These buttercream frosted sugar cookies are soft, extra thick, and topped with the most luscious whipped buttercream. This recipe makes chocolate and vanilla frosting so you can have both! The sugar cookies have that classic flavour thanks to some almond and vanilla extract. Top with your favourite sprinkles to dress them up and serve. They're perfect for a birthday or holiday party. Try not to eat the whole tray, you won't be able to resist! They're - dare I say, even better than lofthouse frosted sugar cookies?
Why you will LOVE this recipe:
- Thick: These cookies are thick, soft, have that classic sugar cookie flavour! They work so well with the buttercream.
- Buttercream: This simple, whipped buttercream is perfect in every way thanks to some whipped cream added at the end. Creamy, fluffy, and smooth. Pile on as much frosting as you like onto the cookies, it's your world!
- Chocolate AND Vanilla: This recipe makes both chocolate and vanilla buttercream. You can have just one flavour if you like but I love the option of choosing and alternating flavours.
Extra thick and soft
These buttercream frosted sugar cookies have sour cream and a few tablespoons of cornstarch that help make them super soft. They're rolled out pretty thick and cut into large cookies. They puff up quite a bit in the oven and work so well with the frosting because they aren't overly rich themselves.
The perfect party cookie!
They're the perfect cookie and can be adapted to any occasion! You can top them with holiday sprinkles, birthday sprinkles, or adapt them to any other theme. Here is how I decorated them for Christmas! Crushed candy canes, sanding sugar, and a christmas sprinkles mix.
Whipped buttercream frosting
The buttercream is incredibly creamy and smooth thanks to some added heavy whipping cream at the end! It makes the frosting so luscious and fluffy. It really is the key to the best frosting ever.
How to get both chocolate and vanilla buttercream in one batch
Once you make the vanilla buttercream, it's so easy to turn half of it into a creamy, rich, chocolate buttercream. Set aside half of the vanilla buttercream and add some sifted cocoa powder into the other half. Beat until it's fully incorporated. If you need to loosen it up some more after adding the cocoa powder, add an extra tablespoon or two of heavy whipping cream.
Key ingredients
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below. But read through these for all the tips you will need for success!
Sour cream: This helps give the cookies a beautiful soft texture and gives them lots of lift. It adds a lot of flavour and a very subtle tang too!
Almond extract: No sugar cookie is complete without almond extract. You can find it in the baking aisle of your local grocery store.
Butter: Use good quality, real butter for best results. You can use salted butter if you prefer, just omit the salt. It will be just as delicious!
All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
Cornstarch: This helps to make the cookie texture extra soft and thick. You can substitute with arrowroot starch or for double the amount of all purpose flour.
Sprinkles: You need to top the cookies off with a lil bit of crunch! Sprinkles really are a must. You can use chopped chocolate bars if you prefer no sprinkles.
Heavy whipping cream: Use a 35% or higher cream for the best results. Do not go lower than 32% milk fat. This is super important to make the buttercream super creamy, luscious, and silky smooth.
Cocoa powder: This is used to flavour half the buttercream chocolate. You can use dutch processed or natural cocoa powder. If you want a richer chocolate flavour you can add an extra tablespoon.
Step by step
Step 1 - Beat butter and sugar. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine butter, sugar, and salt. Beat with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Scrape down the bowl halfway through.
Step 2 - Combine wet ingredients. Add egg and yolk into the butter and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and beat again. Add sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract to the bowl. Beat until light and fluffy again. Scrape down the bowl and beat again.
Step 3 - Add dry ingredients. Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda into the bowl and fold until no more dry streaks remain. Shape the dough into a disk and wrap tightly to prevent it from drying out. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 4 - Roll and cut. Preheat oven to 180°C or 355°F. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface or in between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll to ½” thickness. Using a 3” round cookie cutter, cut out circles, re-rolling the dough as needed.
Step 5 - Bake. Place the cut cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer for 5 minutes or in the fridge for 10 minutes. Bake 2-3" apart for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown at the bottom and puffed at the top. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 6 - Buttercream. Beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes. Scrape down the bowl halfway through. Add vanilla and beat until light and fluffy again. Add heavy whipping cream, a tablespoon at a time until buttercream and beat on low speed until light and fluffy.
Step 7 - Flavour buttercream chocolate. Set aside half of the buttercream in a separate bowl. Into the remaining frosting, add cocoa powder and beat until fully incorporated. Add more heavy whipping cream a tablespoon at a time into the chocolate frosting to loosen if needed.
