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Mar 14, 2011

{Thick, Soft Sugar Cookies}


Do you want to make the best sugar cookies in the world? Look no further! I have a recipe for sugar cookies that will blow your socks off.

...that is, if you are into sugar cookies that are unbelievably soft and thick and
melt in your mouth.
Seriously...these are amazing.
{The trick is to roll them out thick and bake them for less time than you think they need.}

You'll need:


1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
5 1/2 cups flour

In mixer, cream butter and sugar, and then add eggs and vanilla. Add sour cream. Combine salt, soda, and flour, and add to mixture.

Roll out on floured surface to about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Really.





It saves time to have cute little six-year-old hands helping you pick up the scraps.

Use a spatula to carefully slide under each cookie and place onto greased (with Pam) parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes.
THEY WILL NOT LOOK DONE!
But don't give in to your temptation to cook "just a little bit longer" or you will get crunchy cookies instead of soft, pillow-like cookies.
This is what mine look like when I take them out of the oven:

They are still very pale and have no browning anywhere. If you have a golden brown color along the edges then you have baked them too long.

Wait about 5 minutes and then transfer carefully to a cooling rack. If you wait longer they will get soggy on the bottom and sometimes get stuck to the parchment paper.

Once they are cooled they are ready for frosting.

Note: I know that there are people who make amazingly beautiful iced sugar cookies.
I am not one of them.
I've seen some sugar cookies out there that are smooth, glossy, beautiful pieces of art. For those of you who have the talent and patience to make such beautiful masterpieces...I envy you on many levels.
But me?
I prefer cookies that taste good and I don't really care so much about what they look like. The one time I made royal icing I thought it ruined my sugar cookies. Just my two bits.

Here is the simple buttercream frosting I use:
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/3 cup milk
In a mixing bowl, cream butter. Beat in sugar and vanilla until crumbly. Gradually add milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add desired food coloring.

And there you have it. Heaven on a plate. This recipe makes about 30 extra large cookies (like I have here) or up to 4 dozen smaller cookies.

Plate some up and take them to your neighbors to wish them Luck o' the Irish.


Enjoy!

-Tammy





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96 comments:

Lissa (The Wedding Bistro at Bellenza) said...

Just looking at these, you can TELL they're really soft to the bite! And your frosting style just makes them that much more charming. Yummmm!

Tanya said...

Sugar Cookies are my favorite...they'll always remind me of my Grandma! Yours look delish =)

Anonymous said...

I got my frame that I won a few weeks ago. I love it! Thanks again.

I've been wanting to make sugar cookies lately. I'll have to give this a try.

Anonymous said...

Yummy! I'm totally going to make them:)

Tina @ MOMS CRAZY COOKING said...

We are hosting a linky party THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS with "Everything GREEN for St. Patrick's Day". We would LOVE for you to link up this amazing recipe!

http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/2011/03/this-weeks-cravings-linky-party-20-go.html

Unknown said...

oh these look fabulous! I just posted tonight about some sugar cookies I made but these look so much softer! I'm definitely bookmarking this recipe! Thanks!

Lindy@Itsy Bitsy Paper said...

These look great. I have a recipe that I use that is almost exactly the same and they are just the best when you don't let them quite get browned in the oven. Yummy. Yours look great.
www.itsybitsypaperblog.com

Unknown said...

Any cookie with sour cream in it has to be DIVINE! :)

LaVonne said...

I love soft thick sugar cookies. Thanks for sharing both recipes. I appreciate it!

Lorinda said...

Heading straight to the kitchen now to bake these. Yum!

Lorinda said...

They turned out great, despite my evening of interruptions. :) 11:30 pm here & I just finished frosting & sprinkling the last few cookies.

Katherine said...

Saving this! I think you're right about making them thick. Thanks for sharing this week!

Brandilyn said...

i found this recipe on pinterest and tried it tonight. they were SO EASY to make and seriously..the best sugar cookie i've ever had. thanks for sharing! i can't wait to keep making them into the holiday season.

Jacqueline said...

OK I am going to give them a try but I have to add almond!I am nuts about soft sugar cookies.

Laura said...

Just made these...they taste great! However, my dough was SUPER sticky. It was really hard to roll out even after I had floured everything. Any tips??

Sarah Martina said...

