Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies is an easy soft sugar cookie recipe made with butter, sour cream and a hint of almond. Topped off with homemade almond buttercream frosting and heart-shaped, these Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies are reminiscent of Lofthouse cookies and the perfect Valentine’s Day cookies to share.
If there is one thing everyone who bakes needs in their back pocket, it’s a no-fail super soft sugar cookie recipe that can used for either good or bad purposes depending on the bakers temperment that day. No… pfffftttttt … just kidding!!!
(… not kidding .. not kidding even a little bit … )
Finding a perfect soft sugar cookie recipe ranks right up there with finding the Holy Grail and if you are fortunent enough to find an easy soft baked sugar cookie recipe you absolutely love, trust me… that recipe will be one of those things your run back into a burning building for. Sugar cookie recipes are a dime a dozen, you can find 1000 recipes that all look the same but taste different. Finding that ONE recipe that delights your tastebuds and makes you happy … that’s worth it’s weight in gold and any baker who has found ‘their’ soft sugar cookie recipe, will agree.
So what is so special about THESE Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies? These Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies are soft, delicate and have a cake like texture. They are made with sour cream which makes them super tender and they have a very mild flavor that almost begs for the sweet almond buttercream frosting. These sour cream sugar cookies are quick to pull together and don’t require hours of chilling in the refrigerator like a lot of other cut out cookie recipes call for. That’s why these Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies are my new favorite guilty pleasure.
And what better excuse for making these Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies than Valentine’s Day?? While I admit that I am not an over-the-top Valentine’s Day fanatic, I do love any excuse to eat good food and Valentine’s Day dinners, desserts and cookies are at the top of the list when it comes to good holiday grub. Honestly, single or hooked up… Valentine’s Day cookies are a blessing any way you look at it. National holiday approving your over-indulgence in sugary treats and frosting galore .. um .. Yes, please!!
Now, even though I made these Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookiesthe star for my Valentine’s Day cookies, obviously you can use this easy cut out cookie recipe for any holiday or any cut outs you like. The best thing about cookies is that you don’t need a reason to make them!
WHAT’S THE SECRET TO CUT OUT COOKIES?
In my opinion, chilling your cookie dough is the secret to cut out cookies keeping their shape, therefore, the secret to perfect cut out cookies. Depending on your recipe, some cut out cookie recipes call for you to chill your cookie dough in the refrigerator for hours. This Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies does require you to chill your dough but nothing so extreme. These Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies come out perfectly by just popping your dough in the freezer for a few minutes while the cookies already in the oven bake. Easy peasy 🙂
SO .. ABOUT THE ALMOND EXTRACT…
Not a fan of almond flavor? No worries, switch out your extract for whatever flavor pleases you. Want vanilla, go for it! Want to kick your Christmas cut out cookies up a notch with peppermint? Carry on, my friend. Lemon? Raspberry? Orange??? Yes, yes and YES.
HOW DO YOU MAKE SOUR CREAM CUT OUT COOKIES?
Easy! To make your Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies, start by preheating oven to 350 degrees and line a baking pan with parchement paper or lightly spray with non-stick spray. Set aside. Then add your butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and creaming together until light and fluffy.
Next, add in your egg, sour cream and almond extract. Mix well to bring together. Then, add your salt, baking soda and slowly add in your flour, mixing to combine. Your cookie dough will be pretty dense but still soft. Seperate your cookie dough into two halves.
Lay out a large piece of parchement paper on your work area and add one half of your cookie dough on top of the paper. Add a second piece of parchement paper on top of the dough and using a rolling pin, roll your dough out evenly to approximately 1/4 inch high.
Slide the parchement paper layers and cookie dough to a baking sheet or cutting board and move to your freezer for 5 minutes. Remove from the freezer and using cookie cutters, cut out cookie shapes.
Move the cut out cookies to your prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 minute on the baking pan before moving the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, while your cookies are baking, re-roll the excess cookie dough from the cut out cookies (in the oven) you just made and again cut out more shapes. Move the sheet of cookie dough back to the freezer to chill while your first batch of cookies finish baking. Repeat these steps until all of your cookie dough has been used.
Once your cookies have all been cooked and have cooled completely, make your almond buttercream frosting. Add butter to a large mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Sift in the powdered sugar and mix to combine.
Pour in the milk or heavy cream, almond extract and salt. Mix well until you have a thick buttercream frosting. Mix in your food coloring and then frost and decorate your cookies.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING SOUR CREAM CUT OUT COOKIES
- Be sure to use cookie cutters that won’t drive you crazy. Patters with lots of swirls or thin shapes will give you problems and often times the cookie dough will break off.
- When you are lifting up your Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies from the parchment paper, be gentle. Slowly peel the cookies up and you will be rewarded with the perfect cut out cookie.
- This cut out cookie dough is very forgiving and holds it’s shape beautifully with just short burst in the freezer. Don’t skip this step though, even if it’s just for 4-5 minutes at a time.
- Sift that powedered sugar People!! This is not a request!! Please take it from someone who has forgotten that step more times than I can count and then had to serve up lumpy buttercream frosting more times than I can count.. trust me… sift!!
- This almond buttercream frosting is pretty thick but it’s not bulletproof like royal icing. If you are stacking your cookies on top of each other, it will hold it’s own but still may transfer to the cookie next to it. Pop your frosted cookies in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so before storing them and your frosting will stay put even better.
- Have fun with these cookies!! Get the kids involved, add those sprinkles, get crazy with your colors, eat raw cookie dough.. (Wait!! You’re not supposed to do that … #oursecret) .. you know what I mean .. food is fun and these cookies are a good time waiting to happen 🙂
Looking for more easy cookie recipes? Check out some of my favorite cookies below!!
- Soft Baked Orange Sugar Cookies
- Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Cut Out Cookies
- Green Crinkle Cookies
Enjoy!
MADE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE LEAVE A STAR RATING BELOW!
Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies is an easy soft sugar cookie recipe made with butter, sour cream and a hint of almond. Topped off with homemade almond buttercream frosting and heart-shaped, these Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies are reminiscent of Lofthouse cookies and the perfect Valentine's Day cookies to share.
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pink food coloring
- sprinkles .. optional but always recommended
To make your Sour Cream Cut Out Sugar Cookies, start by preheating oven to 350 degrees and line a baking pan with parchement paper or lightly spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Then add your butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and creaming together until light and fluffy. Next, add in your egg, sour cream and almond extract. Mix well to bring together. Then, add your salt, baking soda and slowly add in your flour, mixing to combine. Your cookie dough will be pretty dense but still soft.
Seperate your cookie dough into two halves. Lay out a large piece of parchement paper on your work area and add one half of your cookie dough on top of the paper. Add a second piece of parchement paper on top of the dough and using a rolling pin, roll your dough out evenly to approximately 1/4 inch high. Slide the parchement paper layers and cookie dough to a baking sheet or cutting board and move to your freezer for 5 minutes. Remove from the freezer and using cookie cutters, cut out cookie shapes.
Move the cut out cookies to your prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 minute on the baking pan before moving the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, while your cookies are baking, re-roll the excess cookie dough from the cut out cookies (in the oven) you just made and again cut out more shapes. Move the sheet of cookie dough back to the freezer to chill while your first batch of cookies finish baking. Repeat these steps until all of your cookie dough has been used.
- Once your cookies have all been cooked and have cooled completely, make your almond buttercream frosting. Add butter to a large mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Sift in the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Pour in the milk or heavy cream, almond extract and salt. Mix well until you have a thick buttercream frosting. Mix in your food coloring and then frost and decorate your cookies.
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