Last Updated on January 14, 2020 by Heather

Sour Cream 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, these Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are reminiscent of Lofthouse cookies and the perfect pink 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 temperament that day.

… 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 fortune 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 taste buds 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.

That’s what makes these Sour Cream Sugar Cookies a must have in your recipe box.

WHY THESE SOUR CREAM COOKIES ARE THE BOMB!

They are soft, easy and perfect with or without frosting.
Adding sour cream to the perfect sugar cookie recipe rewards you with super soft cookies every time.
These cookies are thick and cakey like a Lofthouse cookie.
Sour cream cookies are the perfect cookie to decorate for all of your favorite holidays. Christmas? Top with red and green frosting.. Valentine’s Day? Top with pink frosting .. you get the idea!
These melt in your mouth and not crazy sweet so they are aren’t overwhelming when you add on your favorite frosting.
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 cookies are my new favorite guilty pleasure.

To make these sour cream cookies, you will need:

Butter
Sugar
Egg
Sour Cream
All purpose flour
Baking soda
Salt
Almond extract
Vanilla extract
Powdered sugar
Milk (just a tablespoon!)
Hot pink gel food coloring

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 parchment 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.

Move you cookie dough to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once your dough has chilled, scoop out enough dough to make a 2 inch round dough ball. Place on your cookie sheet and repeat, leaving 2 inches of space between your cookies.

Bake your cookies for 12-14 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.

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 your cookies.

PRO TIPS FOR MAKING SOUR CREAM CUT OUT COOKIES

Make sure to chill the dough so the cookies stay thick. Chilling your dough keeps your cookies from spreading.
Sift that powdered 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 🙂
Sugar cookies go from perfectly soft and tender to over baked in a heartbeat. You’re looking for the cookies to look just barely set up and slightly brown on the bottom.
Don’t have time to whip up homemade buttercream frosting? No worries, grab your favorite tub of frosting from your grocery store cake aisle!

THE SECRET TO PERFECT SUGAR COOKIES?

In my opinion, chilling your cookie dough is the secret to cookies keeping their shape, therefore, the secret to perfect cookies.

Depending on your recipe, some sugar cookie recipes call for you to chill your cookie dough in the refrigerator for hours.

This Sour Cream Sugar Cookies does require you to chill your dough but nothing so extreme.

These easy to make sour cream 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.

PINK COOKIES FOR THE WIN!

And what better excuse for making these Sour Cream 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!!

The best thing about cookies is that you don’t need a reason to make them!

MORE EASY COOKIE RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE

Enjoy!

If you’ve tried these Sour Cream Sugar Cookies or any other recipe on this website, please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you it came out in the comments below.

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Update Notes: This post was originally published in January of 2019 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in January of 2020.

Comments

Chinazor Ominyi says
January 17, 2020 at 11:50 am

Thanks for the emphasis on refrigerating the dough. Now i know why my cookies are always flat and all over the place.
Can I have my cookie plain without the frostings and sprinkles?
If yes, do I need to increase the quantity of sugar in the recipe?
- Michael Kirby says
  January 18, 2020 at 7:49 pm
  Yes you could do it without the frosting and sprinkles but you can give adding a 1/4 cup of sugar to make up for the sweetness loss in the frosting. Let me know how they turn out because we have never made them plain and would like to know how they came out. Thanks Chinazor!