Step 8 - Frost cookies. Frost half the cookies with vanilla buttercream and the other half with chocolate buttercream. Top with sprinkles of choice and serve! You can serve the buttercream frosted sugar cookies at room temperature or refrigerated.
FAQ
You really do need to chill the dough. This helps relax the gluten and firm up the butter. It makes for a softer cookie that holds its shape in the oven better. I also like to pop the rolled and cut cookies in the freezer right before baking.
I recommend adding the cornstarch because it makes for a softer cookie. You can substitute it with the same amount of arrowroot starch or 4 tablespoons of all purpose flour.
You can colour the frosting with whatever colour you like to fit your theme!
Of course you can! Just double the amount of cocoa powder and add it into the whole batch of frosting.
These have the flavour of regular sugar cookies but are much softer, lighter, and thicker. They work even better with the frosting because the cookies themselves aren't overly sweet and rich.
Dare I say, these are even better than lofthouse cookies? The buttercream is creamy and rich, the cookies are extra thick and soft, and you won't be able to resist eating at least 3 of them. You're going to love these buttercream frosted sugar cookies
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Happy baking!
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📖 Recipe
Buttercream Frosted Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- 3" round cookie cutter
- stand mixer or electric mixer
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large whole egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 300g
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5-8 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup cocoa powder sifted
- 5 tablespoons sprinkles
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine butter, sugar, and salt. Beat with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Scrape down the bowl halfway through.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add egg and yolk into the butter and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and beat again.1 large whole egg, 1 large egg yolk
- Add sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract to the bowl. Beat until light and fluffy again. Scrape down the bowl and beat again.½ cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda into the bowl and fold until no more dry streaks remain. Shape the dough into a disk and wrap tightly to prevent it from drying out. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.2 ½ cups all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Preheat oven to 180°C or 355°F. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface or in between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll to ½” thickness. Using a 3” round cookie cutter, cut out circles, re-rolling the dough as needed.
- Place the cut cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer for 5 minutes or in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Bake 2-3" apart for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown at the bottom and puffed at the top. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Buttercream
- Beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes. Scrape down the bowl halfway through. Add vanilla and beat until light and fluffy again.¾ cup unsalted butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add heavy whipping cream, a tablespoon at a time until buttercream and beat on low speed until light and fluffy.5-8 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Set aside half of the buttercream in a separate bowl. Into the remaining frosting, add cocoa powder and beat until fully incorporated.¼ cup cocoa powder
- Add more heavy whipping cream a tablespoon at a time into the chocolate frosting to loosen if needed.
- Frost half the cookies with vanilla buttercream and the other half with chocolate buttercream. Sprinkle with sprinkles of choice and serve! You can serve them at room temperature or refrigerated.5 tablespoons sprinkles
Rea Rae
Your recipe sounds wonderful because I love a thick, soft, buttercream frosted cookies. I have two questions first before I try them. Do you suggest q round cutter because the won't keep their shape well with a mire intricut cutter? I'd love to make 3" unicorn profiles with this recipe. My other question concerns the cocoa powder. I have this strange taste aversion to frostings, cookies and brownies made with cocoa powder, that other people don't seem to notice. The cocoa powder leaves a strange aftertaste. Weird, right? I don't get that taste when I use melted(cooled) unsweetened chocolate in a bar form. Could I use that for the chocolate flavoring in the frosting? How much and would i omit some of the cream?
Mary
Hi there, the cookies do spread and puff up in the oven so you'll lose detail if you use a more intricate cookie cutter. I'd just stick to a round cookie cutter. I haven't tried to use melted chocolate for flavouring this buttercream. My best bet would be to melt a bar of chocolate and add as much as you need to get a chocolate flavour. Keep tasting as you go. You may need to reduce the cream, just add until it gets a nice and creamy texture. Hope that helps!
Cynthia
Hi, would greek yogurt work in place of the sour cream?
Mary
Hi, I wouldn't recommend greek yogurt because it would make the dough too wet since greeh yogurt has a higher water content than sour cream. If you do try with it, I'd add another tablespoon of flour. Hope that helps! 🙂
Alex
These cookies were fun to make and my family couldn't stop eating them. The frosting is so creamy. Would make again!
Mary
So happy you and yours enjoyed them! 😀