Thank God for Pinterest for leading me to you! Made these tonight, the icing, too...and I can't stop eating them! I'll be using this recipe for my daughter's birthday guests next weekend. :) Thanks for sharing these!

Six of Us said...

I made these a few months ago and the ladies LOVED them. They asked, "Where did you buy these?" as if I wasn't capable of such deliciousness. I told them it was a recipe I found and I'd get them the website. Here I am again, but this time, I'm not sharing. It's a great recipe, simple to follow, and oh my gads, I plan on eating these for dinner tonight. And breakfast tomorrow.

isabisa said...

I added about an extra cup of flour and they were still too sticky to do anything with! Any suggestions?

Molly Marie said...

I dont know you... but I love you! Thank you so much for this recipe. I found it on Pinterest and you are right it is completely incredible. Best I've ever had. Thanks again!

Laura said...

Just made these cookies...they are so good. Love how the cookie isn't overly sweet, just enough.

Jaedyn said...

I just pulled my trays out of the oven! I got 12 huge cookies, 2 dozen mid-size, and 3 dozen smallish cookies out of it, and they smell delicious!!

{{Haha - my word verification is "chowed". How appropriate!)

Laura said...

I feel the same way about royal icing!!!! It may be beautiful, but if it doesn't taste good, then what's the point? :)

LBJ said...

Any thoughts on how to adjust the ingredients and/or cooking time for high altitude? I love to bake but it is so hard when your 7000+ ft! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I have also had the super sticky problem!!! What did I do wrong?

Kristin said...

I put my dough in the fridge overnight and that cured the sticky problem! Also use LOTS of flour while rolling!

~Melissa~ said...

This recipe has been in our family forever..its wonderful. As far as the super sticky problem...make sure its well chilled and you have a heavily floured bored and rolling pin.

{Peppermint Plum} said...

I've tried to come up with an answer to the stickiness issue some of you are having...but mine is never sticky! I think it must have to do with humidity (I live in a very dry climate) and the moisture content of your flour. I'm so glad so many readers are figuring it out and are loving these cookies as much as we do!

arshoelover said...

I love this! I'll be making myself cookies for Christmas.

Joy said...

Found you on Pinterest, thanks for sharing! I've tried many variations of this and they're all taste about the same, but I love that yours is so simple and doesn't have 3/4 tsp measurements! :)

Aimee said...

Hi! Was wondering if you think these would be okay to prepare the dough and freeze? Trying to cut down on Cmas baking prep time! And found you from pinterest also. :)- Thanks

{Peppermint Plum} said...

That's a great question, Aimee! I actually have never tried freezing the dough, but I do love to freeze them after they are all baked up! They turn out perfectly, even when frozen for a month. Just bring them to room temperature before you frost them. Here are a couple tips: make sure they are completely cooled before you prepare them for freezing. I layer them in a big tupperware container with parchment paper in between. If you do try freezing the dough, let me know how it works. Thanks for giving these cookies a try!
-Tammy

kjogo said...

These are great cookies! My husband was eating the dough which he never does! Thanks for the recipe:)
(I found you via Pinterest, too!)

Mart said...

Found this recipe on Pinterest! All I can sau is AMAZING!!! My husband said they were the best sugar cookies he has ever had! Made first batch last night and had to do another tonight! Thank you!

Melanie Fisher said...

Just made these, and they truly are AMAZING! Thanks so much for the recipe!

Nicholle Montalvo said...

Can't wait to make these for Christmas!! I LOVE soft sugar cookies but refuse to buy those plastic-y store bought ones. Thank you!!!! :D

Visit my blog: www.welcometomontalvocountry.blogspot.com

Brittanie said...

Came across your blog through Pinterest and can't say enough how excited I am to follow you and try out these amazing sugar cookies!

Ricky17 said...

wow! found this on Pinterest and tried it today - my friend and I doubled the recipe and they turned out FANTASTIC!!! They are so soft and the icing was also great...so awesome, thanks for sharing!! :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting the recipe. I've made it before and they were great, but misplaced the recipe. So glad I found it here. Your comment about Royal Icing surprised me -- not that it ruined the cookies, but that you tried it. Royal Icing is really only for making fancy decorations that will stay intact (kinda like plaster). My experience has been that it ALWAYS tastes yucky. Buttercream is perfect, and your cookies look delicious!

