Delicious Lofthouse Cookies are incredibly soft and tender sugar cookies with a thick layer of sweet buttercream frosting and colorful sprinkles that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth! These festive cookies are a real crowd pleaser and so much better than store bought! Perfect for birthday parties, holidays or a sweet treat after school, these Lofthouse Sugar Cookies are always a hit!
Craving all the cookies right now? Here are some more of our favorites: Cowboy Cookies, No Bake Cookies and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
We love our Sugar Cookie recipe but there is definitely something special about a Lofthouse Cookie. Lofthouse Cookies can typically be found in any supermarket around the country. You’ll often see them decorated for just about any and every holiday and season with various colors of icing and sprinkles to match. Well, now you can make them at home and design them however you like!
Whip up a batch for your own holiday parties or seasonal events. Or just when that cookie monster craving hits… I mean, these are classic cookies for a reason, right? There’s never a bad time to enjoy a homemade Lofthouse Cookie!
Why You’ll Love This Lofthouse Cookies Recipe
So many reasons to love these cookies!
- They’re soft and sweet. These aren’t like your traditional sugar cookies, the cookie is so soft it’s almost cake like in texture. The buttercream is thick and sweet as opposed to normal cookie icing which is thin and hardens when set. For a sweet tooth like mine, I can’t get enough of these.
- Customizable. Make the frosting any color you like with sprinkles to match! Perfect for holidays and themed parties with customization is key.
- You can control that sweetness. If you aren’t a sugar fiend like me, you can control just how sweet the icing is and tone it down to your tastes.
More Frosted Treats
Let’s face it, frosting makes everything better! Here are some of our favorite frosted treats:
- Banana Cake (with cream cheese frosting)
- Frosted Fudge Brownies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes (with peanut butter frosting!)
- Strawberry Cupcakes (with strawberry frosting)
- Carrot Cake Recipe (with cream cheese frosting)
Lofthouse Cookies Ingredients
These cookies are true classics and now you can make them anytime you want! As always, you can find the full printable recipe with complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need…
For the Cookie Dough
- cake flour – Spooned and leveled. Cake flour is key in this recipe!
- cornstarch – This helps create that super soft texture.
- baking powder – To get a little rise from the dough.
- kosher salt – Just a pinch.
- butter – Unsalted and softened.
- granulated sugar and powdered sugar – For sweetness.
- egg – One large at room temperature.
- vanilla extract and almond extract – Both are important to getting that classic flavor.
- sour cream – Preferably full fat (but you can use whatever you like) at room temperature.
For the Frosting
- butter – Unsalted and softened, not melted.
- powdered sugar – For that classic sweet taste.
- vanilla extract – For sweetness and warmth.
- kosher salt – Another pinch.
- heavy cream – Whole milk works as well.
- food coloring – Any color of your choice. If you’re going traditional, Lofthouse defaults to pink.
- sprinkles – Any color or shape to decorate!
Make your own cake flour! To do this, measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour by spooning and leveling the flour in the measuring cup. Remove two tablespoons of flour and replace it with two tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk together or sift together twice to blend.
How To Make Lofthouse Cookies
Lofthouse Cookies
- Whisk the sifted cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and kosher salt together in a mixing bowl. Set aside for now.
- Cream the butter and granulated sugar together for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy with a stand mixer. Scrape excess off the sides of the bowl when necessary.
- Beat in the egg, and vanilla and almond extracts until combined. Add in the sour cream and mix once more until thoroughly incorporated.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar and sour cream mixture and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix the dough.
- Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour prior to handling.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet (or several smaller ones if necessary) with parchment paper.
- Dust your hands with powdered sugar and scoop out about 3 tablespoons of cookie dough. Roll the cookie dough into balls and place on the baking sheet. Continue until all the cookie dough has been used. Leave several inches between each cookie dough ball.
- Coat the bottom of a round glass or measuring cup in powdered sugar. Press lightly on each cookie dough ball, flattening it to ¼”- ½” thick.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes. Rotate your baking sheet halfway through to ensure even baking. Don’t let the cookies brown, be sure to remove them as soon as they have a hint of color. The cookies will cook slightly while still on the baking sheet as they cool.
