Lofthouse Cookies

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 17 mins

Total: 47 mins

Servings: 24 servings

Yield: 24 cookies

Lofthouse cookies are the soft and delicious sugar cookies with a sweet fluffy frosting you find in the bakery section of just about every supermarket. They are sold in clamshell packaging, lined up vertically to keep the frosting and decorations looking picture-perfect.

This homemade version, a copycat of the familiar favorite, is better than the store-bought cookies and completely customizable. There are no synthetic ingredients and the flavor is superior. The color of the frosting and the decorations can be personalized for holidays, to match your favorite sports teams, or even for baby showers and gender reveal parties.

What makes Lofthouse cookies so special is their cake-like texture topped with whimsical light frosting. There are a few secret ingredients in these cookies to achieve the right texture. First, sour cream is mixed into the batter. This adds moisture, and the acid helps activate the baking soda. The recipe also calls for cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. This finely milled flour has a low protein content, which results in a cookie with a delicate and fine crumb. Finally, the cookies are baked just until they are set and starting to become golden brown on the bottom; it is important not to overbake Lofthouse cookies. These wonderful, sinfully delicious cookies are perfect with a tall glass of milk.

«These were delicious! Soft and cakelike, and with the delicious frosting, they were the perfect treat. I found it a little easier to flour my hands and shape the scoops of cookie dough into balls before placing them on the parchment and flattening.» —Diana Rattray

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 3 cups (360 grams) cake flour, plus more for dusting

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Frosting and Decoration:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Food coloring

• Sprinkles

Steps to Make It

Make the Lofthouse Cookies

1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.

   

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, butter, and sour cream and beat until light and fluffy. 

   

3. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. 

   

4. In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

   

5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. 

   

6. Scoop 2 heaping tablespoons of the cookie dough and with lightly floured hands, roll the dough scoops into balls. Place the balls onto a prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.

   

7. Dip the bottom of a glass into some of the cake flour and gently press the dough to evenly flatten the top of each cookie. 

   

8. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until they are just set and have just started to lightly brown on the bottom, 15 to 17 minutes. Do not overbake. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

   

Make the Frosting

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, 1 tablespoon heavy cream, vanilla, and a few drops of your choice of food coloring.

   

3. Mix until light and fluffy and the desired texture and color have been achieved. Add more heavy cream as needed to achieve the desired texture.

   

4. Once the cookies have cooled completely, spread the frosting over the tops, leaving a little space to show the edge of the cookie. Garnish with sprinkles. 

   

5. Store in a single layer inside an airtight container.

   

Tips

• It’s important to use cake flour for this recipe since it will ensure that the cookies are light and fluffy.
• Don’t overbake these copycat Lofthouse cookies. Remove them from the oven as soon as they are matte (no longer shiny) and lightly browned on the bottom.

Recipe Variations

• You can create these cookies in various shapes, but the most classic form is the round one. Lofthouse cookies are so popular that they are increasingly available in different shapes (think hearts, footballs, flowers) along with flavors such as chocolate, mint, birthday cake, and more. Feel free to play with the recipe to suit your interests or occasion.
• Almond extract can enhance the vanilla flavor in cookies. Try adding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to the cookies along with the vanilla.

How to Store and Freeze

• These cookies will keep best in a single layer, separated by wax paper if need be, in an airtight container for up to three days.
• For longer-term storage, you can freeze the unbaked dough on baking sheets and then transfer them once frozen to a zip-top bag. When you’re ready, you can then bake as directed, adding two to three minutes to the bake time.
• The unfrosted, baked cookies can also be frozen for up to three months.

Who created Lofthouse cookies?

Lofthouse cookies are produced by the company Lofthouse Foods which was founded in 1994 in Utah. They're sold to the in-store bakeries of major U.S. grocers and mass merchandisers.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories	218
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g	12%
Saturated Fat 6g	28%
Cholesterol 32mg	11%
Sodium 97mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 31g	11%
Dietary Fiber 0g	1%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 23mg	2%
Iron 1mg	7%
Potassium 31mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.