the reviews, MAKE THESE!!!! You’ll love em!
YAY! I am so glad you liked them Julia!
And no…my frosting never really got hard like from the store. I don’t know what they put in it to make it that way…but I assume it is some kind of preservative to make it turn hard.
But..to be honest…they may have possibly turned hard after 24 hours…but they didn’t last in our house that long! :-)
Looks great! Seems like the sour cream is the trick! I’m off to try them! – No salt mentioned in the recipe… is that right?
Uh oh…. these could be very dangerous. I loooove the store bought version but never buy them because storebought equals unhealthy for me. But if they were homemade, I’d eat them. All.
I love sprinkles, too. I actually bought the lofthouse cookies for my daughter to take to school for her last birthday – at he request…she loves them! These look EXACTLY like lofthouse cookies. Perfectly round and the cookies are kind of white. Wow – will have to try these. I made Tate’s soft cookies for Christmas and they were really good, too. I think they are pretty similar to these.
OMG–I’ve been in love with the Lofthouse cookies forever and I just wrote them off as one of those things that’d be impossible to make at home. You just made my freakin’ day!
My husband’s bday is next week and he freaking LOVES those store bought sugar cookies. The guy doesn’t like cake either, so a cookie is always his dessert of choice. Done and done.
So cute!! They do scream birthday….
Oh yeah, I’ve been on the hunt for a copy cat loft house recipe for a while now. I am have got to try these. And reinvest in some sprinkle stock – Id make a fortune off you ;)
Ho-lyyy! I guess I’m late to the party, but I had no idea people knew the secret to those ridiculously amazing cookies that I sneak home from Kroger and proceed to SMASH on! Now that they’re homemade, they’re instantly more classy-and I WILL be trying this recipe out asap! This is the first recipe I’ve seen on your site and I know-NEW FAVORITE BLOG!
Recipes for these type of cookies just keep popping up! It really makes me want to make all of them to compare!
I’m SO happy that you posted about these. I always see the prepackaged kind in BJ’s or Costco but I’ve always wanted to try making my own (because let’s face it, I totally get down with the pkg’d ones like it’s my job). Gorgeous photos!
These look like the perfect birthday cookie! I’m sure your friend was thrilled:-)
My FAVORITE COOKIE!!!!!!!! EVER!!!!!!
As you know ;)
OMG! I always find an excuse to buy these at the market, but yours look much prettier with the multi-colored sprinkles. These are one of those guilty pleasure things… I will definitely make these!!! Thanks Jessica! :)
My daughter is SOOOO going to love you for this recipe!
Sprinkle collections are key to living a happy life. i’m sure of it.
I never thought that I’d want cookies for my birthday either…but you might have just changed that.
I could take those sprinkles, stand in front of a fan and pour them on my head.
I’m obsessed with sprinkles, Jessica! I love these same exact sprinkles! :) I pinned these cookies because I need to try them ASAP!
Scream Birthday is right. So pretty and fun!
Ok, done. I’m making these. I’ve seen so many bloggers make them lately but your pictures just pushed me over the edge- I can’t put it off any longer!
I love those cookies! I’ve seen a few bloggers make these and every time I see them again I’m reminded that I need to make them ASAP. I might just be whipping up a batch for a Labor Day cookout next weekend.
I love sprinkles, too! I’ve always wanted to make the Lofthouse cookies- these look WONDERFUL!
I have been looking for this recipe~Thanks for sharing
These look just like the ones always at Publix! I bet they’re even tastier too!
Cuuuuute! I heart sprinkles.
Jessica these look awesome. They look professional or fake or just too good to be handmade in your kitchen. Seriously IMPRESSED. You need to open a bakery!
The photos are spectacular, too…love the black background against the white cookies…perfect!