- Cool the cookies completely before decorating.
Lofthouse Cookie Frosting
- Cream the butter for about 2 minutes using a stand mixer and medium sized bowl. The butter should be fluffy, creamy, and light in color.
- Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix until combined.
- Beat in the heavy cream a tablespoon or so at a time until the buttercream reaches your desired consistency. For thicker frosting, add less cream and more powdered sugar. For a thinner frosting add more cream.
- Drop in a couple drops of the food coloring of your choice for a splash of color on your cookies.
- Frost the cooled cookies with a thick layer of frosting in the center, leaving the edges clean. Decorate with sprinkles and enjoy!
Storage Information
Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for 3 days.
The cookies themselves can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw to room temperature and frost like normal. Wrap the cookies individually for a quick dessert without having to defrost a whole tray at once.
Lofthouse Cookies FAQs
What are Lofthouse Cookies?
When we refer to them as Lofthouse Cookies, that isn’t a type of cookie (although at this point it kind of could be) but the name actually refers to the company Lofthouse Foods that sell these cookies to in store bakeries inside grocery stores. The cookies are unique in that they are cakey in consistency and have a thick layer of super sweet buttercream frosting on top.
Can I use different types of frosting?
Different flavors of frosting will deviate from the traditional (and copycat) recipe but you can absolutely use flavored American Buttercream, or try a chocolate or cream cheese frosting recipe instead! The cookie base is light in vanilla flavor so it’ll taste great with a myriad of flavored frostings!
What kind of cake flour should I use?
I used Swann’s cake flour but you can use your favorite brand. Cake flour has a lower protein content than all purpose flour resulting in a cookie that is lighter in color when baked and extra soft and tender.
Can I make my own cake flour?
You sure can! To do this, measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour by spooning and leveling the flour in the measuring cup. Remove two tablespoons of flour and replace it with two tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk together or sift together twice to blend.
Trish’s Tips and Tricks
- The secret is in the cake flour and the cornstarch when it comes to making the softest cookies imaginable. Don’t try substitutions or leaving these out or your cookies won’t have the right consistency.
- This recipe can easily be doubled to make larger batches for parties or for classrooms.
- Chill your cookie dough before handling it! This makes a world of difference otherwise you’ll be stuck with a sticky mess.
- This is a very soft and sticky dough. Dust your hands with powdered sugar before rolling into balls or simple roll out the dough and cut using cookie cutters.
- Pink tends to be the standard icing color when you see these cookies at the grocery store (and aren’t decorated for a holiday), but these are your cookies so make them whatever color you want! Same goes for sprinkles. You can leave these out or pick fun shapes and colors to match your icing.
- Unlike a lot of cookies, you don’t want these to brown. They should remain a pale, cream color when baked.
- For a very clean edge, roll out the cookie dough and cut into circles.
Recipe Notes:
It’s easy to make smaller cookies if you prefer. Simply use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. You’ll get about 2 dozen smaller cookies this way.
More Must Make Cookies
- Orange Sugar Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Cookies
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
How To Make Lofthouse Cookies
Lofthouse Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups cake flour spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
- food coloring gel or liquid
- sprinkle or jimmies to decorate
Instructions
For the Cookies
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bow of a stand mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once.
- Mix in room temperature sour cream until thoroughly blended.
- Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined making sure to scrape down the sides. Do not over mix. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Scoop about 3 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into a ball. The dough is sticky so "flour" your hands with powdered sugar to keep the dough from sticking.
- Place cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a measuring cup or glass in powdered sugar and press down lightly on the balls to flatten. Cookies should be between ¼ and ½ inch thick.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. You do not want the cookies to brown but they should be just so slightly golden on the bottom. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet.
Prepare Frosting
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter for 1 to 2 minutes or until light and creamy, scraping down the bowl several times.
- Add in the powdered sugar and beat until combined.
- Beat in the vanilla extract, salt and add heavy cream, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Add food coloring to the frosting if desired.
- Frost cookies making sure to leave a little bit of the edge of the cookie exposed. Finish the cookies by sprinkling some jimmies or sprinkles on top.
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