Place softened butter in a mixer and mix until creamy
1 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 cornstarch
3 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 creamy
1 cup salted butter
Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla
4 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 mix
gel food coloring
Spread frosting on cookies leaving a small a small edge of cookie showing on the top.
Add sprinkles
sprinkles
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.