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).
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 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.
Although, 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 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!
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!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter or lard
- 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.
Frosting
- With 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.
- 1/2 cup butter or lard
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 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
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on high until creamy.
- Add eggs, vanilla, sour cream and milk 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 9-11 minutes, until edges are golden and centers are set.
- With 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.
Lynn weldon says
First batch just came out of the oven, they are delicious and this recipe will be a definite save! I can’t wait to serve these to my family tonight for dessert!
Ashley Fehr says
That makes me so happy!
Charles Laurent II says
This recipe looks like one i got from the newspaper almost 15 years ago. The cookies i used to make didnt have frosting on them though, instead i sprinkled them with cinnamon. I lost that recipe years ago and will be making these soon to compare. I used to bake a lot and am now in the process of teaching my wife how to bake, I am so excited to share these with her.
Ashley Fehr says
They are a classic for sure! I would love to hear how you like them!
Kristi says
Hi Ashley! I’m looking forward to making these. My grandma’s friend used to make a cookie that we loved that seems very similar to this. Question — if I’d like to freeze them, can I do that with them already frosted or does the frosting not freeze well? I’m hoping to make these toward the beginning of the week for a function I have over the weekend and I think I’ll need to freeze them and then thaw them out before the weekend. Or do you think they’d stay moist and fresh for several days? Thanks in advance!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Kristi! I have definitely frozen them and it works great! If you want to keep them for a few days I would probably frost them and freeze them, and just place a piece of wax paper in between your layers if you’re stacking them. I hope that helps!
Lydia Parker says
Please let them dry after you frost them, on was paper, on table top; then, after they’re dry, you can stack them in layers, using the same was paper yoiu let them dry on, in between each layer of your cookie stack, in a large plastic container, that you’ll be freezing them in. If you do not let the icing dry on your cookies tops, before freezing & stacking, you’re really going to have a mess of runny icing all over, and you’ll be lucky if you’ve made yoiur icing thick enough and it’s all smudged and ugly looking, if you don’t let your icing dry on your cookie tops!
Gina says
Ashley, I just made the cookies, ran out of vanilla and used almond in both the cookies and icing….wonderful! I can’t wait to share them at the office tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your Grandma’s recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
That would be so good as well! I’m so happy you like them!
Ashley says
These look AMAZING! My daughter is having a donut theme 6th birthday party at the end of the month with her dance team and I’m def going to try these out! I’m thinking I could pipe the icing to look like little baby donuts haha!
PS ignore the haters, some people complain just to hear (read) their own whiny voices lol. Not worth the time to think about them <3 I will let you know how they turn out for sure!!!
PPS Love your name girl 😉 Ha!
Ashley Fehr says
Haha! Thanks Ashley! 😉 I would love to hear how you like them! Happy early birthday to your little (big) girl!
Kate Axlund says
How can I make them rise better at higher altitude? (7000 feet) They were great, but a bit flat.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry — I really don’t know anything about cooking or baking at high altitude! Your best bet would be to find a good, reliable resource about converting recipes to bake at higher altitude that you can use for most recipes. Maybe this one? http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Danielle Velazquez says
I made these this morning. So easy and happy how they turned out. You definitely need to know your oven, mine runs hot so just 7 minutes was my mark. I’ll make these again for sure. This made around 4 dozen for me. Perfect to add to my cookie plates that are being passed tonight. Thanks again!
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! So glad they worked out for you! Thanks for the tip about the oven — I think it also depends how big you’re scooping them.
Angela Lancour says
So is it my understanding that thsee are drop cookies and not ment to be rolled out snd cut with cookie cutters? Because my dough turned out really runny also.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, you will drop them just like the recipe says. They are not cookie cutter cookies, just like the post says.
Angela S Lancour says
They did turn out great even tho I missed the drop cookie thing 🙂 they were a big hit and the kids still enjoyed decorating them!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear that!
MarStah says
If you like a cakey cookie these are it! The cookies came out light and thicker than I would’ve liked. Makes way more than 2 dozen.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, they are thick and fluffy and cakey and they make 2 dozen large cookies.
