Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

These Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are the kind of old-fashioned cutout cookies worth keeping in your recipe box. Sour cream gives the dough a soft, tender crumb rather than the crisp snap of a traditional sugar cookie, while butter and vanilla provide that familiar bakery-style sweetness. Once baked, the cookies stay pleasantly thick and make an especially good canvas for the creamy vanilla frosting.

I especially like this style of cookie for holidays, birthdays, and afternoons when decorating cookies is half the fun. The chilled dough rolls out neatly, and the cream cheese frosting is rich enough to feel special without requiring complicated decorating skills. For the softest results, pull the cookies from the oven before they develop much color around the edges.

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Ingredients

For the Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1½ cups granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

⅛ tsp salt

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Food coloring, as desired (Optional)

Instructions

1. Cream the butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat the granulated sugar and softened butter until light and creamy. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla, followed by the eggs. Mix in the sour cream until evenly incorporated.
2. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ½ tsp salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. Make the dough. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the sour cream mixture. Stop mixing once a soft, uniform dough forms.
4. Chill. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour. Chilling makes the soft dough considerably easier to roll and cut.
5. Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Lightly grease baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
6. Roll and cut. Working with manageable portions, roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the bottoms are only lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
8. Prepare the frosting. Beat the softened cream cheese with the evaporated milk until smooth. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla and ⅛ tsp salt. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until smooth and spreadable. Tint with food coloring, if desired.
9. Decorate. Spread frosting over the completely cooled cookies. Allow the frosting to set before storing or stacking.

Cooking Notes

Keep the rolling surface lightly floured. Adding too much extra flour can make these cookies dry or tough.

The dough is intentionally softer than many traditional cutout-cookie doughs. If it becomes sticky while you’re working, return it to the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes rather than kneading in a large amount of flour.

Avoid baking until the tops become deeply golden. These cookies are meant to remain pale and tender; a lightly colored bottom and set center are better indicators of doneness.

Full-fat sour cream gives the richest texture, although reduced-fat sour cream can work. Greek yogurt can also substitute in a pinch, but the finished texture and flavor may differ slightly.

Because the frosting contains cream cheese, store frosted cookies covered in the refrigerator. For the best texture, let them sit briefly at room temperature before serving.

Nutrition

The original recipe yields about 60 cookies, or 30 servings of approximately 2 cookies each. For this type of frosted dessert, two medium cutout cookies make a practical serving. Actual nutrition will vary with cookie-cutter size, dough thickness, frosting distribution, and ingredient brands.

Estimated Nutrition per Serving

Calories: 281 kcal
Fat: 11.0 g
Carb: 43.0 g
Protein: 4.0 g

Recipe Science

Sour cream changes the structure of these sugar cookies by contributing moisture, fat, and acidity. The dough combines a substantial amount of flour with butter, eggs, and sour cream, producing cookies that are thicker and softer than classic crisp cutout cookies. Baking powder and baking soda provide leavening, while chilling firms the butter and hydrates the flour, making the dough easier to roll.

The acidity of the sour cream works particularly well with baking soda, while the combination of chemical leaveners helps create a light, tender interior. Rolling the dough to ¼-inch thickness preserves that softness. The cream cheese frosting adds moisture, richness, and a mild tang that balances the large amount of confectioners’ sugar.

These cookies are practical for batch baking because the dough can be chilled before shaping, and the finished cookies can be decorated for different occasions. Unfrosted cookies can be prepared ahead and stored before decorating. Frosted cookies should be refrigerated because of the cream cheese topping.

Dietary Notes & Health Alerts: Based on the supplied nutrition information, saturated fat is approximately 7 g per serving, or about 35% of the FDA Daily Value of 20 g, which qualifies as High. Those limiting saturated fat can use reduced-fat sour cream and reduced-fat cream cheese, although texture will change somewhat. Sodium at 183 mg is well below 20% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value. The supplied nutrition data lists 26 g total sugars but does not distinguish added from naturally occurring sugars, so an accurate added-sugar Daily Value comparison cannot be made from the source information alone.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Exceptionally Soft Texture: Sour cream keeps these cutout cookies tender instead of dry and brittle.
• Perfect for Decorating: The ¼-inch-thick cookies provide a sturdy, generously sized surface for frosting and decorations.
• Cream Cheese Frosting: A little tang from cream cheese balances the sweetness of the sugar cookie.
• Great for a Crowd: One batch makes approximately 5 dozen cookies, making it useful for holidays, parties, and cookie trays.
• Easy to Customize: Change the cookie cutters, frosting colors, and decorations to suit virtually any celebration.

FAQ

• Can I make the dough ahead of time? Yes. Prepare and cover the dough, then refrigerate it overnight. Let it soften just enough to roll comfortably before cutting the cookies.
• Why is my dough sticky? Sour cream creates a naturally soft dough. Make sure it receives the full chilling time, and use a small amount of flour on your rolling surface and rolling pin.
• How do I keep the cookies soft? Don’t overbake them. Remove them once they’re set and only lightly colored underneath, then store them in an airtight container.
• Can I skip the cream cheese frosting? Yes. The cookies can be served plain or finished with another cookie icing, although the cream cheese frosting is an important part of the original flavor combination.
• Can I freeze these cookies? The unfrosted cookies are the easiest to freeze. Cool them completely, layer them in an airtight freezer container, and frost after thawing for the neatest results.

Conclusion

These soft sour cream sugar cookies have everything I want from a dependable family baking recipe; a tender crumb, familiar vanilla flavor, and plenty of creamy frosting. Cooking and baking are always a journey, so don’t worry about changing the shapes, colors, or decorations to make this batch your own.

What cookie-cutter shapes would you use for your batch? Happy baking, from my kitchen to yours.