Delicious soft sugar cookies topped with a sweet buttercream frosting. These Lofthouse Cookies are a classic and perfect for any occasion.
Make these cookies with the traditional pink frosting or change up the colors and the sprinkles to make perfect holiday cookies!
A favorite classic cookie
Lofthouse cookies seem to be in just about every grocery store bakery. At school, during any special occasion, every classroom seems to have a few plastic packages filled with these cookies.
They are bright. They are cheerful and they are delicious. The good thing is these amazing cookies are easy to make at home too!
A classic Lofthouse cookie is topped with a light pink frosting. I've opted for a slightly brighter pink, but the color really doesn't matter. You can make the frosting any color you'd like.
Lofthouse cookies were made popular in the 1990s by a family from Utah when they started baking these cookies for a local grocery store. The name comes from the family-owned company called Lofthouse Food, Inc.
The cookies are even more popular today than ever!
If you've never had a Lofthouse cookie before, they are a thick, soft sugar cookie with amazing frosting. The cookies stay soft for several days, making them a great make-ahead cookie.
Plan ahead when making these cookies. The dough needs to chill for at least an hour in the fridge. You could make the dough the day before and chill it overnight if that works best for you.
Key ingredients
This section reviews the best ingredients and substitutions for this recipe. For an exact list of ingredients and quantities, check the recipe card below.
Cookies
- Butter - I use salted butter
- Sugar - granulated sugar
- Sour Cream - Adds flavor and keeps the cookies extra tender! Use a regular sour cream, not a low-fat version.
- Eggs
- Flavoring - Pure vanilla extract
- Flour - all-purpose flour
- Leavening - Both baking powder and baking soda are used.
- Cornstarch - the cornstarch helps keep the shape while cooking as well as it helps keep the cookies soft and tender
Frosting
- Powdered sugar
- Butter - salted butter
- Milk or cream
- Food coloring - For best results use gel food coloring rather than liquid drops
Making lofthouse cookies
In this section, I share step-by-step photos, cooking methods, techniques, and a general overview. For detailed instructions, temperatures, and timing, check the printable recipe card below.
Cookies
- Place softened butter in a mixer and mix until creamy
- Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides with a spatula.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix in sour cream. The mixture may look slightly curdled. This is normal. Scrape down sides with a spatula.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cornstarch
- Mix just until the flour is fully mixed in
- Put dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into approximately a 6x8 inch rectangle. Fully wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F and remove dough from the refrigerator
- Lightly flour the surface and place dough on top. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough and rub flour onto the rolling pin.
- Roll dough out into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick, about 9 x 12 inches
- Use a 2 ½-3 inch round cutter and cut out cookies
- Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake in preheated 375°F oven for 7-9 minutes until cookies are just beginning to darken slightly on the bottom.
- Remove cookies to a baking rack and allow cookies to fully cool
Frosting
- Cream butter in a mixer and then mix in powdered sugar
- Add vanilla and 1-2 tablespoons of milk until the frosting is smooth and creamy
- Mix in a small amount of food coloring until the desired color is reached
- Frost cookies and add sprinkles
Recipe tips
- Make certain your butter is softened before beginning. It should be soft and spreadable.
- Both baking powder and baking soda are needed in this recipe
- Don't skip the cornstarch! It keeps the cookies soft.
- Measure your flour correctly so it doesn't compact in the measuring cup. Use the fluff and scoop method.
- You can adjust the size of these cookies and make them by using a smaller or larger round cookie cutter
- Use gel food coloring in your frosting for the best results. Start with just a small amount on a toothpick and continue adding until you reach the desired color.
- Add the buttercream frosting with a piping bag or the back of a spoon or a butter knife
- Add sprinkles right away. The frosting will begin to harden if you wait too long and the sprinkles won't stick
- To keep the sprinkles contained while adding them to the cookies, position your cookies over a cookie sheet. All the extra sprinkles will land on the cookie sheet instead of the counter and floor!
