Well, it is that time of year when I start hearing “Hey Sharon, when are you going to make cookies?” Every family has certain recipes they pull out of the cupboard at certain times of the year. Well, maybe not every family. If you don’t, here is a recipe to start that tradition with. Since Valentine’s Day is near – I have dug out my Sugar Cookie recipe. These cookies are soft and amazing. I’ve had no reason to search for a different sugar cookie recipe since I started making these. I have been using this recipe since my boys were little. I have so many fun memories of us making and decorating the cookies together. Keep in mind, with children helping out; it’s messy, really messy… oh is it ever messy! I promise, the memories are worth the mess though. In recent years we have gotten my nephews together to decorate cookies. It is nice to see the next generation enjoying the same recipe.
I’ve made these cookies and taken them in to work, to share with my coworkers over the years – they are always a favorite. Sometimes people will question if I really made them…or bought them at the local bakery. Serious! I actually heard the words “Did you really make these?” So… take pictures as you go, so you have evidence!
I have added links to certain items I use and recommend. Mixing up the dough is nearly impossible with an electric hand mixer, I burned up a couple of motors with this recipe. I finally caved in (after years of wishing for one) and got a Kitchenaid several years ago & haven’t looked back. It is still going strong, I use it for so many recipes.
I use various heart shaped cookie cutters of course. I use frosting guns to decorate the cookies sometimes. I love them because they squeeze the frosting out for me and are easy to use. However, if the young nephews are helping, I just give them a butter-knife and a small bowl of frosting and let them go to town!
So here is how I make them –
- Cream together 1 cup of softened, salted butter and 1 ½ cups of sugar.
- Add 2 eggs, 2 tsp Vanilla and 1 cup sour cream (yes, sour cream) to the mixture, mix well.
- Sift 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder & 1 tsp baking soda – in with 5 cups of flour.
- Slowly add the sifted dry ingredients to the butter mixture, you may need to switch to dough hook towards the 4th cup.
- Once the dough is mixed well, cover the mixing bowl with foil. Set the bowl in the fridge to chill for 1 to 2 hours.
Remove mixing bowl from fridge. Take approximately 1/4 of the dough from the bowl and form it into a ball. Place it on a lightly floured work surface or pastry mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to ¼ to ⅓ inch thickness and cut the dough into shapes using your cookie cutters. Place each cut cookie onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave ¾ inch space between the cookies, as they will grow a bit. Continue rolling, cookie cutting and baking until the rest of the dough is used up.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cookies should be a tiny bit brown on the bottom. Once cookies are cooled, frost and decorate!
Frost with your favorite Royal icing or buttercream icing. Get creative, add sprinkles and candy to them. I created a high-speed video of the cookie making. Click here to watch!
Keep cookies in an airtight container, they will stay soft for several days.
So there you have it! I know you, your family and friends will love these. They are great to make at Halloween and Christmas too.
Hands down BEST Sugar Cookies ever! Thank you for stopping by!
It's Probably Sharon 
This sounds so similar to the recipe I use and we love them! Jake, my husband, wants to find cookie cutters for every single holiday known to man so that I make them all of the time. 😂
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Haha! I can understand that.
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I swear its the sour cream that makes all the difference!!! It just gives them a different flavor and makes them hard to resist! My sister-in-law will whip up and bake a batch of my cookies, then puts them in the freezer (obviously where her kids can’t find them 😆) then will take out a few and let’s them warm up and frosts them when she just wants a treat but doesn’t want to make and bake a full batch.
Also, if you ever have cookies, any kind of cookie, longer than usual (not likely 😂, but just in case) if you put a piece of bread in the container that you’re storing your cookies in, it will keep them softer for longer. I’ve even forgotten to add the piece of bread at first and added it after the cookies have gotten a little hard and dry, and it softened them right back up. Just a little tip that I learned years ago! 😁
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I believe it IS the sour cream. I remember the first time I made them I thought it was a joke … “sour cream in cookie dough?!” 😂 I use that bread trick too. Especially with gingerbread cookies. It’s a great trick!
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