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These are my kid’s FAVORITE Soft Sugar Cookies. These are a copycat Lofthouse Cookie recipe, you know, the kind you get from the supermarket bakery in the 12 pack? They’re buttery and soft topped with creamy buttercream frosting and sprinkles!

Looking for cut out sugar cookies for decorating? Make sure to try my Easy NO CHILL Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe!

These Easy Soft Sugar Cookies Are Just Like Your Favorites From the Store!

I know you love those supermarket cookies with the pretty swirl of frosting and the colorful sprinkles. And I MAY have fallen victim to temptation on more than one occasion where I polished off a few on the way home from the store, getting sprinkles all over my car as evidence.

But let’s take the shame out of that, ok? Sometimes you just need a few sprinkle cookies to make it through the day.

So let’s take the “store bought” out of the equation here. I’m going to show you how to make an easy copycat version of these sugar cookies right in your own kitchen. Soft, sweet cookies that are easy, delicious, and homemade are SO much better than any supermarket cookie…I can promise you that!

How to Make These Soft Sugar Cookies

Also, let’s talk about this recipe. There are a few things that I do differently here than I would typically. And these make a soft, slightly chewy, slightly cakey sugar cookie. The cookies at the store are very cakey…and to be perfectly honest, I don’t even enjoy them that much! They’re drier and more crumbly than I prefer. BUT they are a vessel for the frosting, and we all know that’s why we like those cookies anyway!

So I wanted to create a recipe that had those same vibes, but were BETTER! Like, a cookie you would still want to eat even if they didn’t have frosting. Gasp!

Do You Have To Use Shortening In This Recipe?

I did use vegetable shortening in this recipe along with butter. There are a few reasons why vegetable shortening is the move:

Shortening has a lower melting temperature which means the cookies won’t spread as much. But you want that butter flavor, so a combo of the two is magic. Shortening has a very neutral flavor, and if you’ve had the supermarket frosted cookies, you know that the cookie itself is actually pretty bland. BUT the combo of butter and shortening gives you a subtle buttery flavor while still being mild. Shortening aids in the cakey texture of this cookie. It has no water, so no steaming occurs during baking, creating less gluten. Less gluten = a more tender texture. You could go all the way and use all shortening in this recipe to make an even cakier texture, but I like the sweet spot that the butter and shortening combination provides.

How to Frost Sugar Cookies Like a Pro

The magic of these cookies is the frosting…and the real reason that we buy them from the store when you get a craving! And of course a spread of frosting is easy, but a swirl of frosting is just so pretty…and easy too!

It might seem obvious to those of us who decorate cakes and cookies frequently, but I love sharing this easy tip to those who don’t use a piping bag often…

Once you’ve made the frosting, snip off the end of a piping bag or a small corner of a zip-top bag. Place whatever piping tip you would like to use in the bottom of the bag snugly. Place the bag in a large glass and fold the extra plastic over the top f the bag to secure it. Using a spoon or rubber spatula, fill the bag with your frosting while it’s in the glass. This holds the bag in place, so you can get a lot of frosting in the bag without creating a mess! You don’t want to fill the bag up all the way. Halfway works. You can always add more frosting. It will be easier to handle with less! Pull the bag out of the glass and squeeze the frosting to the bottom, and twist the top of the bag so it doesn’t squeeze out the top.

This technique makes filling your piping bag SO much easier!

Of course these cookies are delicious on their own! You could even add some sprinkles to the cookie dough as you mix it if you wanted to kip the sprinkles on top!

But look at that pretty swirl. I used a Wilton No. 8B Star tip in case you were wondering.

If You Like Sugar Cookies, Here Are A Few More Recipes You Should Try:

Soft Sugar Cookies Author: Shelly

Prep Time: Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: Yield: 36 cookies 1 x

Category: Category: Cookies

Method: Method: Baking

Cuisine: Cuisine: Dessert Print Recipe Pin Description: These Soft Sugar Cookies are a copycat Lofthouse Cookie recipe, just like the kind you get at the store! Ingredients: Cookies 10 tablespoons butter, room temperature

butter, room temperature 2/3 cup vegetable shortening

vegetable shortening 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

granulated sugar 2 eggs

eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla

vanilla 2 teaspoons baking powder

baking powder 1 teaspoons kosher salt

kosher salt 3 1/3 cups all purpose flour Frosting 1/2 cup butter

butter 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla

vanilla 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon milk Instructions Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the shortening and butter together for 2 minutes on medium speed until smooth. Add in sugar and mix for 1 minute. Add in eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt and mix until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Turn the mixer to low and mix in the flour until just combined. Using a medium (2- tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop dough on the prepared baking sheet 2- inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges just start to get golden. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling. Frosting In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and powdered sugar together. Mixture will look like course sand. Slowly add in milk and vanilla and mix for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Tint the frosting with a few drops of food coloring if desired and spread or pipe onto the cooled cookies. Notes: Store airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days. 1 cookie 232 33.4 g 70.9 mg 9.9 g 36.3 g 0.8 g 25.6 mg Keywords:: soft sugar cookies, sugar cookie frosting, cookies and cups, easy sugar cookie recipe