Crystal Rassi says
I’ve grown up with these cookies. My mother makes them every year for Christmas. I followed your recipie and it was delightful. Perfect fluffy creamy batter that baked up puffy and soft. I baked mine for 12 minutes but you have to know your oven to know how it bakes which is why the recipie says 9-11 minutes. Perhaps that’s something negative reviewers missed. I guess, if you’re not familiar with the cookie, you might not know what the batter is supposed to look like, feel like, or taste like. This recipie is great!
Ashley Fehr says
You’re right! There are lots of different types of sugar cookies and the batter does seem strange if you’re not familiar with it. I’m so happy you’re enjoying them!
Christina Kubiatowicz says
I must say!!!! I made these tonight!!! They are amazing!!!!
Thank You for sharing this recipet
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! I’m so glad! Enjoy 🙂
Pam says
These taste like a biscuit to me. I had to double the frosting. Not what I expected.
Ashley Fehr says
That’s not something I ever would have expected — they are definitely sweet and I’m sure I had extra frosting. You must like things very sweet!
Michele says
Just made these with my kiddos and they are so good! I used almond extract instead of vanilla because I’m a big almond fan and they turned out excellent! Can’t imagine why these wouldn’t turn out for others. SO yummy! Thanks for sharing your grandma’s recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Michele! I’m so happy to hear that (love the almond addition!) 🙂
Loretta says
These cookies are a new favourite for my family! They mix up so smoothly and are perfect with some icing and sprinkles on top. They remind me of the cookies my mother used to make. Thank you for this excellent recipe!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Loretta! I’m so happy to hear that!
Lauren says
I made these yesterday and they baked up well but they are extremely bland. I had hoped for more tang from the sour cream. If I make them again I will add lemon or orange zest.
Ashley Fehr says
The sour cream adds more to the texture than the flavor, since there is only a small amount. They are a mildly sweet vanilla cookie — I wouldn’t say they are bland, but they are definitely not over the top.
Stephen Ward says
Add some NUTMEG to the mix, that’s what’s been our family recipe for 4 generations, and feel free to throw some RAISONS in there, adds natural sweetness!
Kathy Moore says
I’m in the “these didn’t turn out” camp. I used about 5 and a half cups of flour because with the four it called for, it was like cake batter. Even with the extra flour, the dough still feels weird. They’re not even cake-like. I cooked the nine minutes as directed and they were still doughy. Not sure how people are getting good results as I originally followed the recipe to a t. They’re almost like little hot rolls. I’ve never had a recipe come out this far off base for me. What a huge waste of ingredients 😔 .
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Kathy! Yes, the dough is soft and sticky. From 4 cups to 5.5 cups of flour is a BIG jump and I’d prefer you not to leave a review here if you didn’t make the recipe. I hope you find other recipes you enjoy more!
Melanie says
Exact thing happened to me with 4 cups of flour but I think my problem was in the butter – I belted down cold sticks 30 seconds to soften it but the butter and sugar mixed together was not a creamy consistency for me in step 1
Sharon says
These look great. My mom has always used sour cream in her sugar cookies and they turn out like the ones you buy in the bakery at the store. I can’t find my copy of her recipe so I was hoping these would be the ones but they aren’t. They recipe she has you can roll out and cut different shapes. I will try these cookies also, but for now I need to find the ones I can roll out. I promised my granddaughter that we’d make Christmas cookies today. lol
Sharon says
Ok….my granddaughter and I made these cookies and I think they are wonderful. They are not overly sweet which is nice because when you frost them they will be perfect. I would eat them plain with my coffee. lol I did a little experiment on them and it turned out great. We doubled the batch and I added a 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup sugar cookie coffee creamer and it worked great. We will be decorating them as soon as they cool off. My 17 yr old son hates cookies (he’s not a sweet eater) but I think he’ll like them unfrosted. We are having my granddaughters 10th birthday party tomorrow so we’ll be serving them then. Thank you for the recipe…..I LOVE IT!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Oh I love that idea! A great way to add different flavours! I’m so glad you and your family are enjoying them! Happy birthday to your granddaughter 🙂
Mary says
I know. I realized these aren’t rolled out after I read so many and started putting ingredients in.
