Lofthouse Style Christmas Frosted Sugar Cookies

My copycat recipe for the famous Lofthouse frosted sugar cookies. These soft and cakey cookies are a must have around Christmas time!

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love the music, the decorations, and all of the holiday festivities with family and friends! And one of my favorite parts is baking cookies with everyone in our family.

We each have our own recipes that we make every year for Christmas..but this year I’m sharing a new recipe on my blog today: Lofthouse style frosted sugar cookies! They are super easy to make at home-and they taste just like those famous ones from Lofthouse Cookies right down to!

Do you love the soft, luscious texture of Lofthouse style sugar cookies? You can now recreate them in your own kitchen with this easy to follow recipe. With just a few simple ingredients and about 30 minutes of time, you will be able to enjoy these holiday treats all year long! I know that my family loves them so much!

Why you will LOVE this Frosted Sugar Cookie Recipe

If you love Lofthouse style cookies, you will definitely fall in love with this recipe!

• Soft and cakey cookies
• Festive cookies for the holidays
• Kids LOVE them
• So easy to make!
• Buttery sweet addictive frosting
• Completely from scratch

What Makes Lofthouse Cookies So Soft?

The Lofthouse cookies at the grocery store are so hard to resist, but these might be even better! These soft and frosted sugar cookies are frosted and sprinkled for the holiday season. What makes them just so soft and cakey though?

Unlike a traditional sugar cookie, Lofthouse’s signature sugar cookies are made with both baking soda and powder to create the perfect airy texture. The dough also includes sour cream which keeps the crumb soft and moist.

Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Variations

These cookies are really great blank canvases that be changed slightly for a whole different cookie. Try these ideas.

Change the frosting flavours! For a more festive flavoured cookie try swapping the vanilla extract in the frosting for peppermint extract.

Change the frosting colours! For other seasons and occasions you can easily just use different food colours and sprinkles.

Cinnamon Roll Cookies! Add 2 tsp of cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the frosting over with a little cinnamon sugar instead of sprinkles.

Tips for the BEST Sugar Cookies

• Sift your dry ingredients! Yes, it takes a little extra time but this will ensure you get nice and fluffy cookies.
• Soft butter. Make sure your butter is soft before you start for the best results.
• Don’t overbake. Sugar cookies overbake quickly so watch them carefully. The edges start to brown, they are over-baked. Instead watch the tops, when the tops lose their shine the cookies are done!
• Cool your cookies on the baking sheet slightly before moving to a cooling rack. Moving them too soon will cause them break apart.

How to Get Perfectly Round Sugar Cookies

The instructions I have included in the recipe card are kept simple and easy. If you are a perfectionist though and want perfectly round cookies, you will need to take a few more steps.

Do not preheat your oven prior to making the dough and instead of rolling your dough into balls, stop there and follow these instructions:

Divide the dough into two sections and flatten into rectangles about 1 inch thick, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap. The dough will be fairly sticky at this point. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or until firm.

Preheat your oven and prepare your baking sheets.

Flour your working surface and the top of the dough. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet.

Bake as directed.

Equipment Needed to Make Sugar Cookies

Stand Mixer – A stand mixer makes life so much easier when it comes to baking. You can use a large bowl and a whisk or hand mixer, but an electric mixer is life changing.

Cookie Cutters – For perfectly sized and shaped cookies, use 3-inch round cookie cutter.

How to Store Frosted Sugar Cookies

You must let the frosting set at room temperature before storing.

I like to store the frosted sugar cookies in a large tupperware type container. I allow enough room for stacking and placing of the lid on top, but so it’s not too tight, otherwise they can become squished or smushed. If you are stacking them in a container, you may want to use waxed paper or parchment paper in between each layer.

You can store them in your airtight container in a dry cool place, such as in your pantry, or even on your counter if your heat isn’t cranked too high. They should last up to a week if stored properly. (If you don’t eat them all first!)

About the Ingredients for the Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

Butter – Unsalted butter is the best way to get consistent flavour but you can use salted and skip the additional salt.

Sugar – Just granulated sugar. So substitutes.

Egg – The egg needs to be room temperature for the best results.

Flour – You can use regular all-purpose flour OR gluten-free all purpose flour if you want to make gluten-free sugar cookies.

Baking Powder & Baking Soda – Make sure they are fresh or at least still active so that the cookies rise properly.

Salt – Omit if using salted butter.

Sour Cream – Full fat sour cream works best.

Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract is best but artificial vanilla is just fine if that is all you have on hand.

Almond extract – Almond extract has a strong flavour so be sure to measure carefully.

About the Ingredients for the Cookie Frosting

Butter – Unsalted butter is the best way to get consistent flavour but you can use salted and skip the additional salt.

Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract will give the best flavour, but artificial is just fine if that is what you have on hand.

Powdered Sugar – Icing sugar or confectioners sugar.

Salt – Makes everything shine! Omit if using salted butter.

Milk – Any kind of milk will do.

Food colouring – You will want to use gel food colouring for the best colour and consistency.

Sprinkles – Christmas sprinkles of any type! We used Christmas Tree Sprinkles and Christmas Confetti Sprinkles.

Looking for More Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes?

Check out more of my favourite tasty Christmas Cookies!

Make these easy and delicious Gingerbread Reindeer Cookies for your holiday dessert tables. Kids will love these adorable Christmas cookies.

Cherry Macaroons are one of my all time favourite Christmas cookies. Classic coconut macaroons are topped off with a cherry for real old-world charm.

These Melting Snowman Cookies are a precious and tasty Christmas cookie that is perfect for holiday parties with kids! Decorate your favourite cookie to look like a melting snowman.

How to Make Lofthouse Style Christmas Frosted Sugar Cookies

Yields: 12 cookies | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 16 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 Egg, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

For the Frosting:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2-3 teaspoons milk to reach desired consistency
• Optional: food colouring to colour frosting
• Optional: candy sprinkles to decorate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Change to low speed and add the egg, mixing until incorporated.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt continuing to mix on low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides when necessary. Add sour cream, vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix until fully combined.

Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and place on prepared baking sheet. When evenly divided, the dough yields exactly 12 cookies.

Dip the bottom of a measuring cup into a bowl of water and press the cookies to flatten to approximately ½ inch thick. Repeat this process until all cookies have been flattened.

Place in preheated oven to bake for 16-18 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

To make frosting: beat butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl on medium speed until incorporated. Add milk starting with 1 teaspoon at a time until reaching desired consistency.

Divide frosting equally into bowls if using multiple food colorings. Stir in food coloring and spread onto cooled cookies.

Decorate with candy sprinkles if desired.