Ok, you guys! These are seriously the best kind of cookies for the holidays! So pillowy soft, and lightly sweetened, these bakery style Best Soft Sour Cream Cookies iced with tantalizing Buttercream Frosting make these the bestest sugar cookies in the land!
The first time I had the pleasure of devouring these cookies, I immediately wanted the recipe.
My gorgeous BFF, Stacey turned me on to them a few years back and I realized after one bite, I wanted another, then another, then another…you know how this ends right? I probably scarfed down 3 or 4 cookies without hesitation.
They literally melt in your mouth!
This recipe is a heavenly treasure and I’m so happy she gave me the recipe so I could share it with you. It’s like one of these family recipes, you want to cherish and have in your recipe repetoire for family generations to pass on, ya know?
It was handed down to her from her sister, Merla, who has been making them ever since Stacey was a young child and she remembers, always, begging her sister to make them. (Probably to the point of annoyance, until she finally started making them herself, so then, I became the annoying one. haha! Like a chain reaction!)
If you are strapped for time, definitely make the cookie batter ahead of time, because they do need to chill for at least 1 hour. The cookie dough is soft, not stiff.
To make these, I used a 1/4 cup cookie scoop, but you can use a heaping large tablespoon. If you want smaller cookies, just use smaller measurements accordingly.
I know to some, sour cream might sound weird, but it’s the perfect compliment to these cookies, the way they taste and texture-wise. They are not overly sweet cookies, but the buttercream frosting pulls it all together to give you the most delicious holiday cookies ever!
You can use Pillsbury™Filled Pastry Bag Vanilla or Cream Cheese Frosting like I used on these, if you want a short-cut or make real buttercream frosting and decorate with sprinkles and you can even color the frosting to give them your own signature style. *Like a party up in here!*
These are awesome for cookie exchanges, any holiday entertaining, birthdays, special occasions and don’t forget the man, Santa! The kids will love them too!
Trust me, everyone is going to be drooling over these Best Soft Sour Cream Cookies with Buttercream Frosting and begging for the recipe or begging for you to make them AGAIN! You’ll see!!
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup 8oz sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 ¾ cup flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 1/2 cups powdered icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Optional: gel color for color tinted frosting
- Sprinkles Sugars, Nonpareils, Dragees, Jimmies
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In a separate bowl, combine and whisk flour, soda, powder and salt together, set aside.
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Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla together, then slowly combine flour mixture to cream mixture.
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After combined, chill dough for at least 1 hour
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Drop by spoonful or 1/4 cup scoop and line baking sheets with parchment paper, 6 per sheet, these will spread a little.
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Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden and the centers are set.
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Let cool.
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Using a mixer, beat butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and beat until smooth, adding additional sugar or milk to reach desired consistency.
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Color if desired and spread on cooled cookies.
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Add decorative accessories and let frosting set on cookies.
Stacey's Tips:
Sometimes sprinkles will fade into the frosting sometimes after a day or so of sitting.
I have done a double batch but they don’t seem to come out as well.
They can be frozen, just pull out and let thaw and they are moist and delish like you just baked them.
I”m not a huge fan of plain sugar cookies, but SOFT sour cream sugar cookies are definitely something I can get behind. These look amazing!!!
Thank you Katherine, they look and taste amazing for sure!! These are the bomb!
in theory i like the idea of soft grocery store style cookies, but then they always taste too sweet to me. love the idea of adding sour cream here to help balance some of that sweetness!
I totally agree Heather! These are amazing, hope you try them!!
Love the idea of adding sour cream into the cooking batter ! Thank you !
How many cookies does this recipe make? It says 2 cookies at the top, but then says to put 6 cookies on a sheet. Thanks…Lisa
2 dozen or more for large. Sorry, when I added it in the recipe card, I guess it didn’t like it that I put 2 dozen and just put in 2! Enjoy!!!
These sound so melt-in-your mouth good!!! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe with us!! 🙂
They are Kelly! Thank you dear!!
Holy cow. These remind me of the sugar cookies at this little bakery (which no longer exists) in my hometown. They had the BEST most melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies on earth. I’m totally making these and reliving my youth 🙂
I hear you Kelsie!! These are probably as good or better from that bakery!! Thank you so much!
If it wasn’t 2 A.M. I’d be in the kitchen mixing up these cookies!! If I wrapped each cookie separately and put the frosting in a separate container do you think they’d ship well?
Hi Judy, they should if you do it that way and place two cookies back to back instead of on top of each other. 🙂
Oh my goodness, these look so perfectly soft and chewy! 😀 And that thick buttercream frosting just seals the deal. I wish I could have them all!
Oh, Kim, I’ll take a plate of ’em!!
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