My mom had a sour cream recipe that used juice from small Orange and a little grated orange peel in it. Hope I can find it
Ashley Fehr says
You could likely reduce or skip the milk and add the orange juice to these. I’d love to hear if you try them!
Irma Bell says
You may want to check out a recipe on Pinterest called ” No Fail Small Batch Sugar Cookies.”
They have sour cream and you roll them out and use cookie cutters.
Irma Bell says
Sharon,when you say you doubled the recipe and added 1/2 c milk and 1/2 c sugar cookie creamer, was that on top of the original amount of milk for a doubled recipe? Did that change the texture of the dough , or cooking time?
Claire says
I just wanted to say these turned out beautifully! I grew up with these cookies and couldn’t find the recipe to make this year–this is the closest one to it! So, so happy you posted it 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that! I’m glad I gave them a try! I’ve only ever had them when Grandma made them 🙂
Ka says
Just wanted to say they are delish! First batch was a little to close to each other but have the hang of it now. Don’t need any icing only if you want them a little more decorative. Brava👍
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment 🙂
Martha says
Does the frosting set up enough to be able to stack the cookies? And have you ever frozen them after baking and frosting? I will need to make at least 3 batches of them and would love to ;make them now and freeze!
Brandy says
I’m wondering the same thing!
Ashley Fehr says
The frosting does set up pretty well but if you want to stack them at room temperature with no sticking, you may want to add a bit more sugar or reduce the butter or liquid a bit to start, then thin more if you need just so you can spread it. Let me know how you like them!
Lady loo loo says
Just made cookie batter yesterday refrigerated over night hard as a rock. Impossible to make a cookie out of this
Ashley Fehr says
Well I never recommended refrigeration.
cm says
i have been an avid baker for most of my life, i love soft vanilla cookies, and these are the best, and easiest!!! i have to admit, i have already made them 2 times this holiday season. the first time i made them as directed and i was so worried about how loose the dough was, but they turned out GREAT! the second time i decided to make them with greek yogurt because i ran out of sour cream, and they came out wonderfully. thank you for sharing this recipe, it def makes it into MY family recipe book. 🙂 oh and the frosting is amazing and buttery and all things wonderful 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
That makes me so happy to hear! I think Greek yogurt would work perfectly — I will have to try that the next time I make them!
Lindsay says
These were hands down the best sugar cookies I have made! So light, fluffy and perfectly delicious! My kids are awesome little kitchen helpers and suggested we make a “lemon flavored” frosting. So, we squeezed the juice from half of a lemon in and it was the most perfect twist! Topped with a bit of orange zest….PERFECTION! I am also a huge fan of almond extract, so we added a tis bit of almond to the cookie dough….YUM!
Thanks for sharing this recipe….we will for sure be using this over the holiday season!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for coming back and leaving a comment. It’s so nice to hear how things turn out for people! We love lemon so I am definitely going to have to try that next!
Norma says
The cookies are delicious!! Soft & easy to make. Thank you for a great recipe!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Norma! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them!
Kelly says
These cookies looked and sounded great,. They were awful! Baked one batch and threw them away. I have been baking for years and these by far were the worst cookies I have ever made. Total waste of time and ingredients. I usually scan the comments but no one has made them really so I decided to give it a try. Don’t waste your time, find another recipe!
Fletcher says
I completely agree. I just tried them and they turned out horrible. Waste of time and ingredients. I just wish I had read your comment beforehand.
Taylor says
One hundred percent. Just wasted an hour. These turned out like cake and tasted like paste. And I followed the recipe exactly.
Not sure why.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Taylor, they are a soft and cakey cookie, so it does make sense that they would turn out a lot like cake. Maybe soft, cakey cookies are your thing — fine. Just read the description and then find another recipe, maybe a more traditional sugar cookie is what you’re looking for. This is not it.
