These Soft Sugar Cookies have an irresistible texture that’s both cakey and moist! Topped with creamy pink frosting and sprinkles, they’re like a mashup between vanilla cupcakes and sugar cookies!
You know the Lofthouse Sugar Cookies at the grocery store? They’re pretty delicious, right? Well, this recipe is the homemade version of those tasty treats that’s really easy to make right at home!
Needless to say, this Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for any kind of gathering. It’s also a great recipe to make for holidays like Valentine’s Day and Christmas since you can change the color of the frosting and sprinkles for any occasion!
What’s In Them?
Cake flour is the key to the soft texture of these cookies. It’s also important to use both baking powder and baking soda to help the cookies puff up. A bit of kosher salt activates the leavening agents and also amplifies the sweetness of the granulated sugar!
Make sure you go for unsalted butter since using salted butter could add too much salt to the recipe, but if that’s all you have, leave out the additional kosher salt. You should also make sure it’s room temperature so it blends evenly with the other ingredients.
Vegetable shortening, eggs, and sour cream are also key components that will help keep the cookies super soft and moist and bind all of the ingredients together!
A combination of vanilla extract and almond extra really pack for a delicious flavor in these Chewy Sugar Cookies!
For the frosting, you’ll use a base of unsalted butter and powdered sugar. It’s important to use powdered as opposed to granulated sugar, which could make the frosting grainy, powdered sugar makes it smooth and creamy.
A hint of vanilla extract for flavor and some heavy cream which adds lightness to the frosting without thinning it out too much.
Finally, a bit of food coloring can be added to match any occasion! A couple of drops is all you need!
What If I Don’t Have Cake Flour?
If you don’t have cake flour on hand, you can make your own cake flour with all-purpose flour and corn starch.
For this recipe, it would be 3 cups flour minus 6 tablespoons flour, then add in 6 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift it together twice then one more time to help blend it all together, making it like real cake flour!
How To Make Them:
These cookies are pretty simple to make and the best part is there’s no chilling time required!!!
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Beat together the sugar and the wet ingredients, then mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
- Then portion, shape, and bake them on a cookie sheet then frost after cooling, if desired!
What Makes Them So Soft And Fluffy?
Here are a few tips and tricks to make sure the texture comes out just right!
- Don’t use all-purpose flour for this recipe! Cake flour keeps the cookies light, fluffy, and cakey.
- Unlike other sugar cookie recipes, you don’t have to chill the dough, so you get to skip this step.
- Make sure you really blend the sugar/butter mixture for 3 full minutes. It took some trial and error but after under-mixing these ingredients then trying again, these cookies turned out perfectly.
- Don’t overcook these yummy cookies! They are the best before they get brown around the edges and still a little undercooked.
How To Store Soft Sugar Cookies:
Store the cookies in an airtight container, wrap them in plastic wrap, or simply share them with friends because everyone needs a cookie!
Can I Make Them Without Frosting?
You can make these cookies without frosting if you don’t have the right ingredients or if it’s just too sweet.
As an alternative, the cookie dough can be rolled in sugar before baking, just like you would with traditional sugar cookies.
More Sugar Cookie Recipes
- Cream Tart – A luscious dessert that’s perfect for the holidays.
- Pancakes – Great for brunch or Christmas morning.
- Body Scrub – A homemade skin-softening scrub that smells like the real thing.
- Edible Cookie Dough – The safe way to enjoy cookie dough!
- Funfetti Cookie Dough Cake – So pretty you may want to eat it … but it tastes too good!
Soft Sugar Cookies
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Soft Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg
Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- light pink food coloring 1 to 2 drops
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- To make the dough, begin by mixing together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the sugar, butter, vegetable shortening, and sour cream and mix on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until it is smooth, light and fluffy.
- Next, add the egg, vanilla, and almost extract and mix until everything is combined.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg/sugar mixture and mix on low until everything is combined – about 1 minute.
- Form the dough into balls using a cookie scoop then roll them with your hands to make smooth balls. Place dough balls on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between them.
- Press the dough balls down with the bottom of a cup or use a mini roller to roll them into thin 1⁄2 inch circles.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 13 minutes until the tops are set and pale yellow. Make sure you don’t overcook; these cookies are amazing under cooked!
- Cool the cookies on the pan then transfer to a wire rack until they have completely cooled.
- Make the frosting by adding the butter and vanilla extract in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle until combined.
- Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Then thin it out with milk or heavy cream to desired consistency.
- Top with sprinkles and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make sure you really blend the sugar/butter mixture for 3 mins, it makes it fluffy and perfect!
- Don’t overcook these yummy cookies! They are the best before they get brown around the edges and still a little undercooked.
- Make sure you use cake flour for these, if you don’t have it on hand, you can make your own cake flour with all-purpose flour and corn starch. For this recipe, it would be 3 cups flour minus 6 tablespoons flour, then add in 6 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift it together twice then one more time to help blend it all together making it like real cake flour!
- Milk may be used in place of heavy cream.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container or share them with friends because everyone needs a cookie!
Dave says
Thanks for sharing. Can one make the sour cream at home and how?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Dave, I’ve never made my own sour cream, you could also use plain yogurt if that is an easier ingredient for you to obtain. 🙂
Janet D Kelley says
Can you convert the recipe for keto? Would love to have it. Thanks
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Janet, Unfortunately, I am not a keto baker and wouldn’t know where to start, sorry.