Sour Cream Cookies
Indulge in these deliciously soft and chewy sour cream cookies topped with a creamy homemade frosting. Perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth cravings! The kids will love frosting this easy cookie recipe.
This kid-friendly cookie recipe is definitely a winner! Sour cream cookies are an old fashioned recipe that makes the most tender and fluffy sugar cookies. Top them with a delicious homemade buttercream for the best cookie ever. I love making good sugar cookies that my kids can frost, especially around holidays! It gives them an activity to do, while also making the most sweet memories and delicious treats.
The cakey texture of these cookies reminds me a bit of my Italian ricotta cookies, which makes sense since ricotta does a lot of the same things in the cookies that sour cream does. These two different dairy products make the cookies moist, chewy and delicious. Old fashioned sour cream cookies are seriously an irresistible recipe that everyone in your family will love!
Why You’ll Love these Sour Cream Cookies
- You can make different color frosting and use different sprinkles to theme these cookies for any holiday! Red or green for Christmas, pink and red for Valentine’s Day, and so on.
- One batch of this recipe makes 36 cookies. If you’re hosting a bunch of people, this recipe is just perfect!
- These cookies are made with really basic ingredients that you likely already have on hand. Super simple and just oh so tasty.
Ingredients for Sour Cream Cookies
- All-purpose flour – You only need regular all purpose flour to make this cookie dough.
- Baking powder – This cookie recipe needs two different rising agents to make them fluffy since sour cream is a pretty heavy ingredient.
- Baking soda – Use both baking powder and baking soda in these cookies.
- Salt – Add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness of these sour cream cookies.
- Unsalted butter – Allow the butter to come to room temperature so that it more easily mixes with the other ingredients. You’ll also need butter for the frosting — I recommend unsalted for the best flavor.
- Granulated sugar – Sweeten the cookie dough with granulated white sugar.
- Sour cream – This is the key ingredient to these old fashioned sugar cookies.
- Vanilla extract – A splash of vanilla extract adds depth of flavor to these cookies.
- Large egg – Let the eggs come to room temperature before using in this recipe.
- Powdered sugar – Make a simple buttercream frosting with powdered sugar, butter and a few other ingredients listed below.
- Heavy whipping cream – Don’t have heavy cream? You can use half and half or whole milk in its place.
- Clear vanilla extract – While I prefer using clear vanilla extract in frosting, you can use regular. Just know that it may change the color of your homemade frosting a bit.
- Food coloring – Choose whatever color you want!
- Decorating sprinkles – I like to use rainbow sprinkles, but any kind will do. You can also omit them entirely if you prefer.
Helpful Tools
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Icing knife
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Cookie scoop
- Flat bottomed glass
How to Make Sour Cream Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then line a few baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set them aside.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate mixing bowl, cream together butter, sour cream and sugar using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Then mix in egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Next, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the bowl after each addition, mixing until well combined.
- Once the dough is mixed, roll cookies into 2 inch balls and place on lined baking sheets. Then dip the bottom of a glass into water and slightly flatten each of the cookie dough balls.
Bake the sour cream cookies for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are puffed slightly and the bottoms are golden brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 2 minutes before transferring to the wire rack. Allow to cool completely on the rack.
While the sour cream cookies cool, mix together the frosting. Add all the frosting ingredients to a small mixing bowl and combine with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth.
Once cookies are cooled all the way, frost the tops of the cookies and enjoy!
How to Store Sour Cream Cookies
Store leftover old fashioned sour cream cookies in an airtight container in a single layer so that frosting doesn’t get mushed. You can keep them at room temperature for about 3 days. The leftovers also freeze well! They freeze better without frosting, but you can freeze with the frosting as well. Store in freezer bags or a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
What can you substitute for sour cream in baking?
Greek yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream. Use it in a 1 to 1 ratio. Cream cheese is also good substitute, you just may need to thin it out a bit!
What does sour cream do in baking?
Sour cream adds moisture to baked goods and richness to the dough. It helps give these cookies a lovely melt in your mouth texture! It does add to the flavor a bit too, giving a subtle tangy flavor that goes so well with the sugary sweetness.
What to Serve with Sour Cream Cookies
Serve these kid-friendly cookies with other kid-friendly favorites. They’d be great in summertime with some strawberry lemonade or frozen hot chocolate. I love to make these for dessert after dinner time too! Serve them after a dinner like spaghetti tacos or slow cooker chicken and noodles.
These could be a fun dessert to surprise your kiddos with for lunch time! They’d be great for dessert after a lunch like ham and cheese rollups and grilled cheese rollups.
Pro Tips for the Best Sour Cream Cookies
- It may be easier for kiddos to frost with a piping bag. Feel free to add the buttercream to a piping bag and let the kids frost cookies that way.
- Don’t over-mix the cookie dough. Mix until just combined and then form the cookie dough balls.
- Your cookies may not look fully set after they bake for 8-10 minutes, but don’t keep baking them or they’ll turn out crunchy. They’ll set the rest of the way as they cool!
What’s not to love about a chewy sugar cookie with smooth and creamy frosting? You’re going to love this amazing recipe!
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love!
- These delicious Gingerbread Cookies are a classic that you’ve just got to try. They’re so yummy — a holiday favorite!
- If you’ve got a bunch of rainbow sprinkles left, then you need to try these Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies.
- Buddy the Elf Cookies are a Christmas favorite. They are seriously so adorable!
- Make these Thumbprint S’mores Cookies when you’ve got a craving for that campfire classic.
Sour Cream Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon heavy whipping cream or milk
- ½ teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- Coloring of your choice
- Decorating sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a different large bowl, cream together butter, sour cream and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla extract until combined.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the bowl after each addition, mix until well combined.
- Roll cookies into 2 inch balls and place on lined baking sheets.
- Dip the bottom of a glass into water and slightly flatten cookie dough balls.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F or until cookies are puffed slightly, set and bottoms are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes before transferring to the wire rack. Allow to cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, mix together the frosting. Add all the frosting ingredients to a small mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Once cookies are cooled all the way, frost them and enjoy.