Taylor says
Hi Ashley,
I really wasn’t trying to be rude, I was just frustrated because I made these for my niece hoping for Lofthouse type cookies, which I gathered they would be from the description. These did just not turn out at all for me, the dough was extremely sticky and the cookies really had no flavor. I am just not sure why my cookies turned out so bad, and I made sure to follow the directions exactly.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, the dough is sticky and they are likely softer and more cakes than a Lofthouse cookie. If the recipe isn’t for you, fine. Just remember that there is a real person behind every blog, sharing family friends and things they love. Next time try searching “lofthouse copycat cookie”
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Fletcher, if you are going to leave a negative review, then explain what happened. This is not the place for unnecessary negativity — especially on one of my family’s favorite recipes. Maybe you don’t like soft vanilla cookies, then no, they won’t be for you. But they are far from horrible, unless something happened when you made the recipe.
Linda says
Hi,
I just made these cookies, and I thought they are Delicious. I haven’t even decided if I will frost them or not, as they are great just the way they are. I have learned that you are always going to have people that are never Satisfied no matter what. It’s their loss. Ashley,
I Love the cookies. Now I think I will go and frost 1/2 off them Thank you for sharing your grandma’s recipe, as I never had the opportunity to bake with my grandma. Have a Very Merry Christmas.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you so much Linda for your kind words! I agree — not everybody will like every recipe and that is totally fine with me! It can be hard to know exactly how something will turn out. I am not a big fan of sugar cookies but I really like these with and without frosting too! I hope you have a great Christmas too 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Kelly. If you are going to leave such a negative review I’d appreciate you explaining what happened. This is my Grandma’s recipe, and no they are not a traditional sugar cookie recipe but they are not a waste of time or ingredients, unless of course you don’t like soft vanilla cookies. They have actually had plenty of positive reviews on social media and a reader just commented that they were the best sugar cookies they’d ever made, so I’m not exactly sure what went wrong when you made them, or if they are just not your style.
Jenn says
I don’t know what happened but these SO id not turn out at all for me.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear that? Can you tell me what happened? Then maybe I can help you figure it out.
marcie says
These look so soft and fluffy! I’ve never used sour cream in a sugar cookie and that sounds like a terrific idea, plus I love that there’s no rolling out dough here. I need to try these!
dawn swenson says
my mom used a reciepe like this but she did roll them out and used cookie cutters for her cookies –they are gooood…..
Laura says
Finally a sugar cookie I don’t have to stand over to flour the surface, roll the dough out, cut out the cookie, transfer it to a cookie sheet, then bake it. This is so easy. Just mix it up, drop by tabl full and just bake. “Then frost or not. Wow what could be easier. Thanks for making my Christmas baking a lot easier..
Ashley Fehr says
I’m glad you’re as excited about them as I am! They are so soft and delicately sweet — a new favorite here for sure! (Or an old one, however you look at it 🙂 ) Thanks Laura!
Nim says
Hey Rachel just wondering are these cookies easy to cut out and all?
Thanks xxx
Nim says
Omg I mean Ashley***
Ashley Fehr says
Haha, no worries! But no, these are not cut out sugar cookies. They are soft, moist and fluffy, so they won’t keep a shape. We like them better than the cutout kind!
LeeAnn says
No! They are soooo sticky! No amount of flour will help. However, the flavor of the round cookies are absolutely delicious!
Alyssa @ My Sequined Life says
Family recipes are always vague! I think moms and aunts and grandmas have magic in their fingers. 🙂 These sugar cookies look like the real deal!
Ashley Fehr says
Haha! Right?!? I have to admit it is kind of fun to try to interpret them though!
Rachel @ Bakerita says
I’m usually not the biggest sugar cookie fan but these look outstanding!! They look soooo soft and delish, and the colored frosting is super cute 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Rachel!
Mary Pisarkiewicz says
omg it honest is the best secret for keeping cookies soft!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes! And normally I like my cookies chewy, but sugar cookies are different!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Ashley! I love a soft sugar cookie with frosting! These sound so easy and so good! And frosting is always a good thing! Definitely putting these in my “must make for Christmas” folder!
Ashley Fehr says
Frosting makes everything better I think! Thanks Dorothy!