Unknown said...

I made these tonight and they were a HIT in my house! Thanks for such a great recipe!

PW73 said...

Made a batch of these last night & they turned out great!! Hoping they store well so I can give some away as gifts next week. Will definately be saving this recipe :) Thanks so much for sharing it.

Anonymous said...

I found this on Pinterest about 3 weeks ago. I have made them 3 times already and I'm addicted! They are now my go-to cutout cookies. I do make it an even 6 cups of flour and put it in the fridge for 10-15 min before I roll it out and they turn out perfect. My 3 yr old decorated one with white choc chips and it was amazing! May make another batch next week and put them on all of them!

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with your royal icing comment. I think cookies are much better with buttercream!

Sadie said...

Found you on Pinterest and glad I did! I've been looking for a good sugar cookie recipe! I added some lemon to mine because I love hint of lemon in a sugar cookie and it was perfect! I did however have to stick mine in the fridge because of stickiness but with kids and things to do it worked out better that way! They are amazing! Thank YOU!

Anonymous said...

I just made this recipe after making the same one for years. I will NEVER make my old recipe again. These are so delicious! Thanks for sharing!! :)

Anonymous said...

This is a great receipe. Another thought on frosting is white almond bark. YOu can color it with the powdered coloring.

Anonymous said...

My dough was super sticky. Definitely needed to add extra flour, but I will know next time. Sorry, I used royal icing on them, but they turned out very pretty and will travel well for delivery tomorrow. I will try your icing next time

Liz said...

These look amazing!! Thanks for the recipe!

www.achookiechookie.blogspot.com

My Crazy Life said...

So Your recipe is so close to mine all but the almond flavoring.

Marianne said...

Made your cookies tonight for a 5th grade holiday party tomorrow. We made the buttercream for our Christmas trees. We swirled the fluffy green goodness from left to right..I think tastier and prettier than royal icing. Of course, made enough for the family too and everyone loved them. Now my 'go to' recipe for sugar cookies. Thanks!

April Jonrs said...

I made these They were so good and so easy to make I did cook them for exactly 7min and they were perfect Yay

Kellie said...

I just made these cookies today, and they are so good!

Anonymous said...

can this icing be piped out of decorator bags

Janelle said...

I made this cookies this morning and they are fabulous! I ended up with about 56 when I was finished, but my son and I ate enough dough that we probably could made enough for an even five dozen. Mine weren't quite as thick as yours, so 6:30 at 375 degrees was perfect! I'll definitely be making these again, and I think I'll try almond extract instead of vanilla. Thank you so much for sharing!

stephfranklin said...

Do they have to be rolled out or can you little balls?

mrs t said...

I made these tonight with my family to pass out to friends and neighbors as Christmas treats. LOVED THEM! They were so easy to make and absolutely delicious! So glad you posted this!

{Peppermint Plum} said...

Yes, you can pipe this frosting. You'll have to check the consistency and add a little more powdered sugar if you want it stiffer.
And yes, you can make these into little balls, but be sure to flatten them out a bit with the palm of your hand so the middles get done. You can also use the bottom of a glass cup...dip it in sugar and then use it to press the balls down, and then you will have pretty little sugared cookies!
--Tammy

stephfranklin said...

THANKS so much for the quick response!! One more question, do you use self-rising or All purpose flour??

Kelly Mac said...

These cookies are to.die.for. This recipe has permanently replaced the old recipe I was using. Thank you!!!!

Katie said...

I found this recipe on Pinterest and I am so glad I did. I've been searching and searching for the perfect sugar cookie recipe for years. I tried the dough as I was cutting the shapes out and I knew right then that I'd found a winner. It was confirmed when the soft, moist cookies emerged from the oven. Delicious, and my husband wants me to keep them permanently stocked in our cookie jar! Thanks for changing my cookie life. :)

Briana said...

I also found your recipe on pinterest and decided these cookies would be what we would leave for Santa.

I had to add a little more flour to keep the flour from being so sticky, but other than that it was perfect!

These were so amazingly good that my husband asked if we really had to wait until next Christmas to make them again (I told him no lol).

Thank you!!!

Noelle said...

Also found you on pinterest. I made these tonight (after letting the dough chill in fridge overnight) and they are perfect! Thanks for sharing.

Molly said...

