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Grandma’s Sour Cream Sugar Cookies + VIDEO

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These Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are soft and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness — they’re perfect with or without frosting and make a great freezer-friendly holiday cookie! Includes step by step recipe video

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These Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are soft and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness -- they're perfect with or without frosting and make a great freezer-friendly holiday cookie!

I have never liked sugar cookies.

Maybe it’s because my mom was never a fan of sugar cookies, and never baked sugar cookies, and we never had sugar cookies growing up.

Maybe it’s because the dough can be finnicky and trying to cut it into those cute snowflake and Christmas tree shapes without leaving half of the dough behind in the cookie cutter gives me anxiety.

Maybe it’s because there are no chocolate chips. (Although they do have frosting — I’ll give them that).

These Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are soft and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness -- they're perfect with or without frosting and make a great freezer-friendly holiday cookie!

Whatever the case, they’re just not something we have often ever.

But the holidays come and I start to flip through family cookbooks and think back to Christmas gatherings at Grandma and Grandpa’s. And as I came across this one in my cookbook my one Grandma had made for me when I was married, I knew I had to share it.

These Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are soft and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness -- they're perfect with or without frosting and make a great freezer-friendly holiday cookie!

These Sour Cream Cookies are not the difficult, finnicky cookies that require hours of rolling, cutting, baking, and decorating.

They are a soft sugar cookie made with sour cream, and they have a fluffy, delicate texture that I find much more appealing. Please note that these are not cutout cookies — you can chill or freeze the dough all you want and you still will not get shapes from these cookies.

The flavor is mild and slightly sweet, so they are made to be frosted. If you feel the need to add some lemon zest or extra vanilla, go for it.

Yes, they are cakey. This is just the way the recipe is.

If your Grandma writes recipes the way my Grandma wrote recipes, you know that they’re a little…. well, open to interpretation. And since I’ve never made these with Grandma, I’m just going to say that these are my best guess at what her recipe actually means.

You may or may not get exact measurements.

You may or may not get mixing or baking instructions (in this case, there were none).

These Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are soft and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness -- they're perfect with or without frosting and make a great freezer-friendly holiday cookie!

These turned out so soft and luscious and perfectly sweet, that I decided to share the recipe my way. And to my family who may come here and realize I’ve made some crucial misinterpretation — feel free to chime in and translate for me!

A simple colored frosting and maybe a few sprinkles is really all they need to make them extra special for Christmas, though they are easy enough to make for any occasion…. Or no occasion. Sometimes you just need a cookie!

More sour cream cookies:

These have been so popular that I’ve added two more versions to the family!

Watch the video and see how easy these Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are to make!

These Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are soft and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness -- they're perfect with or without frosting and make a great freezer-friendly holiday cookie!
Print Pin Recipe

Grandma's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

These Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are soft and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness -- they're perfect with or without frosting and make a great freezer-friendly holiday cookie!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 281kcal
Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 cups all purpose flour

Frosting

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

  • In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on high until creamy.
  • Add eggs, vanilla, and sour cream and beat until smooth.
  • Add baking soda, baking powder and flour and beat on low until combined -- dough will be soft, almost like cake batter. THIS IS FINE.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets 2-3 inches apart and bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are golden and centers are set.
  • FrostingWith an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla and milk and beat until smooth, adding additional sugar or milk to reach desired consistency (you don't want it too thin!).
  • Color if desired and spread on cooled cookies.

Nutrition (this is an estimate)

Nutrition Facts
Grandma's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 281 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 51mg 17%
Sodium 107mg 4%
Potassium 93mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 45g 15%
Sugars 29g
Protein 3g 6%
Vitamin A 6.3%
Vitamin C 0.1%
Calcium 4%
Iron 6.4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel -- I love to see what you're making!

 

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Comments

  3. OMG they r awesome! I increased butter to 3/4 cups and sour cream to 3/4 cups. I folded in the sour cream and I mixed in flour mixture by hand.

    Reply

  5. First batch great! Second time I made them, I used my stand up mixer(thought it would be easier). Cookies turned out flat as a pancake :-((( still taste good but definitely not fluffy.read in an earlier comment, to wait to add the sour cream (& fold it in) so as to not ‘break it down’. Maybe that’s what happened? Just sharing for feedback…and any tips for future attempts.

    Reply

  6. I didn’t see any milk in the batter recipe. Or a second recipe. My batter was very stiff, not like cake batter all. The cookies were good though.

    Reply

  8. I accidentally doubled the butter for the cookie. That what I get for baking while distracted. Didn’t realize until after the first batch was out of the oven. They held up though! You would think that doubling the butter like that would make it melt all over the pan right?! Nope. They looked fine, tasted good. They are outstanding, thank you for the recipe. I will double check my measurements next time lol ?

