Sink your teeth into these mouth watering Lofthouse Sugar Cookies. They’re fluffy, puffy clouds of sweetness topped with smooth frosting and colorful sprinkles.
These Lofthouse-Style Sugar Cookies are soft, thick, and pillowy with a tender crumb that practically melts in your mouth. Lightly sweet with a subtle vanilla flavor, they’re topped with a generous layer of creamy frosting and finished with colorful sprinkles. They’re perfect for birthdays, holidays, or even an after school treat!
If you thought these were tasty, be sure to also check out my Pumpkin Lofthouse Cookies and Peppermint Lofthouse Cookies.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Lofthouse Cookies
- This homemade version of the Lofthouse cookies recipe could be even better and not filled with preservatives, offering a fresher and healthier treat.
- These soft sugar cookies are great for gifting as they make a wonderful homemade gift.
- Lofthouse Sugar Cookies have a melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes them completely irresistible.
Recipe Ingredients
- Almond Extract: The combination of vanilla and almond extract gives these cookies their sweet bakery taste. Don’t skip the almond extract; it’s definitely necessary!
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar aids in the leavening process making these cookies nice and fluffy.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Butter Variation: You can use salted or unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, then you don’t need to add any additional salt. If you use unsalted butter, consider adding ⅛ tsp of salt.
How to Make Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream sugar, butter, and shortening until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium-high. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, and the whole egg. Mix, then add the egg white and mix until combined.
Step 2: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Place dough in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Step 3: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat, and set aside.
Step 4: Using a large cookie scoop (#20-approximately 3½ tbsp.), create balls of dough, and lightly roll them on a floured surface so that they cover the ball of dough completely. Press each ball of dough flat with the bottom of a glass so that it is ½” thick and about 2½” wide. Place 6 cookies onto each prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 10-11 minutes (the cookies will still look soft in the centers, do not overbake) or until the cookies become firm on the edges. Remove and allow to cool for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Frosting
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter until it becomes light and smooth. Add salt, food coloring, 2 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla. With mixing speed on low, gradually add powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, bring the mixing speed up to high and beat for 2 minutes. Add more milk to reach the desired consistency. Frost onto cooled cookies and top with desired sprinkles.
Expert Tips
- Chill the Dough: Don’t skip the refrigeration step. Chilling the dough for at least 3 hours helps prevent spreading and ensures the cookies maintain their thick, puffy shape.
- Perfectly Circular Cookies: If you want a truly perfectly-circular cookie shape, you could chill the dough, roll it out to about 1/4-inch thickness with a rolling pin, and then use a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter to cut out perfect circles.
- Don’t Overmix: When adding dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix only until combined. Overmixing can result in tougher cookies instead of the desired soft and cakey texture.
FAQs
Lofthouse cookies are super soft and have a delicious cake-like texture due to a mix of baking powder and cream of tartar, which makes them extra fluffy. Adding sour cream also helps keep them moist and soft. For an even fluffier texture, you can add baking soda and cornstarch.
Yes, you can try different flavors by adding lemon zest and juice for freshness, replacing milk in the frosting with lemon or orange juice. You could also add cinnamon for warmth. Customize the frosting color with food coloring and different sprinkles for fun decorations.
Storage Info
To STORE Lofthouse Sugar Cookies, keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days to prevent drying out. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks, covered, but if left longer than 3 hours, let it soften slightly before scooping.
For longer storage, FREEZE the dough in 2½ inch logs wrapped in plastic wrap and tinfoil for 9-12 months. When ready to bake, slice the logs into ½-inch thick cookies. Unfrosted cookies can be frozen in an airtight bag for about 3 months. Defrost them in the fridge and then bring them to room temperature on the counter, with the bag opened to avoid condensation.
More Sugar Cookies to Try
Lofthouse Sugar Cookies Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 cup cake flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter - room temperature (1 stick)
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- 1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Frosting
- 2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup butter - room temperature (1 stick)
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 1-2 drops blue food coloring
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream sugar, butter, and shortening until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium-high. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, and the whole egg. Mix, then add the egg white and mix until combined.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Place dough in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat, and set aside.
- Using a large cookie scoop (#20-approximately 3½ tbsp.), create balls of dough, and lightly roll them on a floured surface so that they cover the ball of dough completely. Press each ball of dough flat with the bottom of a glass so that it is ½" thick and about 2½" wide. Place 6 cookies onto each prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 10-11 minutes (the cookies will still look soft in the centers, do not overbake) or until the cookies become firm on the edges. Remove and allow to cool for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter until it becomes light and smooth. Add salt, food coloring, 2 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla. With mixing speed on low, gradually add powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, bring the mixing speed up to high and beat for 2 minutes. Add more milk to reach the desired consistency. Frost onto cooled cookies and top with desired sprinkles.
NOTES
- Store cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
- Cookies can be made smaller using a standard-size scoop, which will most likely yield 24 cookies (2 dozen). Baking time should be the same.
- The cookie dough can be rolled out to 1/2″ thick and cut with cookie cutters; just note that ones with small details may not turn out the best.
I studied this recipe in the morning, made my list of ingrediants so I could go shopping and here I am at 11pm making 4 hour cookies. I know how to bake and prep for baking but my day got away from me and I promised my daughter these cookies to bring to school to share on her last day.
To speed up the chilling time I put the dough in the freezer for 1 hour and in the fridge for 30 minutes after that. The dough worked up beautifuly. I wasn’t sure if I had the right consistancy as I sifted my flour after I measured. It was very sticky, but not too wet once I floured my surface.
First batch just came out of the oven and they look amazing, perfect little round circles. I rolled my dough and cut 2” circles. I needed to grt 29 cookies out of this batter and amazingly I got 29 cookies with a blod of dough left over. Not even enough to taste one before they head out the door. But they look good, so I imagine they will taste good.
I used mynown tried and true Wilton icing sugar recipe for these cookies, always yummy!
Thank you for such a detailed post on how to perfect these. The last recipe I tried made dry cookies that just were not good.
My Dad lives lemon. Can I substitute lemon extract? Would it be the same amount as the almond?
Yes and yes!
Love these cookies,they are so good.I need to make some more again soon
Thanks Kim 🙂
Do you need shortening? That’s the only thing we don’t have on hand and I’m lazy 🙁
I personally think it makes big difference in the texture of these cookies.
We have a bake-sale this week at work – and someone requested Sugar Cookies!!! I’ve just made the dough and will be baking it Tuesday night ..hoping two days in the fridge isn’t too long! Thank you for an easy to follow recipe without a lot of hassle. Aside from measuring tools I only had to dirty my food processor and one other bowl for the dry ingredients, so I already like this recipe a lot! 🙂