Lofthouse Cookies

Lofthouse Cookies are a super soft sour cream sugar cookie topped with a super sweet and thick frosting.

You’ll see these at the grocery store bakery section all the time, especially during holidays, but they’re incredibly easy to make at home. These homemade Lofthouse Cookies are a ton of fun to decorate too!

What are Lofthouse Cookies?

Why this recipe works:

Lofthouse Cookies are perhaps my favorite kind of cookie to make during the holidays.

• Super soft: Unlike traditional sugar cookies that can be firm or crisp, Lofthouse Cookies are similar in taste to a sugar cookie, but they have an incredibly soft texture.
• Easy to make: Unlike roll and cut sugar cookies, Lofthouse sugar cookie dough does not have to be refrigerated nor does it need to be rolled and cut. That makes baking them super easy!
• That frosting! The frosting in this recipe is a basic American buttercream and can easily be flavored or colored however you wish. It is thick, yet easy to spread, and ridiculously sweet.
• Great for all occasions: I always make Lofthouse cookies during Christmas, but you can decorate them for any occasion including different holidays, birthdays, or special team colors. Plus, they don’t take any special skill to decorate since the frosting is simply spread on top of the cookie.

Lofthouse cookie ingredients:

Exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.

• Wet ingredients: butter, sour cream, egg, vanilla, almond extract
• Dry ingredients: Sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt

Frosting ingredients:

• Butter
• Vanilla – I make my own homemade vanilla extract
• Almond extract – or you can substitute with other extracts like peppermint
• Confectioners’ sugar – otherwise known as powdered or icing sugar
• Milk – use to thin the frosting
• Food coloring and/or sprinkles – if decorating

How to make homemade Lofthouse cookies:

Full step by step instructions are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary with step-by-step photos.

Make the cookie dough:

1. Cream butter and sugar: For best results, use soft butter. You can’t overmix at this step, so be sure to mix them until they are light and fluffy.
2. Add wet ingredients: Stir in sour cream, vanilla, and egg. Mix well.
3. Add dry ingredients: Sift dry ingredients and mix into the wet ingredients.
4. Simply mix all the cookie ingredients in your mixer and roll into balls. You’ll bake your Lofthouse cookies for only about 7 minutes and they will not be brown when you take them out of the oven. Trust the process.
5. The frosting is a traditional butter frosting made with powdered sugar, extracts for flavoring, and some milk to thin it to your desired thickness.
6. Once your cookies have fully cooled, simply spread on the frosting with a knife and cover with sprinkles. Fun and delicious!

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Bake the cookies:

1. Roll the dough: Use a cookie scoop to portion out pieces of dough and roll into a ball using hands. To create cookies that are all the same size, weigh the dough.
2. Flatten: Use a mini roller or the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies.
3. Bake: Set the Lofthouse cookies in a preheated oven and bake for seven minutes.

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Lofthouse cookie frosting:

1. Cream butter: Beat the softened butter with the extracts until light and fluffy.
2. Add sugar: Mix in the powdered sugar by adding small amounts at a time and beating until light and fluffy.
3. Thin with milk: If frosting is too thick to spread, add small amounts of milk and mix well until desired thickness is achieved.

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How to decorate Lofthouse cookies:

1. Allow to cool: Ensure cookies have fully cooled before you attempt to decorate them.
2. Decorate: Spread the desired amount of frosting on top of each cookie. Top with sprinkles.

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This recipe was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don’t worry – the recipe hasn’t changed!