Lofthouse Style Sugar Cookies

People are passionate about the way they like their sugar cookies.

Take my husband.  He likes thick, soft cookies, and the frosting has to be pink.

That’s right.  Pink.  He claims that the frosting tastes better if it’s pink.

I’m not sure if he understands about food coloring. 😉

I found this recipe on a great blog called Baking with Basil, and I could tell just from the pictures that I wanted to try out this cookie.

They taste just like the ones at the grocery store…. You know… the thick soft ones with the pink frosting. 😉

This was far and above the best sugar cookie I ever made.  And the buttercream frosting was to. die. for.

I halved this recipe, because I didn’t need or want 6 dozen cookies.  I was out of sour cream, so I used light vanilla yogurt instead, which worked perfectly.

My two year old daughter and I cut these into heart shapes and decorated them for Valentine’s Day, but you could customize this cookie for any holiday or event.

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies

Sugar Cookie Ingredients:
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
5-6 tbsp heavy cream

Sugar Cookie Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. In another large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and sour cream, beat on low speed until combined.

3. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients and mix just until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. If your dough is a little sticky, that’s ok. Place 2 large rectangles of plastic wrap on counter. Divide dough into 2 equal portions and flatten into 1 1/2 inch thick rectangles. Chill into refrigerator for alt east 2 hours or overnight.

4. When ready to bake: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats and set aside.

5. Lightly flour the countertop and the top of the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into 1/4 inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out cookies and place onto prepared pans. Dip cookie cutters in pile of flour if needed to keep dough from sticking. Bake for 7 minutes or until cookies are starting to turn slightly golden brown around the edges. Immediately transfer cookies to a cooling rack when removed from oven. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium-high speed for about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated. Add salt. Beat for an additional 1-2 minutes until smooth. Add heavy cream, 1 tbsp at a time. Continue to beat on medium-high speed for another 1-2 minutes until desired consistency as been met. Add food coloring if desired.

2. Once cookies have cooled completely, add frosting and sprinkles. Allow frosting to set and then store in an air tight container.