I tested out your recipe, with a little twist of my own, and loved it! Thanks for the idea...and the Sugar Rush!

Unknown said...

I found this recipe on Pinterest and made the cookies for Christmas. They were delectable and oh so soft. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this recipe...and the helpful pics! I just made these and have polished off a few already. I've been trying out recipes for a baby shower- these will be the favors! Thanks again!

Angela said...

Just made these all the way down in NZ, and I'm really happy with them! My husband was expecting shortbread when he bit in...so was disappointed! PAH!

Jordan Irwin said...

I just tried making these for the first time and they turned out like bisquits! I was so excited to have found what sounded like an awesome sour cream sugar cookie recipie to try and I was really let down on how terrible these turned out for me! Not saying its the recipie at all, but does anyone have any suggestions as to why mine turned out like they did?

Teale said...

We make these all the time now and they are great! The trick is not letting them cook too long. Even if they are a tad underdone, they are still delicious. Cook them too long and they get too pillowy. The icing is yummy too.
I freeze this dough into logs then we always have some on hand. Thanks for this awesome recipe!

Teale said...

oh, and one more thing... on the last batch I added in a 1/4 tsp of lemon extract and it was delicious! Tasted like it came from a fancy bakery!

l.vanderkirk said...

I found your blog through a great post at Sugar Rush You should see what Molly did with your recipe! I can't wait to try it--your site is adorable, and I'm loving what I see! Thanks for sharing!

Andrea said...

I made these today in honor of St. Paddy's Day, and they were awesome. Thanks for the recipe! And the frosting is 'the icing on the cake.' (pun intended!)

tmomof4 said...

Just made these with Halloween cookie cutters and they are amazing. I am never making sugar cookies any other way again.

Roses said...

HI - wondering if this dough is supposed to be refridgerated before it's rolled out? I don't think it said it but wondered if it helps with stickiness?

Unknown said...

Just made these last night! The first batch I tried to roll out were way to sticky and I had to add a lot of flour to help and still had some issues! After the night in the fridge they did much better! I topped them with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and am very glad I did. The cookie itself has little to no flavor so next time I will be adding in vanilla or almond into the dough to help. Otherwise they turned out perfect! I will definitely be using this recipe to play around with and create more fun for the kids! Thanks for sharing!

Janet said...

I made these and they were pretty good. A few suggestions to anyone who wants to make these. 1. chill your dough before attempting to make cookies. 2. I have been told of people who roll out sugar cookies in powdered sugar instead of flower. This is not the recipe to do it with. It needs the extra flour and quite a bit of it. 3. I cooked my first batch for 7 minutes and they were a bit undercooked. My second batch was cooked about 9.5 minutes and it came out perfect. A few of the cookies had a little bit of brown but not the typical done cookie brown. The second batch held there shape better and tasted MUCH better but were still soft. 4 If you do make the icing, a dash of salt helps balance the sweetness of the frosting out.

Great recipe thanks for sharing. Really enjoyed making these.

jen said...

I made these for an event today and everyone loved them! They all wanted the recipe, so I"ll be sending them to your blog! Thanks for sharing

Terra and Phil said...

Found you on Pinterest and decided to make these cookies as one more try in my search for the perfect sugar cookie! I think I found it!! These were soft and thick, the only adjustment is I added a little extra flour for high altitude and used almond instead of Vanilla (just a personal flavor preference) They were fabulous, thank you for sharing your recipe!

Unknown said...

I made these a few days ago for my kiddos in class to decorate. They loved them and had so much fun! Everyone at school raved over how good they were as well! I noticed that sone people were having trouble with the stickiness. After I mixed the dough, I popped mine in the fridge for 30 minutes. This allowed my dough to rest and harden a bit, making it easier to handle and roll out. Thanks for the recipe!

Beth said...

Love, love, LOVE. These are just awesome. Made them with the kiddos last week, in the shape of Christmas trees and snowflakes and candy canes. My youngest has an egg allergy, and this recipe worked WONDERFULLY with EnerG Egg Replacer - just fyi if any of your followers have an egg allergy kid like we do. Love finding recipes that can work for her!

Also loved your buttercream icing. Delish! Thanks for the great recipe!!

Tammy said...

