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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
Grandma’s Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
written by Ashley Fehr
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
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Linda says
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!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear that Linda!
Laura says
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?
Ashley Fehr says
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.
Heather says
Do you think you can you freeze the dough for 2 weeks? Will it taste as good?
Ashley Fehr says
I would bake and then freeze the cookies, I think you’d have better results!
Gabrielle Temp,e says
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.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that Gabrielle!
Amy says
“…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!
Ashley Fehr says
That is so interesting! It is definitely a challenge trying to interpret Grandma’s recipes after she’s gone, but well worth it! I’m so glad you found me!
Carol says
Nutmeg? How much?
Penny says
Nutmeg is amazing in sugar cookies, YUM
Marlene Noble-Plumley says
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!!!!
Ashley Fehr says
That’s a great tip Marlene! I never sift the flour (and I can promise you my Grandmother didn’t either 😉 ) but I definitely don’t think it would hurt!
Paula says
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!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Childhood favorites are the best! I remember my Grandma used to decorate them as little piggies with pink frosting and marshmallow noses. They’re a classic for sure!
Heidi reich says
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
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you!
Aine says
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.
Rose says
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. 🙂
Kathi says
Why did you heat cookies? It says beat cookies. Could this be the problem?
Lucy says
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?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Lucy! That should be totally fine 🙂 The dough will not firm up significantly in the fridge.
Anne Webb says
This are good
I wondered if I can make the dough today and freeze it to bake on Christmas Eve?
Brenda says
These sugar cookies turned out wonderful! I tried some sugar cookies my mom brought home from a friend that were so soft and good, so I wanted to find a recipe that was close to hers. I believe your recipe exceeds her cookies!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Oh wonderful! I’m so happy to hear you liked them!
Ashley Fehr says
Definitely! It will not become overly firm, even in the freezer.
Tracey Neville says
These sound very similar to my Grandma’s Sour Cream Cookies (a traditional mennonite recipe) which have become known as Grandma Fehr’s Sour Cream Cookies to my friends that insist on the recipe. I chill the dough for a bit then roll it out and use cookie cutters. I made them at work once and they were preferred over the standard hard and crumbly sugar cookies. Even your pics of the decorating look the same. They are always a hit with the kids, even without icing!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tracey! It’s awesome how so many Grandmas have similar recipes! Chilling and rolling these definitely doesn’t work though — I’ve tried! It can’t even be rolled straight from the freezer.
Anne says
Tried this recipe yesterday. Let me preface by saying I’m not a baker. These were incredibly easy and really delicious. My kids loved them! I have always loved sour cream cookies but didn’t want to go through the whole process of freezing dough, rolling out etc. . Thank you !
Ashley Fehr says
So glad to hear that Anne! I’m not usually into extra steps either 🙂
Tiffany says
Have you ever tried flattening these with a glass once on the cookie sheet? I think my grandma had a similar recipe and that’s what she used to do. Just wondering how they’d turn out. Looking forward to a simple sugar cookie to try! Love the ones with sour cream!!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Tiffany! I haven’t tried that! You could, but the dough is pretty soft, so I’m not sure it needs any flattening — I think you’d end up with cookies that were pancakes!
Bekah says
These were a huge hit at our office Christmas party! Soft, tasty sugar cookies. I used my buttercream icing recipe, with peppermint extract instead of vanilla, to give these a Christmas twist. Thanks for sharing this great recipe, it’s going right into my personal recipe book.
Ashley Fehr says
Love the peppermint idea! So glad they were loved!
Ashley says
Can you freeze these cookies?
Ashley Fehr says
Absolutely!
Erika says
Thank you! I found your recipe by searching ‘Grandma Sour Cream cookie’ and this is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Like you, I inherited the cookbook, but not a lesson. The ingredients and measures are similar, I was looking for advice on a not too sweet rich frosting and found just what I was looking for. Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
That makes me so happy! Family recipes are always the best ones 🙂
B says
Quick question, what would you substitute for the flour, sugar and sour cream. (for people who are on a sugar free diet, lactose intolerant and gluten free? also, the frosting was really runny!! too much milk. i tried these again and used sour cream for the frosting instead of milk and it was perfect.
Cat says
I used dairy free earth balance butter and 2 cups Pillsbury gf all purpose flour mix and 2 cups almond flour. They were delicious! I used sugar though. You could try substituting with splenda maybe. I’d Google paleo sugar cookies for recipes.
Jami Jackson says
My son and I just made these. I was hoping they’d be a success (that video makes them look fantastic!) however, with 4 cups of flour my cookies came out to be more like a biscuit than a cookie. They didn’t spread in the oven at all they only puffed up. I’m not sure what to change.
Ashley Fehr says
They are a soft, cakey cookie, but definitely not biscuit like. If they puff up and don’t settle down or aren’t moist in the center then there’s a good chance they were over baked. I would try removing from the oven a couple minutes sooner.
Sue says
sounds like to much or old baking powder
Joy knutsen says
Has anyone tried gluten free flour?
Denise says
I just Made these and they’re delicious. I love Soft cookies. These are more of a cake-like cookie but I dont Mind at all. Hard, soft, crispy, chewy —- who cares, they’re cookies!!! Thanks for the recipe, it’s a keeper.
Ashley Fehr says
Agreed! We like all cookies here! So glad you liked them!
Sue says
They turned out perfect!!! Soft and moist. Sending this recipe to my sister.
Pat. says
wonderful cookie recipe, made them this afternoon for a tray to take to church tomorrow morning, am delighted with how they turned out.. will be on our cookie trays every Christmas season after this.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Pat! I’m so happy to hear that!