Soft Sour Cream Cookies with a Brown Butter Glaze are a delicious little cookie!
These cookies can be whipped up in no time at all and with no chilling of the dough, these cookies will be ready before you know it!
Sometimes the best cookies are really quite simple. That's the case with these old-fashioned sour cream cookies.
The cookie itself is very soft and cakelike with a bit of vanilla flavor. Then there's the frosting or glaze. It's made with browned butter and a bit of vanilla. The brown butter adds that extra special touch.
Everyone who tries these cookies tends to ask, What's in these cookies? You just can't quite identify the flavors and you'll keep going back for more.
The browned butter adds a bit of richness and nuttiness and makes these sour cream cookies unbelievably tasty!
Browned butter is simply melting butter over low heat and allowing the milk solids to brown slightly. The whole process takes about 5 minutes.
The glaze is very different than a typical frosting or cookie glaze. After the butter is browned, you add the powdered sugar and the mixture is very dry and with large clumps.
You'll think something is not right, but as soon as you add the vanilla and the hot tap water, everything is just perfect!
Key ingredients
Cookies
- Sour cream - use a regular sour cream, not low-fat!
- Flour
- Sugar
- Butter - I use salted butter
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Baking powder, baking soda and salt
Brown butter glaze
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla
Step by step directions
Cookies
- Cream butter with a mixer until smooth
- Add sugar and mix until light and fluffy
- Mix in eggs, sour cream and vanilla
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
- Use a small, #60 size scoop to form small round balls
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 6-8 minutes
- Cool on a baking rack
Brown butter glaze
- Melt butter over low heat in a small pot. Don't stir butter, but you can give it a swirl or two.
- Keep butter on low heat until the butter begins to brown
- Remove from heat
- Stir in powdered sugar. The mixture will be very thick and clumpy
- Add vanilla and 1-2 tablespoons of hot tap water. You are looking for a runny glaze.
- Stir until smooth
- Dip each cookie into glaze with top side down into the glaze
- Place on a baking rack and allow glaze to set up
Recipe tips
- Cookie batter is sticky and tends to stick to the cookie scoop. Just keep at it, the dough will come out after 2-3 releases of the scoop
- I use a #60 size cookie scoop which is smaller than my regular cookie scoop
- Use parchment paper or a silicone mat on your cookie sheet. You could also spray your trays very lightly with a nonstick spray.
- Make certain the oven is fully preheated to 400°F
- These cookies cook quickly. Keep an eye on them!
- The cookies do not spread very large. I was able to put more cookie dough on the cookie sheet than I usually do.
- Make the glaze and dip the cookies when the cookies are cool
- If the glaze becomes too thick, add a bit more hot water
Frequently asked questions
Yes, these cookies can be frozen. However, I find them best if they are frozen without the glaze. Freeze the cookies in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Add the glaze after the cookies have fully thawed.
I store these cookies in an airtight container. Once the glaze has had a chance to form a slight crust place the cookies in a single layer.
Place a layer of waxed paper on top of the cookies and then add another layer of cookies on top.
- White chocolate macadamia nut cookies
- Mini M&M cookies
- Oatmeal cranberry cookies
- Chocolate chocolate chip cookies
- Pecan icebox cookies
- Lofthouse sugar 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 delicious cookie recipes!
Sour Cream Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1¾ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Glaze
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 tablespoons hot tap water
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Cream butter with a mixer until smooth½ cup butter
- Add sugar and mix until light and fluffy¾ cup sugar
- Mix in egg, sour cream and vanilla1 egg, ½ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt1¾ cup flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Use a small 1 tablespoon size (#60) cookie scoop to form small balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Dough is sticky!
- Bake in preheated 400°F oven for 6-9 minutes, just until tops are slightly browned
- Cool cookies on a baking rack
Glaze
- Melt butter over low heat in a small pot. Don't stir butter, but you can give it a swirl or two.4 tablespoons butter
- Keep butter on low heat until the butter begins to turn brown
- Remove from heat
- Stir in powdered sugar. The mixture will be very thick and clumpy1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- Add vanilla and 1-2 tablespoons of hot tap water1 teaspoon vanilla, 1-2 tablespoons hot tap water
- Stir until smooth
- Dip each cookie into glaze with top side down into the glaze
- Place on a baking rack and allow glaze to set up
Notes
- I use salted butter in the cookies and in the glaze
- Cookie batter is sticky and tends to stick to the cookie scoop. Just keep at it, the dough will come out after 2-3 releases of the scoop
- I use a #60 size cookie scoop which is smaller than my regular cookie scoop
- Use parchment paper or a silicone mat on your cookie sheet. You could also spray your trays very lightly with a nonstick spray.
- Make certain the oven is fully preheated to 400°F
- These cookies cook quickly. Keep an eye on them!
- These cookies do not spread very large. I was able to put more cookie dough on the cookie sheet than I usually do.
- The brown butter is what gives these cookies so much flavor. Make certain your butter has some good brown coloring to it!
- Make the glaze and dip the cookies when the cookies are cool
- If the glaze becomes too thick, add a bit more hot water
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.
David @ Spiced says
I love sour cream cookies - they are so light and fluffy! These look fantastic, Kathy, and I love that glaze that you put on top!