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These Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies feature pillowy cake-like cookies and a sweet buttercream, and are an easy-to-make copycat recipe of the famous Lofthouse cookies.
You know the clamshell of deliciously puffy Frosted Sugar Cookies at the grocery store? You know the ones I mean, you can find them pre-packaged at Walmart, Target, and your local grocery store.
I’m going to show you how to easily make them at home – and they’re even better fresh!
Those infamous Lofthouse cookies almost need no introduction. Fluffy vanilla cookies with a cake-like texture paired with rich buttercream.
Sometimes they’re dressed up funfetti-like with white buttercream and rainbow sprinkles. Other times they’re green for St. Paddy’s Day, pink and red for Valentine’s, or red and green for Christmas.
However they’re decked out, they’re delicious.
And you won’t believe how easy these cookies are to make! The only trick is to read the recipe through before you begin because the dough needs some time to chill in the fridge.
Note that the dough is sticky; it’s supposed to be, so don’t add more flour. After it’s chilled in the fridge you can scoop the dough into balls or roll it out on a floured surface to stamp out cookie shapes.
Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies (The Best Lofthouse Cookies Copycat Recipe)
Inspired by Lofthouse cookies, there are three secrets to the moist, cake-like texture of these delicious Frosted Sugar Cookies:
- Cream cheese in the batter instead of all-butter keeps these cookies moist with a little more richness.
- Cornstarch keeps them soft and tender, and helps these cookies spread out less.
- A combination of baking powder and baking soda as leavening agents makes these cookies fluffier.
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Pure vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
For the Frosting:
- Salted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Pure vanilla extract
- Milk
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Use a handheld electric mixer to beat together the cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large bowl.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix until well-combined. The dough will look very sticky at this point.
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the cookie dough and refrigerate until the dough is stiffened, about 2 hours. This is how the dough looks when it’s ready to scoop!
- Roll the scooped dough into balls, arrange them cookie trays, sand sightly flatten each cookie dough ball. Bake until the cookies are light golden on the bottom, puffed on top, and just stop looking doughy in the center. Let them cool, and then frost and decorate the cookies!
Pro Tip: Let the frosting harden before stacking or storing these cookies.
Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies FAQs
Can I Use Store-Bought Frosting to Frost Sugar Cookies?
Yes! If you don’t have time to whip up the frosting for these cookies, just pick up a can of your favorite store-bought frosting. You can still dye it seasonal colors if you want!
How Long Do Frosted Sugar Cookies Last?
These Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies will last for up to 1 week at room temperature, 2 weeks in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
How Do You Store Sugar Cookies?
- Arrange them in a glass dish in single layers stacked between sheets of wax paper.
- Cover the top of the dish with plastic wrap.
- Place an airtight lid on the container. If the container doesn’t have an airtight lid, cover the top securely with foil.
More Fun Cookies to Make
- Easter Cookies with Robin Eggs Candy and Toasted Coconut
- Soft Keto Sugar Cookies with Sugar Free Vanilla Frosting
- Thin and Crispy Chocolate Malted Milk Ball Cookies
- Paleo Cinnamon Raisin Noatmeal Cookies
- Chai-Spiced Vanilla Shortbread Cookies
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Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies (Lofthouse Cookies Copycat Recipe)
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Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons milk
Other:
- Food coloring to color the frosting (optional)
- Sprinkles to decorate the cookies (optional)
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Use a handheld electric mixer to beat together the cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until well-combined. The dough will look wet.
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the cookie dough and refrigerate until the dough is stiffened, about 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper or silpat liners.
- Use a 1 1/2-tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough. Roll it into balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on the baking pans (8 cookies per half sheet pan works well).
- Use a glass to slightly flatten each cookie dough ball.
- Bake until the cookies are light golden on the bottom, puffed on top, and just stop looking doughy in the center, rotating the trays once halfway through. This takes about 9 to 12 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, you don’t want these cookies golden on the top. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the trays, and then use a thin metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
For the Frosting:
- Use a handheld electric mixer to beat together all ingredients until smooth and creamy.
- If desired, add food coloring to the frosting. It’s easy to add too much coloring, so start off by adding just a tiny drop at a time and mixing it in well to see the color before you add more.
To Finish:
- Frost the cookies once they’re cool. Before the frosting sets, add sprinkles if desired.
Notes
- Nutritional Information: Information for this recipe was calculated without the food coloring or the sprinkles.
- This Dough Will Be Sticky: This cookie dough is sticky, which is why we have to chill it in the fridge. I find that it’s helpful to use a lightly greased glass (with coconut oil or butter) to lightly flatten each dough ball.
- If You Prefer to Roll Out and Stamp Out the Dough: Instead of scooping out the dough, after chilling you can roll this dough out on a floured surface and use cookie cutters to stamp out cookie shapes.
- Storage: Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Let the frosting harden before stacking or storing these cookies.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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