Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies are thick soft cake-like cookies like the ones you find in the grocery store, slathered with sweet homemade buttercream frosting.
Say Hello to your new favorite sugar cookie recipe, these soft, easy Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies. You know whent the holidays roll around and undoubtedly someone plops a plastic container of those perfectly frosted thick, cake-like cookies on the table in the work breakroom? Those super soft cookies that you always say you don’t want any of but then you decided to just have one .. you know, with your coffee … next thing you know, you’ve devoured six of them and you feel slightly dirty and ashamed?
THOSE are Lofthouse Sugar Cookies and they are the work of the Devil. Ok.. not really … but any soft sugar cookie that tastes THAT irresistible cannot be Heaven sent.
Or ARE they??
WHAT ARE LOFTHOUSE SUGAR COOKIES?
Lofthouse Cookies landed on a local grocer’s shelves in 1994. Mixed from a family recipe handed down from generation to generation, Lofthouse Cookies quickly became known as that moist and delicious sugar cookie with the sweet fluffy frosting. For more info, check out their website HERE.
WHAT IS CAKE FLOUR?
Anyone who bakes a lot, especially making holiday sweet treats, knows that eventually you will run into a recipe that calls for cake flour. Cake flour is a delicate, finely milled bleached flour with a low protein content. When used in cakes and cookies, it results in a super-tender texture with a fine crumb. The primary difference between cake flour and all-purpose flour is the protein content, which becomes gluten. The protein content of cake flour is approximately 8%, whereas the protein content of AP flour is slightly higher.
HOW DO YOU MAKE COPYCAT LOFTHOUSE SUGAR COOKIES?
Easy! To make Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies, start by creaming together your butter, sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and almond extract. Mix in the egg and egg white until well combined.
In a small mixing bowl, combine cake flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, salt and cream of tarter. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and move to chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Once chilled, remove and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Using a cookie scooper or a large spoon, scoop up cookie dough and roll into a 1 – 1/2 inch ball. Lightly roll your cookie ball through a bowl of all purpose flour, making sure the entire ball is lightly coated in the flour.
Move the cookie ball to your baking sheet and using the bottom of a glass or any other flat surface, press the ball flat so that it is about only about 1/2 inch thick. Place in oven and back for 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 minute before moving the cookies to a cooling rack.
Once your Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies are completely cooled, make your buttercream frosting. In a medium sized bowl, cream butter until it is light in fluffy. Add in the salt, milk, vanilla and food coloring. Slowly add in the sifted powdered sugar and beat until well mixed and then frost your cookies and add sprinkles if desired.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING LOFTHOUSE SUGAR COOKIES
- Let you Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookie dough chill in the fridge for at least two hours.. don’t skip this step or you cookies will lose their shape when you bake them.
- Sift your powdered sugar for your buttercream frosting. I can’t stress this one enough.. if you don’t, you WILL have lumps, they will be NOTICED.
- Make sure your Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookie are complete cooled before frosting them. Once frosted, you can move them to the fridge to ‘set’ your frosting. The frosting won’t get hard but will firm up enough to where you can lightly stack the cookies together .. like serving them on plate or in a tin.
MORE EASY HOLIDAY COOKIE RECIPES
- Chocolate Cut Out Cookies
- Green Soft Sugar Cookies
- Green Crinkle Cookies
- Sugar Cookie White Chocolate Fudge
SHOP THIS RECIPE
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USA Pan 1605CR Jelly Roll Baking Pan and Bakeable Nonstick Cooling Rack, Metal
KitchenAid KSM75WH Classic Plus Series 4.5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, White
Enjoy!
IF YOU’VE MADE THIS, PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg white
- 1/4 cup butter flavored shortening
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 - 3 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- food coloring gel
To make Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies, start by creaming together your butter, sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and almond extract. Mix in the egg and egg white until well combined.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine cake flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, salt and cream of tarter. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and move to chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Once chilled, remove and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Using a cookie scooper or a large spoon, scoop up cookie dough and roll into a 1 - 1/2 inch ball. Lightly roll your cookie ball through a bowl of all purpose flour, making sure the entire ball is lightly coated in the flour. Move the cookie ball to your baking sheet and using the bottom of a glass or any other flat surface, press the ball flat so that it is about only about 1/2 inch thick. Place in oven and back for 10 - 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 minute before moving the cookies to a cooling rack.
- Once your Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies are completely cooled, make your buttercream frosting. In a medium sized bowl, cream butter until it is light in fluffy. Add in the salt, milk, vanilla and food coloring. Slowly add in the sifted powdered sugar and beat until well mixed and then frost your cookies and add sprinkles if desired.
My kids would love helping me bake these; thank you for sharing!