Meet your new favorite cookie recipe! Sour Cream Cookies are a family favorite. With a delicious cake-like texture, you’ve got an addictive cookie that's easy to make without being overly sweet.
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Why You'll Love This Sour Cream Cookies Recipe
Once in a while, I want cream cookies that aren't overly sweet or crunchy and that (gasp!) don't include chocolate. Something simple that is equally nice with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee. And those cake-like cookies, for me, my Grandma Rosie's Sour Cream Cookies.
This cookie recipe gives you the most pillow-y soft cookie. They are cakey cookies that aren't mushy, and they don't blow you away with the sweetness. But they still manage to satisfy your craving for something sweet.
These cookies are perfectly delicious on their own. That's how my Dad preferred them. But they also taste great with a light glaze on top. The thin crunch of sugar accented with a bit of citrus is the cherry on top of this tasty confection and adds that little something extra to bring them over the top. But rest assured they are perfectly delicious without the glaze as well. Here's why you need to try these:
- Not overly sweet
- Easy cream cookies
- Great for holidays
- Cake like cookies
- Delicious
- Simple ingredients
Ingredient Information And Substitutions:
- Flour - You'll just need basic all-purpose flour for this sour cream cookies recipe.
- Butter - You'll need softened room-temperature butter. You can substitute margarine, but the texture and flavor will be slightly different. I prefer baking with salted butter but you can totally use unsalted. I wrote an entire post about how I soften butter.
- Leavening - The combination of baking powder and baking soda gives you the perfect fluffy rise.
- Sugar - White granulated sugar is my sugar of choice for these.
- Salt - I prefer kosher salt for baking.
- Eggs - They are the perfect binder- be sure to use large eggs.
- Sour Cream - Adding sour cream makes the cookies moist and cake like.
- Walnuts - While I don't usually add them, optional chopped walnuts add a tasty crunch.
- Vanilla - Make sure to use pure vanilla and not the cheap imitation stuff. You can also use almond extract for a delicious flavor substitute.
- Glaze - The glaze is made from a combination of powdered sugar, lemon juice, and water. You can also use other types of citrus for a different flavored glaze.
How To Make Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Step 1: Combine dry ingredients
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Cream together butter and sugar.
Run the mixer on medium for 2 minutes to cream together the granulated sugar and softened butter. Scrape down the sides a couple times and it will be light and fluffy.
Step 3: Mix in eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract.
Mix until fully combined.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients.
I add half the dry ingredients and run the mixers on medium. Scrape the sides and and then mix in the other half until it's just mixed. The batter will be thicker.
Step 5: Scoop onto a lined pan and bake.
Place 1 Tablespoon scoops of batter 2 inches apart on a lined baking pan and bake for 12-16 minutes until the edges are golden. Cool completely.
Step 6: Make the glaze.
Whisk together the confectioner's sugar, lemon juice and water until the glaze is pourable without being too thin. Dip the tops of the cookies into the glaze one-by-one.
Step 7: Glaze cookies and top with sprinkles.
Top the cookies with wet glaze with sprinkles. Allow the glaze to dry before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, and it also gives it an excellent flavor to these sour cream sugar cookies!
Yes, they freeze beautifully! I encourage you to freeze the sour cream cookies without the glaze.
A couple of weeks covered at room temperature.
No! Half my family likes them better without the glaze. It’s up to you!
Nope! It bakes into the cookies and creates the perfect cakey texture.
The thicker batter texture make this recipes not ideal for cut out cookies.
They'll spread a bit while also rising into a pretty dome and the edges will be golden.
Tips For Making Sour Cream Sugar Cookies:
- Don't over-mix the batter. I like to mix until it's just combined.
- The batter will be thick- don’t be alarmed by this, that’s how it’s supposed to be.
- You don’t have to refrigerate this batter before baking.
- Use a cookie scoop to try and get equal size cookies. Don’t worry about them being perfectly rounded, just focus on getting the same amount in each cookie for even baking.
- Line your pan for easy clean up and cookie removal.
- Look for that golden edge- You’ll want to bake until the edges are just starting to get golden.
- Cool completely before glazing.
- Adjust the glaze ingredients to your taste. You want the glaze to be pourable without being too watery so I start with less and mix until I like the texture, adding more water or confectioner's sugar as needed.
- Add sprinkles before the glaze dries. I do this every 4 dipped cookies.
- Leftovers and Storage: these last 4-5 days in an air-tight container on your counter. You can put a piece of bread into the container with them to help keep them moist.
Make it a meal!
A few great recipes to round out and complete this meal would be:
Try These Other Awesome Cookie Recipes:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Sour Cream Cookies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 4 cups white flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 2 sticks salted butter, softened to room temperature (1 cup) the original recipe calls for margarine
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts (optional, I've never actually had these cookies with nuts in all my years eating them)
Glaze:
- 1 ½ cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice you could always sub lemon extract but maybe start with less and taste it before you add more
- 1-2 Tablespoons water
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line sheet pans with parchment or silicone baking mats.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter an granulated sugar.
- Beat in eggs, sour cream and vanilla until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Fold in walnuts if using. The batter will be thick.
- Drop Tablespoons (1 ½ inch balls) of batter onto lined pans, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake 12-15 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Cool.
- Once they've cooled, you can glaze and serve. If you're planning on freezing these, you'll want to freeze them after baking but without the glaze.
Glaze:
- Mix all ingredients until well combined well.
- Dip the cookies into the glaze. Top with some sprinkles if you want a pop of color.
- Set aside for a few minutes until the glaze has dried. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container on your counter.
Video
Notes
- Don't over-mix the batter. I like to mix until it's just combined.
- The batter will be thick- don’t be alarmed by this, that’s how it’s supposed to be.
- You don’t have to refrigerate this batter before baking.
- Use a cookie scoop to try and get equal size cookies. Don’t worry about them being perfectly rounded, just focus on getting the same amount in each cookie for even baking.
- Line your pan for easy clean up and cookie removal.
- Look for that golden edge- You’ll want to bake until the edges are just starting to get golden.
- Cool completely before glazing.
- Adjust the glaze ingredients to your taste. You want the glaze to be pourable without being too watery so I start with less and mix until I like the texture, adding more water or confectioner's sugar as needed.
- Add sprinkles before the glaze dries. I do this every 4 dipped cookies.
- Leftovers and Storage: these last 4-5 days in an air-tight container on your counter. You can put a piece of bread into the container with them to help keep them moist.
Nutrition
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