    Reply

  14. I was a little o fused as the recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter but the video looks like in 1/2 stick was used. Also recipe says yields 24 ookies…and I was thrilled to get at least 3-4 dozen:-)

    Reply

  25. OH these cookies remind me of my grandmother. She use to put sour cream in everything. Always gave it so much extra flavor. I am excited to try these this Holiday season.

    Reply

      • Are they soft like the sugar cookies you see at the grocery store? Will they stay light and soft fluffy after freezing? Thawing how? I feel like the moisture would make it soggy! Making these tonight with my kiddos! 😊

        Reply

        • They are not soggy, just soft! They are soft and cakey, maybe a slightly cakier texture than your average grocery store cookie. They definitely stay soft after freezing! They thaw quickly at room temperature on a plate with paper towel.

          Reply

  27. My granddaughters, ages 7 and 3, helped me to make these cookies. Everyone loved the cookies and we can’t wait to make them again!

    Reply

  28. How would you freeze this dough? Would you freeze the whole batter in a ball or drop the cookies, freeze and then put in a freezer bag?

    Reply

    • This dough doesn’t freeze very solid (I put in the freezer to test and it is still scoopable), so I would freeze it as a whole but not for as long as you might other cookie dough.

      Reply

  29. These were awesome! Super easy and tasted great. My 14 year old daughter and I made them together and the recipe was easy for her to follow with minimal help. The family loved them.

    Reply

  30. “…dough will be soft, almost like cake batter. THIS IS FINE.” Thank you! I have my great-grandmother’s sour cream cookie recipe. The first time I made it, I actually threw out the dough, believing she had accidentally written down the wrong measurements. Tragic. I decided to google “sour cream cookies” to find the right ratios and found your version, then tried my grandmother’s recipe again. Saved. I will have to try your version next! Typically, my great-grandmother and grandmother did not provide instructions either but there are some interesting tidbits in her sour cream cookie recipe (minus the helpful “dough will be like cake batter”). Our recipes are so similar I wanted to share. 1. She creamed the butter and sugar until fluffy. 2. She then added well beaten eggs to the creamed mixture. 3. She combined the flour (sifted, which is somewhat unusual for a cookie), salt and soda. 4. She alternately added the dry ingredients and the sour cream–to avoid over-mixing or breaking down the sour cream. 5. She added the nutmeg last–which Martha Steward does too so….validated–and noted raisins were optional. (No thanks to raisins, I like the delicate flavor better without them.) There was no frosting recipe on my great-grandmother’s card so I’m anxious to add that to the mix. Thanks again! I love your site!

    Reply

    • These are my absolute favorite of all time. My Mother made these and they were a neighbor’s (Mrs. White) recipe. Mom made them for the neighbors, the nuns, the priests at Christmas time. My brother Michael got to deliver them to all. This was back in the 60’s. You are definitely right about sifting the flour. One time my Mom threw out 5 batches of dough because “it wasn’t right”. She finally realized she had forgot to sift the flour!!!!

      Reply

  31. Thank you! Thank you! I have been trying sugar cookie receipes for at least 40 years (I’m 66) looking for this cookie that I remembered from summer Bible School snack time. Munching under a tree with ice cold Kool-Aid. No idea who made them..lots of churches together…I am beyond being a happy woman!!!

    Reply

  32. Came across your recipe on Pinterest. We accepted a last minute invite to dinner. Great recipe, had all the ingredients and made according to your directions. They are wonderful! My husband ate 4 before I could even frost them! Perfect hostess gift for the holidays…. or any day. Thank you

    Reply

  33. This is pretty much the same recipe as the Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Drop Cookies from the 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook. This is a family favorite. Whipped cream cheese vanilla butter frosting can be flavored with a little orange or lemon or lime juice… is a good icing for this cookie.

    Reply

  34. I don’t know what I did wrong except that I did forget to warm up the butter before mixing it in with the sugar. My cookies burned on the bottom after 10 minutes but did not cook through in the centers. I had to throw most of the first batch away. I left the rest of the batter in the refrig and will try to bake them later, but will lower oven temp to 325. I have never had anything like this happen before with sugar cookies. They were about 1-1 1/2 Tbsp in size and I baked them on the top shelf in my oven. Thinking maybe my oven bakes too hot for these cake like cookies. Oh well…my 3 year old grandson had a ball anyway making the cookies and there were a couple good ones he was able to decorate and eat….so he was happy ….and that is all that counts in my book. 🙂

    Reply

  35. Can left over dough be refrigerated? I usually mske my doughs a day or 2 b4 using and wondered if this would be ok to do with this recipe?

    Reply

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