Homemade Lofthouse Cookies – Recipe!

Lofthouse cookies are those super-soft sugar cookies that look fluffy, and frosted just to catch your eye, as you walk into most grocery stores.  The bottom of the cookie is white in color and has a much thicker base than traditional sugar cookies, to hold the buttercream.  Many times they are decorated to fit the holiday season, and I’m not quite sure if Lofthouse grocery store varieties are made with real butter, but they sure are in my recipe.

Sugar cookies are always a part of Christmas, and whether you prefer to decorate them with royal icing, buttercream, or with a few sprinkles, they make some of the best baking fun for the whole family.  The cookie itself, has baking soda and baking powder, which gives them a bit of loft, hence their name.  Sour cream is another ingredient that contributes to their soft-ish texture, and great mouthfeel.

Making an American buttercream to smear across the surface before decorating is a simple thing to do.  You can always add a few drops of food coloring to change the hue, but I prefer to keep them snowy white.  Maybe it’s because we have no snow in Southern California, and some days I want it to feel like a winter wonderland, but mostly it’s because I love the look.  These cookies are not only fun to make, but they taste pretty delicious too, and I guarantee a little holiday enjoy will arrive when their spotted on your kitchen counter.

Ingredients

Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg + 1 yolk

2/3 cup sour cream

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons heavy cream

(Makes 36 Cookies)

To Prepare:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
2. In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together butter and sugar for 3 minutes.  Add vanilla and mix on high for 1 minute.  Add egg and yolk, mix again for 2 minutes.
3. Add dry ingredients and mix on low for 1 minute.  Add sour cream and continue to mix on low, just until dough begins to come together.  Remove dough from bowl and wrap in plastic, forming into a rectangle.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and remove dough from plastic.  Roll out dough on a floured dusted surface, about 1/4 in thick.  Cut with a 2 1/2 inch cutter into rounds and place on a parchment lined sheet pans.  Bake for 7 minutes, until risen slightly.  Remove and let cool completely before frosting.
5. In a stand mixer, add butter and vanilla, mix on medium-low speed for 2 minutes.  Add powdered sugar and salt, mix on low until frosting begins to come together.  Add cream and continue to mix until creamy, about 2 minutes.  (Do not mix on high speed, it will incorporate too much air).
6. Dollop a level tablespoon of frosting on each cookie and spread over surface.  Top with sprinkles, if desired.  Enjoy!