Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe (2024)

This soft sugar cookie recipe tastes just like the big, frosted sugar cookies from the grocery store. They are melt-in-your-mouth soft!

Have you ever been tempted by the big frosted Lofthouse cookies sold in the grocery store’s bakery section? They look so good, don’t they?! This is the best sugar cookie recipe to make that kind of cookie. Our copycat recipe tastes JUST LIKE those, if not better. This is a no-chill bakery-style sugar cookie recipe with simple ingredients. With just a few pantry staples and a little bit of time you can have big, soft, melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies with delicious cream cheese frosting. Then, top them off with some fun, colorful sprinkles and you have yourself a treat that looks as good as it tastes!

Ingredients in Soft Sugar Cookies

• Unsalted Butter – Make sure your butter is room temperature for a smooth batter.
• Sugar – White granulated sugar works best for this Lofthouse cookie recipe.
• Large Eggs – The eggs help bind the batter together and they also make the sugar cookies soft and fluffy
• Milk – Milk brings richness and moisture to this recipe.
• Vanilla Extract – Vanilla adds sweetness to the batter.
• Flour – We use white all-purpose flour for these cookies.
• Baking Powder – Baking powder give the cookies a little extra lift.
• Salt – Even when you’re making sweets, you still need a pinch of salt to balance things out.

Frosting Ingredients

• Cream Cheese – Cream cheese is the base of this frosting recipe. Make sure it is room temperature for a smooth frosting.
• Butter – Again, make sure your butter is at room temperature.
• Vanilla Extract – I like the flavor of vanilla extract in this soft sugar cookies recipe, but you can also use almond extract.
• Powdered Sugar – Powdered sugar gives the frosting it’s texture and form.
• Food Coloring – I prefer gel food coloring to liquid food coloring because gel doesn’t affect the texture. I used a small squeeze of red gel for this frosting.
• Sprinkles – Who doesn’t love sprinkles?? If you are adding sprinkles, then make sure to add them right after you frost the cookies so they stick to the frosting.

Method

1. Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with a paddle attachment. Mix until the mixture is light and fluffy. You can also use a hand mixer.
2. Add eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly after each egg, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Then, add milk and vanilla.
3. In a separate large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until the dough forms a uniform ball. The cookie dough balls should be soft but not sticky.
5. Our soft sugar cookies recipe calls for 4 cups of flour. However, the consistency of the dough can vary based on a lot of factors. You can judge how much flour you need by the consistency of the dough. Start with 3 cups of flour using a measuring cup to get it exact. If the dough is too sticky, then add more flour a little at a time until you can touch the dough without it sticking to your hands.
6. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the cookie dough out to 1/4-inch thickness.
7. Using a round cookie cutter, or the rim of a drinking glass, cut circles out of the dough.
8. Line some large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the cut out dough evenly spaced on the baking sheets.
9. Bake in batches at 350 for 10-12 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE. The sugar cookies will look soft and under-baked but they will finish baking on the hot pan.
10. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool.

Frosting

1. Meanwhile, make the frosting. Combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add powdered sugar a little bit at a time until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. Add food coloring if desired.
2. When the cookies are completely cooled, then frost and top with sprinkles. Kids love helping with the decorating!
3. Store in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Tips for Making Soft Sugar Cookies

• The number one tip I can give you for this soft sugar cookies recipe is that you absolutely MUST NOT over-bake them! That is the key to making them soft. They may look under-baked when you take them out in 10-12 minutes, but they will cook a little more on the hot pan.
• If you don’t have a round cookie cutter, then you can use the top of a glass.
• Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to keep cookies from sticking to the baking sheet.

Customize Your Cookies

This soft sugar cookies recipe is a go-to recipe for any holiday or birthday celebration throughout the year. You can change it up by cutting the cookies into different fun shapes. You can also dye the frosting all sorts of colors and use lots and lots of sprinkles to make them extra festive! For Valentine’s Day I like to use the pink frosting pictured below. Alternatively, for Christmas, I like to do half the cookies in red frosting and the other half in green. You can even add different extracts to the frosting for a variety of tastes – orange, almond, coconut – make them your own!

Frequently Asked Questions

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