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Sour cream cookies are deliciously rich and buttery, vanilla-scented, and crisp outside with a soft interior. They’re impressive to look at, but easy to make in less than 30 minutes!
These are the type of cookies that make me think of afternoon tea. The swirls are so delicately pretty dusted with powdered sugar!
Enjoying a fancy teatime is always such a treat. I’ve been to a few different places – Harrods in London, The Plaza in New York, Ladurée in Paris, Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, and Russian Tea Room in Chicago – and as much fun as it is to get dressed up and go out, I have to admit, I think I might prefer making a beautiful afternoon tea at home! Planning it is half the fun.
These simple, yet gorgeous cookies are the kind of treat that I would love to include. They look fancy and elegant, but couldn’t be easier to make. And they whip up in less than 30 minutes!
These also make a delicious treat paired with a cup of coffee. You can sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar to make them extra pretty. And if chocolate is your thing, mini chocolate chips are a good addition to the dough, or you can drizzle melted chocolate on the cookies once they’re cooled. Or if you like jam shortbread sandwiches, go ahead and sandwich these cookies together.
These rich, buttery, vanilla-laced cookies are crisp outside and soft inside, and sure to be a new favorite!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy – In less than 30 minutes (including the time it takes to clean up the kitchen), you’ll have a gorgeous batch of delicious cookies!
- Great flavor and texture – These have a similar rich, buttery flavor as shortbread, but are a bit softer thanks to the addition of sour cream.
- Bakery quality – These swirled cookies are as pretty as the ones you’d get in a bakery!
Can You Taste Sour Cream in Cookies?
No! You can’t taste sour cream in these cookies. If you tasted one and didn’t know it had sour cream, it would be a nearly impossible ingredient to guess.
The sour cream does two things in this recipe: 1) it adds a slightly tangy flavor to balance the sweet richness (without being a prominent flavor that you can pick out), and 2) it makes them a bit softer than regular shortbread cookies.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter – These cookies have a rich, buttery flavor. You can use salted butter and reduce the added salt by 1/4 teaspoon. (If possible, go for good quality butter here because you’ll really be able to taste it, and it makes a huge difference! I’m partial to Kerrygold.)
- Sour cream – Sour cream makes these cookies really special. It adds just enough tanginess to make the cookies a bit more interesting than regular shortbread, and it also makes them softer. If you don’t have sour cream on hand, you can substitute with 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or 1 large egg.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor and aroma.
- Powdered sugar – The sweetener in our cookies.
- Flour – Use regular all-purpose flour.
- Salt – Salt pulls out the buttery, vanilla flavor profile in these cookies.
Instructions
Add the butter, sour cream, and vanilla to a large bowl, and cream together until smooth (you use a handheld electric mixer or do this by hand). Stir in the powdered sugar, flour, and salt until combined.
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the dough out into round circles onto the baking tray, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
Bake until the cookies are light golden on the bottom, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking tray, and then remove with a thin metal spatula.
Storage
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Baker’s Tips
- You’ll notice there’s no egg in this cookie recipe; fear not, it’s not a mistake. Here the sour cream acts as an egg replacement.
- There’s also no leaving agent (such as baking powder or baking soda) in this recipe. Similar to shortbread, we simply don’t need it here.
- Once the dough is made, immediately transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe it. Don’t wait because the dough thickens as it sits due to the flour absorbing the liquid.
Variations
- Chocolate chip – Add 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips to the batter before piping.
- Chocolate drizzle – After the cookies are baked and cooled, drizzle a little melted chocolate on top, or dip the bottoms in melted chocolate. You can use white, milk, or dark chocolate here!
- Jam sandwiches – Sandwich two cookies together with your favorite jam. Or use jam and buttercream if you like (similar to mini Victoria sponge cakes).
- Powdered sugar dusting – For an elegant look, sift a little powdered sugar on top right before serving.
More Beautiful Cookies to Make
- Ma’amoul (Middle Eastern Date-Filled Cookies)
- Fresh Strawberry Cookies
- Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies
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Sour Cream Cookies Recipe
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Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter on the soft side of room temperature (partially melted)
- 1/4 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Get out a large baking tray (don't grease it or line it).
- Add the butter, sour cream, and vanilla to a large bowl and cream together until smooth (you use a handheld electric mixer or do this by hand).
- Add the powdered sugar, flour, and salt, and stir to combine. The dough should be wet.
- Immediately transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (don't wait because the dough thickens as it sits due to the flour absorbing the liquid). Pipe the dough out into about 2 1/4-inch circles onto the baking tray, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake until the cookies are light golden on the bottom, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cool on the baking tray and then remove with a thin metal spatula.
Notes
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes 12 cookies; each serving is 1 cookie.
- Make Them Extra Pretty: If desired, serve with a dusting of powdered sugar on top.
- Storage: Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- No Egg: You’ll notice there’s no egg in this cookie recipe; fear not, it’s not a mistake. Here the sour cream acts as an egg replacement.
- No Leavening Agent:There’s also no leaving agent (such as baking powder or baking soda) in this recipe. Similar to shortbread, we simply don’t need it here.
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.
Free Bonus
Very delicious. I used almond flavoring. Will make this again for sure
Thank you so much for being so generous with your recipes! These turned out great and were super easy. I appreciate it!
Sally Ann, Thank you so much for your kind comment, it made my day. I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
can you add Dutch chocolate to these
Christine, The recipe will work with chopped chocolate added, but depending on how large the pieces of chocolate are, you might have trouble pipping the dough. Another option is to dip one side (or the bottom) of each cookie in melted chocolate after it’s baked and cooled.
No cookie press or tips; can these be made by drop or roll technique ? HELP..want to try since looks so so good
Nancy, Thank you so much! I think this dough would work well if you want to roll the dough into 1 or 1.5-tablespoon balls, arrange them on baking trays, slightly flatten them, and bake as directed. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try! :)
When piping, do you start in the middle or the outside
Jackie, I like to start in the middle and work out from there.
Can they be frozen without losing flavor or texture?
Paula, Yes, these cookies freeze very well. After freezing, I like to re-crisp them briefly in the oven, here’s how to do that: 1) thaw the cookies to room temperature, and 2) put them on a cookie tray in a 350F oven for 3 to 5 minutes.
Can I triple the recipe for a large batch?
Vickie, Yes, this recipe is very easy to scale up.
Can’t wait to try these cookies. Thanks for sharing!
What size tip did you use for piping?
Judy, I used the Kayaso 1C piping tip, which is 1.2 inches at the base, 1.9 inches tall, and 1 inch at the top.
Will the dough be stiff? I made some butter ones but the dough was really hard to pipe.
Audrey, The dough is really nice for piping; it’s stiff enough to hold its shape when baked, but not too stiff to pipe. :)
Can they be made with a cookie press?
Barbara, Yes, this recipe works well with a cookie press!