Grandma’s Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 24 cookies

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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

Looking for more Christmas cookies? Try these Soft Sugar Cookie Bars, these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies or The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe next!

grandma's sour cream cookies with pink blue and green frosting and sprinkles on a sheet pan

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. They are a cakey cookie — like little, frosted hand cakes.

If this is not what you’re looking for, try a different recipe.

sour cream cookies on parchment paper close up with blue frosting and sprinkles

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 turned out so soft and luscious and perfectly sweet, that I decided to share the recipe my way.

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!

three sour cream cookies on a white plate with sprinkles and mutli colored frosting

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.

Freeze up to 3 months.

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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 is perfect for cut out cookies, with no chilling and a thick soft sugar cookie.

You can find my Christmas Sugar Cookies recipe here.

Can I add more flavor to these Sour Cream Cookies?

Definitely! If you read the comments, you’ll see that a lot of people love these cookies, and some people it seems are not sure what they are getting with this recipe.

Like I said earlier, these cookies are made to be frosted. 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.

More sour cream cookies:

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

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Grandma’s Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

4.74 from 380 votes
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!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 281cal

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups all purpose flour, fluffed and levelled (500g)

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 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 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 Information

Calories: 281cal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 93mg | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1.2mg

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Dawn Calvert says

    I was wondering if I could just use sprinkles without the buttercream?My husband doesn’t care for it.Hes like an alien sometimes I swear.I was reading the comments and I read it wasn’t a sweet cookie without it?I got pretty excited about the sourcream.I won’t be telling husband about that either because it would be like telling him there is mayonnaise in it lol.Thanks for recipe

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Haha! I actually don’t even like sour cream but I do love the flavor it adds to baking! You could likely stir sprinkles into the dough before baking, or you could add them after but you may have trouble with them not sticking. The cookie itself really isn’t super sweet, they have a mild vanilla flavour so I think the frosting adds a lot but it is totally optional!

      • Luticia Minter says

        I just made these and they taste delicious. I sifted my flour before measuring, and the cookies are very thin, I wonder if I should not have sifted?

      • Ashley Fehr says

        I’m glad they tasted great! I don’t usually sift my flour, though I do fluff before I measure. I think they likely would have been a little thicker without the sifting.

    • Melissa Mostafa says

      Yes you can just sprinkle sugar oker the top before baking. My grandmother has made these since I was in my 20’s and she always sprinkled them with sugar. I carry her baking tradition over 14 years after her passing using this exact recipe and sprinkling sugar.
      Happy sprinkling!!

  2. Carrie says

    Made these with my kids tonight and they are so yummy…we all loved them! They are light and fluffy and delicious even without the frosting, which is the perfect addition. I halved the recipe and got 31 good-sized cookies. Thanks for sharing!

  3. Ashley says

    I saw this recipe a bit ago on Facebook.
    I really wanted to try it.
    My issue with sugar cookies is the fact I’m having to stick them in the freezer before the oven and it always just seems inconsistent even if I time it the same.
    These actually are so much easier. I put them in 7-8mins and they come out perfect. Definitely test your oven first if you aren’t sure. I knew right away 10-12mins would burn them. So I started with 8 and it was perfect!

    I am making them a lil bigger then a tablespoon. They fluff up nice.

    My husband was not at all wanting me to make these because the sour cream. However he loves them!!!
    They’re not sweet, the frosting makes up for that. Usually I’m not a fan of buttercream but with these cookies it pairs perfectly. I do like them without the frosting though.
    I will say the cookies are a lil heavy on the flour. Four cups seems like a lot.. but the batter/dough may be on the too runny side without it. Maybe I’ll use my scale next time and see if my cups are off. Or just add a lil less.
    I haven’t decided. I might instead just add some orange zest and a lil fresh juice..think they’d be perfect with that flavor.
    This was a large recipe. Had I realized I probably would have cut it in half…glad people have suggested freezing them. I’ll try that without frosting though.

    Definitely making these again at some point! With orange zest!!

    • Ashley says

      Always use softened butter unless it says melted or cold.
      You can’t cream sugar and butter if the butter is cold.
      I do warm it up a lil just to soften it, my apts a lil cold. But only at 5 sec intervals. So it doesn’t melt. I check softness. If a spoon goes easily in. Its soft.
      I’ll add…because the amount if sugar, you can’t really beat until fluffy. I just mixed the butter until its a bit fluffy them add the sugar.

      I actually use room temp everything. Or else you get clumpy issues….
      I suggest getting eggs out and sour cream ready so when it goes into the butter and sugar you don’t have issues.
      I use to have many issues until I learned to make sure everything is room temp.

      • Ally says

        I just got done icing them! They’re perfect! As an avid baker, I assumed the butter needed to be softened. Like many others, mine made 4 dozen decent sized cookies and the icing recipe is enough to ice them all. Great tasting, not too sweet, cookie!

      • Ashley Fehr says

        Yes, you’re definitely right! I’ll make a note about the temperature of the butter in the recipe 🙂 The baking time will definitely depend on your oven temperature, the type of pan you use and the size of your cookies. My cookies are probably closer to 2 TBSP dough, so they definitely need 10-12 minutes, but smaller cookies will be done more quickly. I’m so glad you liked them! I love the idea of adding orange zest!

    • Ashley Fehr says

      The dough is very sticky so I don’t usually recommend it. I am going to do some tests with chilling/freezing the dough and see how it works and will update the recipe then!

  4. Suzie says

    Oh, my! These cookies are fabulous! I made a half batch, just to try them out. My family loved them -gobbled them up and asked when I was making more. I followed the directions exactly – aside from halving the recipe. Perfection! Not too sweet, but oh so tender.

  5. Janet E says

    Ashley, I have a container of lemon chips in the freezer that I need to use up. What do you think about adding these to the dough, or should I use a crispier cookie? TIA

  6. Connie Brilla says

    I have a very similar recipe from my Grandmother. In her version, you cut the butter in the dry ingredients like with pie crust. My dough is pliable enough to cut without having to refrigerate it like other recipes. I also found out that you cannot use margarine.

  7. 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!

  8. 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.

  9. 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!

  10. 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.

  11. 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!

  12. 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!

  13. 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.

  14. 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.

  15. 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!

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