My daughter and I made these tonight as part of our holiday baking. Super yummy!!! Best sugar cookie we have ever baked. We made smaller cut outs so only baked for about 4-4.5 minutes each batch, also convection setting for oven so may have made a difference. Made a total of 50 cookies. Icing was great as well. Only caution is it became a little thinner when food coloring was added. Wish I would have been prepared for that.

Rozette said...

I had the same problem but I put the dough in the freezer for two minutes and I was able to roll and use cookie cutters. I only took out the amount of dough I needed to roll and left the rest in the freezer.

Unknown said...

I made these tonight for my Christmas cookies & they turned out AWESOME! cant wait to make & taste the frosting in 10 minutes!! thank you for a great recipe

Viyamusic said...

Just keep adding flour. We had that problem that was fixed with wax paper and continuous flour spreading.

Dontpanik said...

I absolutely HAD to leave a comment. i have been searching for 10 years for a recipe that would duplicate the ones I can find in the grocery store bakery section. My husband is NUTS for them but I'm not crazy about the price or the slight flour-y taste. Well, these are spot on...I mean CRAZY CLONE! My husband, who is always honest when it comes to recipes especially 'new' ones, said these are better than the store version by far. He said they taste fantastic ( Oh, I loved them too :D). Anyway, thank you so much for the recipe!!!

Unknown said...

This will now be my go to sugar cookie recipe! No more hard and crunchy ones for me. These are DIVINE!
I agree with the "sticky" problem though. It happens when the butter gets too warm I think. Put the batter in the fridge for a little and use lots of flour to roll out. I will make these for each holiday in the corresponding shapes. I almost don't want to share the recipe! =0) Thank you for sharing tho!

The Fess Four said...

This is my second year using this as my go-to recipe. It's a HIT every time! A few tips I think you should add:

-Refrigerate dough for at least 15 minutes before rolling out.
-Refrigerate the rolled dough for at least 5 minutes before cutting into shapes. It makes it much easier to remove from the wax paper!

Your frosting recipe is not my favorite though. I use this instead:

3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 Tablespoons whipping cream

That frosting, combined with your cookies- DIVINE!

jodi said...

Came across this on pinterest and these are amazing! I will be hanging onto this recipe! It was a winner!

Unknown said...

This recipe was a hit. Everything about it was perfect. My kids asked me to make them again since they devoured the first batch !!!

Ronita Jacobsen said...

Best ever sugar cookie recipe! I used it with my students in foods class and I've had more guests in my room for a sample than ever before!! They all want the recipe to take home to their mom! Best part was the dough doesn't stick to the counter or the cutters. Very impressive recipe. Although when the students discovered they had to add the sour cream they were more than surprised and weren't too sure about the flavor they'd end up with. Looks were priceless as they were mixing it in. First bite of the cookie and they so changed their minds. They appreciated the photos you added and how you told them not to give in to the temptation of baking longer. They would've if you hadn't said that! Thanks again for sharing!!

Unknown said...

Best sugar cookie recipe I have every made!! Soo delicious and soft! I can't make enough of these!

Unknown said...

I've been using this recipe for over a year since I've found this blog. Every time I make these I always get the highest complements; people can't get enough of them! This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe ever!!! Thank you so much for posting this! :)

Lauren Danforth said...

Live in Denver and make this recipe as written and have never had any isses.

Unknown said...

These are absolutely delicious! I had never made sugar cookies before but they were really easy. I did have the sticky issue but just kept adding flour until it was the right consistency.

Sandy said...

My daughter just shared this recipe with me. She loves these cookies. I on the other hand like my sugar cookies crispy. Have you ever rolled them thinner to get a more crisp cookie? Just wondering if that works, Thanks

Lisette said...

These are my new favorite sugar cookies! I knew they were a hit when I ate one plain and unfrosted! Thank you for this recipe!

HouseofLintz said...

I just used this recipe for Christmas cut-out cookies. FABULOUS. I hardly ever comment on recipes, but had to. They are soft and pillowy just as you mentioned, but still hold their shape well. They taste just like my grandma's cookies...I've been searching for a recipe for years that I can keep! Thank you for your detailed instructions...8 min cooking time and not a minute more (Worked for me!)

Mrs.PKABN said...

I make these cookies all the time! I follow the recipe exactly and they always turn out absolutely perfect! They are my favorite thing to share, eat, and bake! I make my dough in the morning and throw it in the fridge until I am ready to bake!

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