Lofthouse Cookies (Copycat Recipe)
Updated
Updated
These Lofthouse Cookies are one of my favorites for the holidays! They come out super soft with a delicate, tender texture, and I love topping them with a sweet frosting and sprinkles. These cookies taste just like the frosted sugar cookies you find in the grocery store bakery.
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Easy Lofthouse Sugar Cookies Recipe
These Lofthouse cookies aren’t your typical sugar cookies. They’re soft and delicate, with almost a cake-like texture, that I’ve piled high with rich frosting and topped with Christmas sprinkles—just like the famous cookies I love from the grocery store bakery.
I’ve stayed true to the things I love most about grocery store cookies: that ultra-soft texture and the rich, indulgent frosting: the ultra-soft texture and the rich frosting. I used cake flour and sour cream to set them apart, but otherwise the ingredients are standard pantry items. Other than the dough needing to chill for 3 hours, they’re super easy to make.
Christmas Lofthouse Cookies
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIES
- 3 cups cake flour, spooned and leveled
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
FOR THE FROSTING
- ½ cup salted butter, room temperature
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- red, green, and white sprinkles
Instructions
Make the Cookies
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl, and set it aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, cream your butter and granulated sugar until it's fluffy. Mix in the sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide the dough into two equal proportions. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Dust your counter with flour and roll the dough to about a ½" thick. Using a 3" round cookie cutter, cut out the cookies from the dough. Transfer the cookies onto the baking sheets about 1" apart.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the edges just start to turn golden brown. Do not overbake. Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
Make the Frosting
- Cream the butter in the bowl of your mixer until it's light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar until all is combined.
- Add in the milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Blend over medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Place the frosting in a piping bag with a large straight piping tip.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cookies and then use a knife to smooth out the top of the frosting. (Lofthouse cookies are known for their delicate tender texture and also the tall amount of frosting!)
- Top the cookies with the sprinkles before the frosting hardens. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Lofthouse Cookies Step by Step
Make the dough: Whisk together 3 cups cake flour, 1½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp kosher salt.
In a separate bowl or blender, cream ½ cup unsalted butter and 1 cup granulated sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Stir in ½ cup sour cream, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and ½ tsp almond extract. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined; do not over mix.
Chill: Divide the dough evenly into two portions, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 3 hours.
Form the cookies: Roll the dough on a countertop dusted with flour until it’s ½” thick. Cut cookies from the dough with a 3″ cookie cutter. Place the cookies on the baking sheet 1″ apart.
Bake: Bake at 350°F for 8 to 9 minutes, until just golden brown at the edges. Be careful not to overbake. Cool completely.
Make the frosting: Cream ½ cup butter until it’s light and fluffy. Mix in 2½ cups powdered sugar until combined. Add in 2 tbsp milk, ½ tsp vanilla extract, and ½ tsp almond extract, mixing until light and fluffy.
Pipe: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag. Pipe the frosting onto the cookies, then smooth it out with a knife.
Add sprinkles: Finish the cookies with sprinkles. Allow the frosting to harden, then enjoy.
How to Store
Lofthouse sugar cookies will last for up to a week. They maintain their best texture when stored at room temperature, although you should keep them away from direct sunlight or heat sources. You can also keep them in the fridge, though it will harden the frosting. If you refrigerate them, try bringing them to room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before enjoying.
These cookies can also be frozen—with or without the icing. I find freezing them without the frosting is easiest. Let the cookies cool, transfer them to a freezer container, and freeze. With the frosting, I recommend parchment paper between layers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter and enjoy.
What to Serve with Lofthouse Cookies
I find there’s no better way to enjoy a Lofthouse cookie, or 2, than with a hot toddy or a glass of mulled wine. For the kids, I like to make sparkling peach lemonade.
The texture of the cookies was perfect, very much like the Lofthouse cookies. If I make them again I would decrease the almond extract to half a teaspoon in the dough. After tasting an unfrosted cookie, I did cut down the almond extract in the frosting to 1/4 of a teaspoon. Thank you for the great recipe!
Such an amazing recipe! Well written and easy to follow
These taste just like cookies at the store. My granddaughter helped me make these and we both agree that these are incredible!
Made these for Christmas and they were perfection. We all thought they were better than store-bought!