Description
Okay, so forget everything you know about regular sugar cookies. Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are like if a sugar cookie and a cake had a baby that was raised by clouds. These are SOFT—like pillow-soft, melt-in-your-mouth, almost cake-like soft. The secret weapon? Sour cream. It makes them incredibly tender, gives them a subtle tang that balances the sweetness, and keeps them soft for days. Top them with fluffy buttercream frosting and rainbow sprinkles, and you’ve got cookies that look like they came from a fancy bakery but taste way better. The cookies themselves are thick and puffy with slightly crisp edges, and that pink frosting situation with sprinkles? Pure nostalgia. I made these for a birthday party once and kids AND adults were hoarding them. Someone asked if I’d opened my own bakery. Another person tried to commission me to make them weekly. These cookies inspire business proposals and questionable cookie-hoarding behavior.
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 4–5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Pink gel food coloring (or any color you want)
For Decoration:
- Rainbow sprinkles (lots of them)
Equipment:
- Cookie scoop (3 tablespoon size for big cookies)
- Baking sheets lined with parchment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Offset spatula or butter knife for frosting
- Piping bag (optional but nice for pretty frosting)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Don’t skip the parchment—these cookies are soft and can stick.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside and resist the urge to taste raw flour (please don’t).
In a large bowl (or stand mixer with paddle attachment), beat the softened butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until light, fluffy, and pale. This step matters—don’t rush it. The cookies won’t be as soft if you skimp here.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture should look smooth and cohesive.
Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until combined. The mixture might look slightly curdled—that’s normal. Don’t panic.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Don’t overmix or your cookies will be tough.
The dough will be soft, thick, and slightly sticky—like thick cake batter. This is exactly right.
Using a large cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons), drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. These spread slightly and puff up, so give them room.
Don’t flatten them. Leave them as rounded mounds. They’ll spread and flatten slightly during baking.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges are just set and very lightly golden. The centers should still look slightly underdone and pale. DO NOT OVERBAKE. These should be barely golden on the edges and still pale on top.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes—they’re very soft when hot. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
While the cookies cool, make your frosting. In a large bowl (or stand mixer), beat the softened butter on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until creamy and pale.
Add 3 cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low after each addition.
Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat on medium until combined.
Add remaining powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. The frosting should be thick enough to hold its shape but spreadable. If too thick, add more cream (1 tablespoon at a time). Too thin? Add more powdered sugar.
Add pink gel food coloring (start with 1/4 tsp and add more for deeper color). Mix until the color is even.
Beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Once cookies are completely cool (warm cookies = melted frosting disaster), it’s time to decorate.
Spreading method: Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread a generous amount of frosting on each cookie. Swirl it around for that bakery-style look.
Piping method: Put frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe a spiral starting from the outside and working your way to the center, or pipe a big dollop in the middle and spread it with a spoon.
Immediately top with rainbow sprinkles while the frosting is still wet. Go heavy—this is not the time for restraint.
Let the frosting set for about 20 minutes before stacking or storing.
Serve with cold milk, coffee, or just eat them standing over the sink. No judgment.
Try not to eat six in one sitting. This is extremely difficult and you will probably fail.
Notes
These are already perfect, but here are some ideas:
- Serve at birthday parties (kids go absolutely feral for these)
- Make an ice cream sandwich with two cookies and vanilla ice cream
- Pack in lunch boxes (they stay soft all day)
- Serve at baby showers or bridal showers (change the frosting color to match)
- Make a cookie platter with different colored frosting
- Warm for 10 seconds in the microwave for fresh-baked vibes
- Serve with a glass of cold milk (mandatory)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes per batch
Nutrition
- Calories: ~280 kcal
- Sugar: ~24g
- Sodium: ~140mg
- Fat: ~13g
- Carbohydrates: ~38g
- Protein: ~3g