- Decorate for the holidays by changing the color of the buttercream and the sprinkles to match the holidays
- Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days
- Cookies may be frozen for up to one month. They are best frozen without buttercream.
Frequently asked questions
If possible, store lofthouse cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
If you need to stack the cookies, place a layer of waxed paper or parchment paper between each layer to help protect the cookies from sticking together.
Holiday lofthouse cookies
No matter the holiday, these cookies can do the job! Just change up the frosting color and add some fun sprinkles and you've got a perfect holiday cookie!
For Halloween Lofthouse Cookies, I used white and orange frosting with Halloween sprinkles.
These cookies are so fun and are perfect for any holiday party. Let the kids help by having them add the sprinkles!
More cookie recipes
- Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Sour Cream Cookies
- Mini M&M Cookies
- Cranberry Swirl Cookies
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Be certain to check out all my cookie recipes!
Halloween Lofthouse Cookies
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Cookie Sheet
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup salted butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-4 tablespoons milk
- gel food coloring (optional)
- sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Cookies
- Place softened butter in a mixer and mix until creamy1 cup salted butter
- Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides with a spatula.1 cup granulated sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix in sour cream. The mixture may look slightly curdled. This is normal. Scrape down sides with a spatula.2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, ½ cup sour cream
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cornstarch3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Mix just until the flour is fully mixed in
- Put dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into approximately a 6x8 inch rectangle. Fully wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F and remove dough from the refrigerator
- Lightly flour surface and place dough on top. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top of dough and rub flour onto rolling pin.
- Roll dough out into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick, about 10 x 15 inches
- Use a 2 ½ -3 inch round cutter and cut out cookies
- Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake in preheated 375°F oven for 7-9 minutes until cookies are just beginning to darken slightly on the bottom.
- Remove cookies to a baking rack and allow cookies to fully cool
Frosting
- Mix the frosting in a bowl until smooth and creamy1 cup salted butter
- Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla4 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add 2 tablespoons of milk and mix. Add another 1-2 tablespoons until desired consistency has been reached. You want your frosting smooth and spreadable.2-4 tablespoons milk
- Add a small amount of food coloring and mixgel food coloring
- Spread frosting on cookies leaving a small a small edge of cookie showing on the top.
- Add sprinklessprinkles
Notes
- Make certain your butter is softened before beginning. It should be soft and spreadable.
- Both baking powder and baking soda are needed in this recipe
- Don't skip the cornstarch! It keeps the cookies soft.
- You can adjust the size of these cookies and make by using a smaller or larger round cookie cutter
- Use gel food coloring in your frosting for best results. Start with just a small amount on a toothpick and continue adding until you reach the desired color.
- Add the buttercream frosting with a piping bag or the back of a spoon or a butter knife. I used a cake decorating tip #2A.
- Add sprinkles right away. The frosting will begin to harden if you wait too long and the sprinkles won't stick
- To keep the sprinkles contained while adding them to the cookies, position your cookies over a cookie sheet. All the extra sprinkles will land on the cookie sheet instead of the counter and floor!
- Decorate for the holidays by changing the color of the buttercream and the sprinkles to match the holidays
- Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days
- Cookies may be frozen for up to one month. They are best frozen without the buttercream.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Preppy Kitchen.
Susan Johnson says
Can you use a small scoop and just drop onto pan instead of rolling them out?
Kathy says
Hi Susan,
Yes, that would work. However, I'd flatten them before baking. The shape may be a bit irregular, but they should work just fine.
Enjoy!
Kathy
Valentina says
These are festive, fun AND delicious. 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy says
So delicious!!! 🙂
David @ Spiced says
I absolutely love Lofthouse Cookies! They are definitely a guilty pleasure...especially when there's a holiday coming up and they're all decorated for the season. 🙂 Now you've got me craving some of these cookies. I need to make a batch ASAP!
Kathy says
Time to get baking!!! The good news is they are fairly easy to make and so fun to decorate!