Copy-cat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

I must admit, I’m not a big fan of store-bought cookies.  My mom spoiled us growing up and we always had homemade cookies in the house.  In fact, one of my close friends would always come to our house right after school because he knew that my mom would have cookies and tea waiting for us!

There is one kind of store-bought cookies that I do really like though, those pillow-soft Lofthouse sugar cookies, topped with a sweet frosting and sprinkles!  Oh, the temptation every time I see them in the store!  I’m not sure what it is about the cookies, perhaps because they are so soft and flaky that they seem homemade, but I have a hard time resisting them.

I’ve had a recipe for copy-cat Lofthouse cookies pinned for quite some time now, but I finally had time to make them this weekend.  They require a bit of planning ahead as the dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours prior to rolling it out.  The dough comes together quite easily, and though it is very sticky, a little bit of flour makes it manageable to work with.  I made about 3 dozen regular sized cookies and one giant one, but you’ll have to come back on Wednesday to see what I did with the giant cookie!

Copy-cat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1-1/2 cups sour cream

6 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  In the bowl of your stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

2.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until it is incorporated.

3.  Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat until combined.

4.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low speed until combined.  The dough will be sticky.

5.  Divide the dough in half and flatten into 1-1/2 inch thick rectangles.  (It will help if you work on a floured surface and flour your hands.)  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

6.  Remove one of the dough rectangles from the fridge and unwrap it.  Place the dough on a floured surface and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. 

7.  Use a 2-1/2” cookie cutter (I actually just use a drinking glass, so mine were probably closer to 3") to cut out cookies.  Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  It is best to work in small batches and keep the dough cold until you’re ready to work with it.

8.  Bake at 425 for 8 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned.

9.  Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting them.  (Frosting recipe is below.)  Decorate as desired.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.  You can also freeze unfrosted cookies.

Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

6 Tablespoons heavy cream

Food coloring

1.  In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla.

2.  Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.

3.  Mix in the heavy cream, one Tablespoon at a time, until the desired frosting consistency is achieved. 

4.  If desired, add in a few drops of food color and beat until evenly colored.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Bring to room temperature before spreading.