Sour Cream Sugar Cookies soft frosted sugar cookies that are so easy to make. No chilling, rolling, or cutting necessary!
I’ve had a complicated relationship with sugar cookies over the years. Sugar cookies are usually so pretty. They are cut out in cute little shapes or frosted and decorated so that they look extra delicious.
The problem is that they so often look better than they taste.
There’s nothing worse (cookie-wise) than taking a bite of a lovely cookie only to find that it is dry tasteless or is so sweet that it makes your teeth hurt. These Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are far easier and so much tastier than that kind of sugar cookie.
They are soft and sweet and require no chilling, cutting, or rolling. They have a tender, almost cake-like texture. All of which make them a great choice when a sugar cookie craving strikes!
How to make sour cream sugar cookies
Step 1: In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until well-combined.
Step 2: Beat in egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Step 3: Mix in vanilla extract, sour cream, and milk until combined. Batter may look curdled at this point.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.
Step 5: Scoop dough using a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons), and drop onto prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies 2-inches apart. Bake.
Step 6: Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Step 7: To make the frosting, beat together butter, powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, and salt. Beat until well-combined, adding in additional milk as needed.
Step 8: Frost cooled cookies with frosting.
Recipe Tips!
- Flour: It’s important to properly measure flour when baking. To properly measure flour either weigh it or stir/sift the flour to break it up, lightly spoon into a measuring cup, and level. This will help you avoid packing in the flour.
- Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar in this recipe.
- Butter: Make sure that the butter is at cool room temperature, not room temperature or melting. The butter should dent a little if poked but shouldn’t be warm. If the butter is too warm, the cookies won’t hold their shape and will end up flat. Also, I use salted butter, but you can use unsalted if you prefer.
- Sour cream: I have used regular and light sour cream in this recipe. I don’t recommend using fat-free sour cream.
- Milk: Any milk from skim to whole milk will work. For the frosting, using heavy whipping cream will give you a slightly fluffier, creamier frosting.
Recipe FAQs
The combination of sour cream, egg yolks, and brown sugar helps to make these sugar cookies soft and tender.
These sugar cookies are a little different. They are drop cookies, so they don’t need to be rolled out. Also, the dough doesn’t have to be chilled before baking. The dough is made like a traditional drop cookie dough. Just be careful not to over-mix as you’ll want the cookies to be tender. Also, these cookies are topped with a traditional buttercream frosting instead of a royal icing.
To get get the best results, make sure that the butter is at cool room temperature (about 68F), not room temperature or melting. The butter should dent a little if poked but shouldn’t be warm. If the butter is too warm, the cookies won’t hold their shape and will end up flat.
Storage
I recommend storing the cookies in a single layer in a resealable container in the refrigerator. The cookies should keep for up to 5 days when properly stored in the fridge.
More sugar cookie recipes!
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Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie sheets
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter at cool room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons milk
Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter at cool room temperature
- 3 cup powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons milk or heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until well-combined.
- Beat in egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Mix in vanilla extract, sour cream, and milk until combined. Batter may look curdled at this point.
- Add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.
- Scoop dough using a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons), and drop onto prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies 2-inches apart.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes.
- Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- To make the frosting, beat together butter, powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, and salt.
- Beat until well-combined, adding in additional milk as needed.
- Frost cooled cookies with frosting.
Notes
- Flour: It’s important to properly measure flour when baking. To properly measure flour either weigh it or stir/sift the flour to break it up, lightly spoon into a measuring cup, and level. This will help you avoid packing in the flour.
- Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar in this recipe.
- Butter: Make sure that the butter is at cool room temperature, not room temperature or melting. The butter should dent a little if poked but shouldn’t be warm. If the butter is too warm, the cookies won’t hold their shape and will end up flat. Also, I use salted butter, but you can use unsalted if you prefer.
- Sour cream: I have used regular and light sour cream in this recipe. I don’t recommend using fat-free sour cream.
- Milk: Any milk from skim to whole milk will work. For the frosting, using heavy whipping cream will give you a slightly fluffier, creamier frosting.
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
Nutrition
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Originally published 11/30/16.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Dee says
I made these this morning and my husband can’t stay out of them. He is eating them without icing and he does NOT like sour cream.
Kate says
Thank you! These cookies are a family favorite. My kids requested these to leave for Santa this year. =)
Peachy keen says
This is by far the best sour cream cookie recipe I’ve ever had. I almost didn’t make it because I thought the brown sugar wouldn’t work. I was wrong, these are awesome and very flavourful. Thank you.
Kate says
Thank you! This is one of my favorite cookie recipes!
Denise says
Just had a chance to return to your site to leave a review. The cookies were a hit! Young and old alike loved the taste.
Kate says
Thank you!! I’m so glad that you liked them!
Marissa says
Just made these. Family loved them. I didn’t have time to wait for room temperature butter. So I grated the butter like cheese and it worked awesomely.
Kate says
Perfect! I’m glad that that worked out well. We love these sugar cookies, and it’s great to hear that other people are enjoying them, too! =)
Suzanne says
I just made these cookies today – and they are AWESOME! This sure beats my Aunt’s sour cream sugar cookies hands down! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Kate says
That’s awesome! Beating a family recipe is high praise, so thank you!
Nicole says
I’ve made these cookies about 8 times now. My husband and daughter LOVE them. And when going to an event people always tend to ask me to bring these sugar cookies! They never last long around my house. Plus its an easy enough to get my 3 year old involved in making them! I’ve went through a lot of (not so great) recepie’s before getting to this one! Thank you for sharing this!
Kate says
Yay!! These are my favorite sugar cookies, and I love to hear that other people are enjoying them, too! I’m glad that your family likes them. =) Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment!
Mary Olson says
I love these Sugar Cookies. They are so soft! Thank you for the recipe.
Kate says
Thank you! I make these every year, and I’m so glad to hear that other people are enjoying them, too! Thank you for commenting! =)
Jess says
I don’t like sugar cookies but I really wanted some and decided to try this recipe. It was SO good!! The cookies were easy to make and really good. Thanks!