If you're a fan of soft and cakey Lofthouse-style sugar cookies, then this is the recipe for you! Add a generous layer of frosting and some rainbow sprinkles, and these cookies are ready for a party.

Photography Credit: Cindy Rahe

Have you ever had a Lofthouse sugar cookie? They are a soft and cakey sugar cookie with a generous layer of frosting on top, along with sprinkles.

You can find them in many grocery store bakeries, packed neatly in plastic clamshells and decorated in the colors of whatever holiday is up next. I have a soft spot for the palm-sized, pink-frosted, rainbow-sprinkled variety of my youth that my friends and I would find individually wrapped from the convenience store.

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HOW TO MAKE LOFTHOUSE SUGAR COOKIES

I set out to recreate those specific Lofthouse-style cookies at home. They begin with a rich sour cream sugar cookie dough. The sour cream in the dough contributes to making these cookies incredibly soft, and it also adds a subtle tangy flavor that offsets the sweetness.

The dough itself is very soft, almost like between a batter and a dough, and that also helps result in a very soft cookie. Chilling the dough before rolling it out and then keeping it cold between baking batches is a key component for making these cookies, but well worth the effort.

THE BEST SUGAR COOKIE FROSTING

The frosting is a classic fluffy American buttercream flavored with vanilla extract, and it’s a great counterpart for the cakey, not-too-sweet cookie.

Once the frosting dries, it develops a thin crust, which makes the cookies easier to stack and store between layers of parchment.

And one final tip: Dissolving the food coloring into milk beforehand helps keep the color vibrant, but you can certainly just add it to the frosting right in the mixing bowl, too.

BETTER THE NEXT DAY!

These cookies are great the day they’re made, but seem to get even better the day after baking and frosting. The flavors meld and the vanilla comes out more, while the texture gets a little more compact and sturdy — though still very soft!

How to Store or Freeze These Cookies

These cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, separated by layers of parchment so they don’t stick to each other.

You can also freeze them, baked or unbaked, frosted or unfrosted!

To freeze unbaked cookies: Roll the cookies, and then transfer to a baking sheet without pressing flat. Freeze on the baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer container and freeze for up to a month. Let the dough balls thaw on the cookie sheet before baking, then press flat and bake as usual.

Roll the cookies, and then transfer to a baking sheet without pressing flat. Freeze on the baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer container and freeze for up to a month. Let the dough balls thaw on the cookie sheet before baking, then press flat and bake as usual. To freeze baked, unfrosted cookies: Cool completely, wrap the cookies in a double layer of foil, and transfer to a plastic freezer bag. Freeze for up to a month. Thaw on the counter and frost before serving.

Cool completely, wrap the cookies in a double layer of foil, and transfer to a plastic freezer bag. Freeze for up to a month. Thaw on the counter and frost before serving. To freeze frosted cookies: (Note, while this does work and the flavor is unaffected, the frosting sometimes doesn’t look quite as pretty.) Cool completely, frost, and then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once solid, stack the cookies 3 or 4 high between parchment paper, wrap in foil, and transfer to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to a month and thaw at room temperature.

LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF SUGAR COOKIE?

Soft and chewy not quite your aim today? Take a look at these other variations!

Or Try these other favorite cookies!