Frosted Sugar Cookies – A Classic Christmas Cookie Recipe

Who can resist classic Frosted Sugar Cookies, especially around the holidays? As much as I love the fancy, decorated, Cut Out Cookies, there are times when I want a softer sugar cookie that won’t crumble when I take a bite.

I am talking about those soft, almost cake-like sugar cookies that are generously iced and topped with the perfect amount of seasonal sprinkles.

At the grocery store you can find them any time of the year packaged upright in those iconic clear containers. You can find them with red icing for Valentine’s day, orange and black sprinkles for Halloween, and of course the familiar red and green colors for the Christmas season.

However, for the same cost of a dozen store-bought cookies, you can make several dozen right at home. And what better time to share this recipe than the holiday cookie baking season.

So as those cookie exchanges begin, why not impress everyone with your own Lofthouse style sugar cookies?

Just be prepared to make them every year, and every holiday, because you will be asked to make them over and over again! They are that good!

Frosted Sugar Cookies Recipe

*Complete recipe instructions including specific measurements, cook temperatures and times are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to keep reading for helpful tips and tricks when making this recipe.

Yield – approximately 5-6 dozen. If you are looking for a smaller batch of cookies, simply decrease the measurements by half and keep the baking time the same.

INGREDIENTS

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs
• Pure vanilla extract
• Sour cream

Icing Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter, room temperature
• Vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Heavy cream
• Food coloring – optional
• Sprinkles – optional

INSTRUCTIONS

The fIrst step in making these frosted sugar cookies is to combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Therefore, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the bowl and whisk until well combined.

*Whisking takes the place of sifting the flour, as it breaks up any clumps that would cause uneven cooking. I find it much easier to whisk the dry ingredients rather than using a sifter, however the choice is up to you.

Set the dry ingredients aside and prepare the wet ingredients.

In the bowl of a stand mixer use the paddle attachment or use a hand mixer to cream the room temperature butter and sugar together at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Be patient as this process takes about 5-7 minutes for the butter and sugar to cream together. Instead of stopping the mixer when you can no longer see sugar crystals, keep mixing until it has almost doubled in size and it has lightened to a very pale yellow color.

Then turn the mixer off and add the eggs, one at a time. Continue to mix on medium speed until each egg is just incorporated into the butter/sugar mixture. Be sure not to over mix the eggs here.

After the last egg has been mixed in, add the vanilla extract and sour cream. Then beat at low speed until well combined.

Mix The Dry Ingredients With The Wet Ingredients

Now it is time to slowly add the dry ingredients for the frosted sugar cookies into the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients. Start by adding 1/3rd of the flour mixture to the bowl and beat at low speed until just combined.

Then repeat the process two more times until all of the dry ingredients have been added. As you continue to mix be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Once everything has been combined and is mixed well remove the dough from the bowl and place on a clean, floured surface. The frosted sugar cookie dough will be a little sticky, but that is completely normal.

Form the dough into a large circle or oval. Then divide the dough into two even sections.

Form each section into ovals that are approximately 1½ inches thick. Then wrap each piece with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours or up to overnight.

Form The Cookies

When you are ready to make your frosted sugar cookies, remove the dough from the refrigerator and preheat the oven.

Now prepare a clean work space by lightly flouring the surface. Then sprinkle a little flour on top of one section of the cookie dough.

Rolling Pin Method:

Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness. Then use a round cookie or biscuit cutter to cut the cookies into circles.

Carefully transfer the cut out cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, leaving at least 1 inch space between the cookies. Then proceed with the baking instructions listed below.

Hand Forming

I find it much easier to use my hands to form the cookies into circles. Simply gather enough cookie dough to make a ball, about the size of a golf ball.

Flour your clean hands and roll the dough into a balls. At this time you can roll the balls in granulated sugar if you prefer, but this step is completely optional. Then place the balls, at least 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

To form the frosted sugar cookies, use the bottom of a greased, round measuring cup or a smooth bottom glass and press each dough ball so that it flattens to about 1/4 inch in thickness.

Baking Instructions

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are slightly golden around the edges.

The cookies will look slightly under baked, however, once they come out of the oven they will continue to set. This is the key to keeping the cookies soft after they have cooled.

Once the cookies have been removed from the oven, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Wait no longer than a few minutes to remove them from the hot surface to prevent over baking.

Let the cookies cool completely before icing.

Frosting Instructions

While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a medium bowl for the use with a hand mixer.

Start by mixing the softened butter and vanilla extract. Then slowly beat in the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt.

Once smooth and creamy, add in the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. Then continue to beat at medium-high speed for a minute or two until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Now you can add your choice of food coloring, if desired, and beat until combined. Otherwise, use the frosting as is to decorate the sugar cookies.

When the cookies have completely cooled, spread the frosting on top of each cookie and immediately add the sprinkles, if desired so they can stick to the frosting.

I prefer to frost a few cookies at a time and add the sprinkles as I go to help prevent the frosting from getting hard before I can add the sprinkles.

Let the frosted sugar cookies sit at room temperature until the frosting has become slightly hardened. The frosting is designed to be a little soft so when you go to store them in an air-tight container it is best to do so in a single layer.

That is why you find the cookies stacked in an upright position at the grocery store. However, you can flash freeze them on a cooled baking sheet and store them stacked in the freezer. Just be sure to place a piece of wax paper between the layers.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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