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
- 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
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Maria says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. My husband requested me to make Sour Cream Cookies which is foreign to me (yup, am an immigrant) and obviously, I found your recipe and made some. To my delight, they turned out really delicious. I love them. Hubby was even more delighted…he said these cookies just brought him back to his Gram’s kitchen during holidays. ❤️👍👍
Ashley Fehr says
That makes me so happy Maria! I’m glad they turned out well!
Jennifer says
I tried these tonight. Not sure if I did something wrong. The dough was sticky, little thick. They didn’t spread in the oven. So they are just like the cookie scoop I used. Still taste ok, but won’t be able to frost them. Did I do something wrong?
Ashley Fehr says
The dough is sticky, it will be the consistency of cake batter. It sounds like too much flour was added — I would make sure that your flour is fluffed and scooped into the measuring cup so that not too much is added. I hope that helps!
Kels says
Mine was really sticky too, and I weighed the flour.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, as I said before, the dough is sticky like cake batter. They should still bake up fine!
Sharon says
Can you elaborate on what it means by fluff the flour. Is this sifting? And if it is sifting, do you measure the unsifted amount then sift or sift and the measure the sifted flour?
Ashley Fehr says
It just means that you should use a spoon or scoop to fluff the flour before you spoon it into your measuring cup. If you have a scale, you can also weigh each cup of flour — 130 grams is about right and will prevent any cookies or baking turning out too dry
Sara Walker says
I would like the recipe! Please 🙂
Elizabeth Nolte says
I’d love your roll-out cookie recipe, too!
Sarah says
Yes please send tge recipe
Thomas says
I am 50years old. My sister has made these for a Christmas present for me my entire life. The. Best. part of my Christmas… ?
Ashley Fehr says
That means the world to me Thomas! I’m so glad you liked them!
Laura Maloney says
I wanted these to turn out so badly to share with my family. I have fond memories of them as a child. However, my cookies turned out flat. No thick puffiness to them. I tried several batches at different times and rack height but no luck. I had cake batter consistency dough and fluffed my flour. Not sure where I went wrong.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear that Laura! I would try weighing the flour next time if possible just to be sure it’s the right amount. If in doubt, you can always bake a test cookie, and if it is too flat for your liking you can mix in a bit more flour.
Joanne says
These cookies have a great taste. The icing is the best I’ve made but my cookies are wanting to stick together. Is there something I can do to fix that?
Ashley Fehr says
They are hard to stack! I usually use layers of wax paper and wait until the frosting is completely set before stacking
Tammy says
I just left a comment asking for your recipe for the rolled out sour cream cookies, but I think I forgot to include my email. Thanks again.
Lynette Mussack says
I would LOVE this recipe – my recipes burned up in a fire this last summer so am trying to get a few easier ones to make and need to be getting them made soon 🙂
brenda says
I love that you added nutritional values. Can you tell me what the serving size is? I’m hoping this isn’t “per cookie.” 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
The nutrition information is per cookie – they are very large cookies!
Ashley Fehr says
They sound perfect! Thanks Lynne!
Jasper says
My dough was on the thicker side and I dropped the dough onto the pan like in the video and my cookies came out looking like biscuits. Any idea why this would happen. I ended up rolling my other 2 trays in my hand and flattening them before baking and they came out more cookie shaped. But mine did not bake really flat like the video showed.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Jasper! It could be the amount of flour in the cookie dough, which can vary a lot depending on how you scoop it. I apologize I didn’t have the weight included which is a lot more accurate, but I will add it in now.
Tammy says
I moved in June and cannot find my recipe for the sour cream cookies for Christmas cookies that you roll out, that my grandmother passed on to me. They had that cake like density. Would you kindly share your recipe with me your recipe. I want to make cookies with my grandkids. I would be so appreciative.
debbie says
I believe she posted they are not a cutout cookie,But I have found many on the internet that are good ones
Jana Koth says
I’m excited to try these! Can Greek yogurt be substituted for sour cream?
Ashley Fehr says
It probably could, but I’ve never actually tried! I’d love to hear if you got a chance to 🙂
Joanne says
That is what I was going to ask could you use Greek yogurt
In place of the sour cream thank you
ann says
how to store on daily basis? not wanting to freeze. air tight container or not?
Barbara wills says
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.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear you liked them!
Carolyn E. says
Love these cookies!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Carolyn! We love them too!
Rosie says
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.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Rosie! I’m glad you liked your original batch! I’m not sure what might have happened the second time 🙁
Kathie Weise says
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.
Kathie Weise says
Ok. Second batch: I added 1/2 cup of milk and used 3 cups of flour and they are marvelous! Just like the ones I used to make as a kid. Yum!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear that! Honestly, I’ve tried both ways and didn’t see much difference so I omitted it after all just to clear up confusion. But I’m so happy you liked them!
Laura says
Can you refrigerate the dough overnight!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, definitely! It just will not firm up much. But they will bake up fine!
Patti says
My batter was stiff as well, not like cake batter. Cookies are fine however, and tasty. Sine they are frosted, I am forgoing doing traditional cut outs this year. I think the family will not be disappointed. Thank you for the recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m glad that you enjoyed the cookies! They will not be thin like a cake batter, but it should be thinner and softer than regular cookie dough.
Michelle Turner says
My batter was super thick too. ???
Ashley Fehr says
It will be thick — somewhere between cookie dough and cake batter.