Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are soft and fluffy with the perfect balance of sweetness — they’re perfect with or without frosting and make a great freezer-friendly holiday cookie!
Looking for more Christmas cookies? Try these Soft Sugar Cookie Bars, these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, or The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe next! If you’re looking for a sugar cookie that needs no frosting, try these Chewy Sugar Cookies.
Table of Contents
- Why we love these soft Sugar Cookies:
- Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Ingredients:
- How to make soft Sour Cream Cookies:
- Variations for homemade Sugar Cookies:
- How to store these delicious cookies:
- Can I freeze sour cream cookies?
- Can I use this recipe for cut-out cookies?
- More sour cream cookies:
- Grandma’s Sour Cream Sugar Cookies Recipe
Nothing beats old family recipes, and my Grandma’s recipe for Sour Cream Sugar Cookies is proof of that.
These cookies are not the difficult, finicky 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 melt-in-your-mouth texture that I find much more appealing.
They are a cake-like cookie — like little, frosted hand cakes, similar to the ones you’d find at the grocery store but with a made-from-scratch taste.
Why we love these soft Sugar Cookies:
- No-fuss: these aren’t your average cut-out sugar cookies where you have to chill the dough, roll it out, and make shapes. This is a simple make-and-bake recipe for those who want a low-effort treat!
- Perfect for any season: these cookies are perfect for the holiday season, any other holiday, and even parties! No matter the occasion, they’re bound to become a family favorite!
- Secret ingredient: maybe sour cream in cookies isn’t a huge secret, but it does create the softest cookies that stay moist throughout the week!
Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Ingredients:
- Unsalted butter: softened unsalted butter contributes to the cakiness of the cookies. Make sure you use softened butter, not melted, or your cookies will spread too much
- Granulated sugar: adds a hint of sweetness to the cookies. When beaten with softened butter, it creates an airy texture that lends to a fluffier, cake-like cookie.
- Eggs: acts as a binder to bind the dough ingredients together and help the cookies rise slightly.
- Sour cream: the secret ingredient that gives these cookies a soft, cake texture and a slightly tangy flavor! I recommend using full-fat sour cream, as the more fat your cookies have, the fluffier they will be.
- Vanilla extract adds a depth of flavor.
- Baking soda and baking powder: these are leavening agents which help the cookies to rise.
- Salt: adds a hint of flavor and balances out the sweetness.
- All-purpose flour: provides the structure for our cookies.
- Powdered icing sugar: this is the sweet base for our icing! It’s regular white sugar that has been finely ground into a powdery state. It’s perfect for making icing because it forms a thick icing-like texture when you add liquid.
- Milk: this thins out the icing to a nice spreadable consistency. Use whatever type of milk you like!
- Food coloring (optional): you can use powder, gel, or liquid food coloring to make any color you want for these cookies! I love using red and green for Christmas, but you can also use different colors for other occasions.
How to make soft Sour Cream Cookies:
It couldn’t be easier to whip up this soft sugar cookie recipe! For more detailed instructions, scroll down to the recipe card:
- Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy.
- Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
- Add leavening agents first to combine
- Stir in flour
- Drop by heaping tablespoons onto lined baking sheets
- Bake just until set
- Mix up the frosting and color as desired.
- Spread on cooled cookies and serve or store
Variations for homemade Sugar Cookies:
These cookies are made to be frosted as the cookie itself is not very sweet. Here are some ways to customize this recipe to your tastes:
- Add the zest of a lemon or orange.
- Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract.
- As a reader mentioned, you could reduce the baking powder to 2 teaspoons if you want them less fluffy. They will still be very cakey.
- Sprinkle the cookies with granulated sugar before baking.
How to store these delicious cookies:
I like to store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Can I freeze sour cream cookies?
Absolutely! These freeze perfectly.
In an hour or two, the frosting should set to the point where you can stack and freeze them, but if you want to be extra safe, you could flash freeze them on the baking sheet for an hour before stacking, or add parchment paper in between.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Can I use this recipe for cut-out cookies?
Not this recipe, but after so many requests, I created a new cookie recipe based on these Sour Cream Cookies that are perfect for cut-out cookies, with no chilling and a thick, soft sugar cookie.
You can find my Christmas Sugar Cookies recipe here.
More sour cream cookies:
These have been so popular that I’ve added two more versions to the family!
Chocolate Sour Cream Sugar Cookies Recipe
Frosted Lemon Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Grandma’s Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
- 4 eggs
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla*
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups all purpose flour, fluffed and levelled (520g)
Frosting
- ½ cup butter
- 2 ½ cups powdered icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons milk
- food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on high until light and creamy.
- Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
- Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until combined. Add flour and beat on low until no white remains — dough will be soft, almost like cake batter. This is how it should be.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets 2-3 inches apart and bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are golden and centers are set. They do puff and spread quite a bit so don't make them too big!
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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Want to save this recipe?
Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again.
Tried this recipe?
Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel — I love to see what you’re making!
Tag @thereciperebel
Sara Lofthouse says
I really appreciated that I didn’t need to roll out the dough and cut out cookies it make it more manageable and they tasted great! My kids prefer cream cheese frosting so I didn’t try the frosting recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Sara!
A says
I needed to use up some sour cream so tried this recipe. The recipe does not make 3 dozen cookies, more like 6 dozen. I used a cookie scoop. I didn’t find they spread a lot. Just the normal amount. Reminded me of the lofthouse frosted sugar cookies you get in the stores but better.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m glad you liked them! I make mine larger so I do indeed get 3 dozen.
Antonia says
This came out just like you said really good cookies
Stacy says
Made and chilled dough overnight. Best sugar cookies I’ve ever made! My super picky family enjoyed the cookies without icing, I almost fell over! I will be making another batch soon the first one almost gone!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Stacy!
Jen says
They tasted great but the dough was unbelievably sticky and super hard to work with. Any idea what I did wrong?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Jen! Likely nothing. The dough is a soft sticky dough, as mentioned in the recipe 🙂