These Frosted Sugar Cookies are soft, thick and topped with sweet vanilla buttercream frosting and sprinkles! They are super easy to make. Perfect easy treat for all your favorite holidays!
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Buttercream frosted sugar cookies are soft batch cookies that get their tender texture from sour cream. They’re easy to mix up and everyone loves them!
These cookies are topped with creamy buttercream frosting. They’re delicious all year round and make the best nostalgic holiday cookies!
For more delicious cookie recipes, try my sour cream chocolate chip cookies, cornmeal cookies, and strawberry white chocolate chip cookies.
Jump to:
Why We Love This Recipe
- They stay soft for days just like these lemon cookies with sour cream!
- They’re frosted with sweet and delicious buttercream. It’s easy to whip up!
- Homemade frosted sugar cookies are like store bought, only better!
- These cookies are customizable. Add food coloring or sprinkles or leave them plain. For more fun sprinkle filled cookies, try these birthday sprinkle cookies.
Ingredients
Below are notes on some of the ingredients.
- Flour: Use all purpose flour.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch gives these cookies their soft texture.
- Butter: Use unsalted room temperature butter.
- Sour cream: Use full fat room temperature sour cream. This secret ingredient makes the cookies moist and cakey. I love using sour cream in everything from this sour cream rhubarb cake to this Lucky Charms cookie recipe.
- 1 Egg: You will need 1 large, room temperature egg.
- Vanilla extract: For flavor.
- Almond extract (optional): I love the flavor of both vanilla extract and almond extract. That said, you can substitute more vanilla extract for the almond extract.
- Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar gives the frosting a silky texture.
- Sprinkles (optional): Use your favorite sprinkles! Add them right after frosting the cookies so they stick to the frosting. Save those extra sprinkles to make my Christmas funfetti cookies!
- Milk: For the frosting.
For a full list of ingredients, see recipe below.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add a little lemon zest or lemon extract to the cookie dough and or frosting! Lemon fans will also love these lemon and white chocolate cookies.
- Add food coloring to your frosting! I recommend gel food coloring. It provides the best color. It also doesn’t affect the consistency of the frosting the way traditional food coloring can.
- Swap in heavy cream or do a mix of heavy cream and milk for the frosting.
- Stir some crushed freeze dried strawberries or raspberries into the frosting for a pretty color and fruity flavor!
Instructions
Step 1: (Photo 1 above) In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar on til lightly fluffy.
Step 2: (Photo 2 above) Add the egg followed the vanilla extract and almond extract (if using). Mix in the sour cream then add the dry ingredients til just combined.
Step 3: (Photo 3 above) Divide dough into two portions. Set each portion on a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment. Gently press each portion into a disk. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut dough out using a 2½ inch circular cookie cutter.
Step 3: (Photo 3 above) Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or til bottoms are just starting to turn light color on the bottom edges. Allow cookies to cool before frosting.
Step 5: (Photo 5 above) Beat butter until it’s creamy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and salt. Turn the speed up to medium high and beat until smooth and fluffy.
Step 6: (Photo 6 above) Frost cookies and top with sprinkles, if using!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. Leave the butter on the counter for about an hour.
- Do not to over mix the dough. Mix the flour in til it’s just absorbed. This will keep the cookies soft.
- Press the dough between two pieces of parchment paper before refrigerating it. Flattening the dough allows it to chill faster.
- I like to use my offset spatula to frost these cookies.
Recipe FAQs
Chilling the dough helps cookies keep their shapes while they bake.
Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick.
Store frosted cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Did you try this recipe or any other recipe on my website? Please leave a 🌟 star rating and 📝 comment below.
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Frosted Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 2 ⅓ cups (291.67 g) all purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons (5 g) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 (1) large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) almond extract optional or substitute with more vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅓ cup (76.67 g) sour cream room temperature
Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoons (1 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (270 g) powdered sugar sifted
- 1½ tablespoons (1½ tablespoons) whole milk or up to 2 tablespoons, as needed
- 1 pinch (1 pinch) salt
- sprinkles optional, for topping
Instructions
FOR THE SUGAR COOKIES
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a large bowl and hand held mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until lightly fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract (if using) and mix til combined. Mix in the sour cream.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients til just combined. Avoid overmixing. Divide the dough into two parts.
- Place each portion of dough on a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Top with another sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper and press it gently into a disk. Place each covered portion on a baking sheet. Chill for at least 1½ to 2 hours.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 375℉. Take one portion of dough out of the fridge.
- Roll the dough out on parchment paper sprinkled with flour. Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thick. Use a use a 2½ inch circular cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Use a spatula to lift cookies off surface Reroll scraps and cut out the rest of the cookies, using up all the dough. Add more flour to the surface if needed.
- Place the cookies 2½ inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies are turning lightly golden brown on the bottom edges. Transfer cookies to a wire rack. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Beat the room temperature butter until it’s creamy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar followed by the milk, vanilla and salt. Turn the speed up to medium high and beat until smooth and fluffy.
- Frost cookies and add sprinkles, if you like!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Barbara Ward
Adorable-even the bunny whiskers look delicious!
Natalie
Thank you so much! It’s always fun to enjoy cookies that are both adorable and delicious! 🙂