Ok, you guys! These are seriously the best kind of sugar cookies for the holidays! So pillowy soft, and lightly sweetened, these bakery style Best Soft Sour Cream Cookies are iced with tantalizing Buttercream Frosting to make these the bestest sugar cookies in the land!
You'll love these Easy Melted Snowman Cookies and Grinch Sugar Cookies to celebrate too!
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, because they literally melt in your mouth! Serious yums!
This delicious cookie recipe is definitely a heavenly treasure and I'm so happy she gave it to me, so I could share it with you too! It's like one of these family recipes, you want to cherish and have in your recipe repertoire for family generations to pass on to younger generations, ya know?
So, Stacey got the recipe from her sister, Merla, who has been making them ever since Stacey was a young child and she fondly remembers begging her sister to make them all the time! (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!)
Ingredients You Need
Sour Cream Cookies Recipe
- shortening
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- sour cream
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
Buttercream Frosting Recipe
- butter, softened
- powdered sugar
- vanilla
- milk
- Optional: gel color
for color tinted frosting
OR for an easy frosting option -You can use 2 - 3 Pillsbury™ Filled Pastry Bag Vanilla
Decorative accessories
- Sprinkles
(jimmies that don't melt or bleed), colored sanding sugars
, Nonpareils, Dragees
How to Make the Best Soft Sour Cream Cookies
Best Sour Cream Cookies
- In a separate bowl, combine and whisk flour, soda, powder and salt together, set aside. Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla together, then slowly combine flour mixture to cream mixture.
- After combined, chill dough for at least 1 hour
- Drop by spoonful or ¼ cup scoop and line baking sheets with parchment paper, 6 per sheet, these will spread a little.
- Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden and the centers are set.
- Let cool.
Buttercream Frosting
- Using a mixer, beat butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and beat until smooth, adding additional sugar or milk to reach desired consistency.
- Color if desired and spread on cooled cookies.
- Add decorative accessories and let frosting set on cookies.
Or....2-3 Pillsbury™Filled Pastry Bag Vanilla or Cream Cheese Frosting
How To Keep Sprinkles from Bleeding into Frosting
. These are the little rod-shaped sprinkles that you probably see most often, typically in rainbow colors or plain chocolate, and they are the best for baking. They hold up to being mixed into dough without bleeding.How to Store Sour Cream Cookies
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They'll last longer than that but may start to get stale. If frosted, I would recommend keeping them refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Store these sour cream sugar cookies inside an airtight container before chilling or freezing. They can last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- They can be frozen up to 3 months, just pull out and let thaw and they are moist and delish like you just baked them. At this time you can frost them and add the sprinkles.
Helpful Cookie Tips for the Best Soft Sugar Cookies
- 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 ¼ 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!
- If you don't have sour cream, you can use Greek yogurt as a substitution.
- Homemade frosting is the best, but 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 sugar cookies with sour cream 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 this best soft sugar cookie recipe and begging for the recipe or begging for you to make them AGAIN! You'll see!!
For a vegan option, check out these yummy Soft and delicious vegan sugar cookies. They taste great plain and they're also perfect for decorating with icing and sprinkles for the holidays.
More Delicious Cookies We LOVE!
- Peanut Butter Butterscotch Chip Cookies
- Soft Lemon & Blueberry Explosion Cookies
- Ultimate Soft Chocolate Drop Cookies
- Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies! Pure Nirvana!
- M&M Chocolate Chip Candy Cookies
- Santa's Christmas Trash Cookies
- Spiced Molasses Cookie Cream Pies
- Easter Egg Sugar Cookies
Check out 10 Super Sweet Christmas Tree Desserts To Pine Over!
Soft Sour Cream Cookies w/Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
Best Sour Cream Cookies
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ salt
Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened or room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons milk of choice
- ¼ teaspoon salt optional
- Optional: gel color for color tinted frosting
or 2 - 3 Pillsbury™Filled Pastry Bag Vanilla or Cream Cheese Frosting
Decorative accessories
- Sprinkles Sugars, Nonpareils, Dragees, Jimmies
Instructions
Best Sour Cream Cookies
- In a separate bowl, combine and whisk flour, soda, powder and salt together, set aside.
- Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla together, then slowly combine flour mixture to cream mixture.
- After combined, chill dough for at least 1 hour
- Drop by spoonful or ¼ cup scoop and line baking sheets with parchment paper, 6 per sheet, these will spread a little.
- Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden and the centers are set.
- Let cool.
Buttercream Frosting
- Using a mixer, beat butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and beat until smooth, adding additional sugar or milk to reach desired consistency.
- Color if desired and spread on cooled cookies.
- Add decorative accessories and let frosting set on cookies.
Or....2-3 Pillsbury™Filled Pastry Bag Vanilla or Cream Cheese Frosting
Kim Lange says
I use Crisco when it comes to using shortening. Hope you enjoy Patty!
Patty Dalke says
Hi Kim, what kind of shortening do you use in the cookie?
Thanks
Patty D
Kim Lange says
I am so happy to hear that MaryAnn! These are amazing cookies! Happy Holidays! xo
MaryAnn says
I didn’t read the entire recipe to see it was a drop cookie. I made them and they taste terrific.
Kim Lange says
The dough is soft, almost like a thick cake batter. Hope you enjoy!!
Carrie Neitzel says
What is the consistency of dough supposed to be after mixing before chilled?
Kim Lange says
That sounds awesome with lemon icing! Thanks Nana!! Happy Holidays! xo
Nana says
These are really yummy with lemon icing
Kim Lange says
Hi Betty! To avoid confusion, 8 0z is 1 cup and I put parenthesis around the 8 oz. So you need 1 cup or 8 oz. Hope you love these!! They are so yummy. xo
Betty Dailey says
Is sour cream 1 Cup plus 8 ounces or is 1 cup equal to 8 ounces?
Kim Lange says
Hi Heather! No, it's a drop cookie, so they puff up and spread out a bit. They are super delish! Happy Holidays, I hope you give them a try. 🙂
Heather says
Can you use this for cookie cutters?
Kim Lange says
Hi Kayla, you could use room temperature butter, unsalted, same measurement as a substitute. Happy Holidays!
Kayla t. says
What can I use instead of shortening in this recipe?
Don't use shortening in my cooking/baking.
Kim Lange says
Yes you can. Here's a great article how: https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-freeze-iced-sugar-cookies/
Monica Hostetter says
Can these cookies be in the freezer with icing on them?
Kim Lange says
I haven't tried it with butter, but I suppose you could, but the texture may be a little different. This recipe was from a friend of mine that I asked for because they are so good as as. Let us know how they turn out!
Nossie JackSon says
Can you use butter?
ChocolaTess says
2-3 days, but you could freeze them 4-5 months and take them out as needed. Maria these cookies are amazing and I also kept some of the dough in the fridge for a week and when I baked the cookies, they were still amazing. You should try these! Definitely yummy!!
Maria | kitchenathoskins says
These cookies look like mini cakes, YUM!!1 I totally wanna make them, would be a refreshing change from all the crispy cookies that I normally bake. After the cookies have been frosted, how many days do you think that it can be stored??
ChocolaTess says
Thank you love! 😀
Deepika|TheLoveOfCakes says
These look lovely! They look, as if they will just melt in my mouth and fill it with this yummy sweet goodness!! Love the rich frosting and pretty sprinkles on top!
Chococraft says
What a fantastic post! The information is very useful. Thank you for sharing this here.
teresa says
Oh, Kim, I'll take a plate of 'em!!
Catherine says
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!
ChocolaTess says
Hi Judy, they should if you do it that way and place two cookies back to back instead of on top of each other. 🙂
Judy says
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?
ChocolaTess says
I hear you Kelsie!! These are probably as good or better from that bakery!! Thank you so much!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
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 🙂
ChocolaTess says
They are Kelly! Thank you dear!!
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats says
These sound so melt-in-your mouth good!!! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe with us!! 🙂
ChocolaTess says
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!!!
Lisa Darling says
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
2pots2cook says
Love the idea of adding sour cream into the cooking batter ! Thank you !
ChocolaTess says
Thank you Katherine, they look and taste amazing for sure!! These are the bomb!
ChocolaTess says
I totally agree Heather! These are amazing, hope you try them!!
heather (delicious not gorgeous) says
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!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
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!!!