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Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

Today we are going to bake delicious homemade Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies. These soft vanilla sugar cookies are made with creamy sour cream. Baked cut-out cookies are fluffy and soft. They can be enjoyed plain, decorated with sprinkles, royal icing, or buttercream frosting.

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A few months ago I made Soft Cut-Out Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Buttercream. They were so delicious and easy to make. Pumpkin made the cookie dough extra scrumptious, perfect for seasonal celebrations. And then I decided to adjust the recipe and I baked these easy-to-make Vanilla Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies.

soft sugar cookies

HOW TO MAKE SOFT SUGAR COOKIES

SOFT CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIE INGREDIENTS

  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Sugar
  • Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla Extract and Vanilla Bean Paste / or use just Vanilla Extract if you don’t have Vanilla Bean Paste
  • Salt
  • Baking Powder
  • Baking Soda

SOFT SUGAR COOKIE COOKIE DOUGH

In a bowl beat granulated sugar and room temperature unsalted butter, until creamy. About 5 minutes. Then gradually beat in room temperature sour cream. Beat till well combined, about 1-2 minutes.

In a small dish whisk together eggs and Vanilla Extract and Vanilla Bean paste. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter mixture. Beat in well, scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are well combined.

Into a large bowl sift flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Gradually add flour to the butter mixture. Soft cookie dough is soft and sticky.

Scrape the cookie dough onto a plastic wrap. Wrap it will well and chill overnight.

HOW TO ROLL OUT COOKIES?

Learn all the tips and tricks about rolled-out cookie making in my Cut-Out Sugar Cookies post. It includes a detailed video tutorial and step-by-step pictures, too.

BAKE COOKIES

Cut the chilled cookie dough in half. Return one half into the fridge so it doesn’t become too soft when left on the counter. Dust your work surface with extra flour to prevent sticking. Use 1/4 inch rolling guides to roll the cookie dough into even thickness. Not sure what are rolling guides or which ones to use? Check my post Cut-Out Sugar Cookies. I talk about my favorite rolling guides, rolling pins there.

Cut out a cookie with a cutter of your choice. Transfer cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. If needed dust off excess flour with a dry pastry brush if needed. Do you want to use sprinkles to decorate? Use this quick trick so sprinkles stick to the cookie dough. Mist unbaked cookies with water and then generously sprinkle with colored sugar or colored nonpareils sprinkles.

Bake one sheet of cookies at a time in the preheated oven at 350F for 8-9 minutes. If making cookies that are 3.5 inches or slightly large bake cookies for a minute longer. Try not to overbake or cookies will not stay fluffy soft after they cool. Transfer cookies onto a cooling rack and let cool completely before decorating.

HOW TO STORE SOFT SUGAR COOKIES?

Store the cookies after the buttercream frosting crusts. Into an airtight container layered soft cookies between pieces of wax paper. Store in the fridge. Cookies last for about 2 weeks. You can also freeze these soft cut-out cookies. Freeze them for up to 2-3 months.

CAN I FREEZE SOFT SUGAR COOKIES ?

You can also freeze these soft cut-out cookies. Freeze them for up to 2-3 months. You can freeze them undecorated and decorated. How to freeze cookies.

CAN I DECORATE SOFT CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIES WITH ROYAL ICING ?

Yes, you can. That’s right royal icing works just fine with these cookies. The only issue you can come across is the very slightly domed tops of the cookies. 

CAN I SHIP THESE SOFT COOKIES?

These cookies stay soft, and though I haven’t tried it myself I wouldn’t recommend them for shipping. I suspect they would break easily in the shipping.

CAN I HAVE YOUR VEGAN CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE?

Here is my Vegan Sugar Cookie Recipe (this recipe can also be made with gluten-free flour).

DO YOU HAVE A SOFT GLUTEN FREE COOKIE RECIPE ?

These Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies are absolutely delicious and they stay soft after they are baked.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO ADD SPRINKLES ON COOKIES BEFORE BAKING?

I like to mist unbaked cookies with a little bit of water. Then I generously sprinkle decorative sprinkles (nonpareils or jimmies style sprinkles) on the cookies. You can also brush a thin layer of beaten egg white on unbaked cookies and dust them with colored sugar or sprinkles. Bake as usual.

CREATIVE COOKIE DECORATING WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Many of you prefer soft buttercream frosting over royal icing. And so I decided to pair my soft sugar cookies with yummy and super easy-to-make Sour Cream Buttercream Frosting. 

SOFT SOUR CREAM BUTTERCREAM INGREDIENTS

  • Room temperature unsalted butter
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Sour Cream at room temperature
  • Vanilla, Almond and Lemon Extract
Soft cut out sugar cookies decorated with buttercream frosting.

BUTTERCREAM TRANSFERS

Prepare buttercream and color it with gel food colors.

Color buttercream with brown food coloring. You can use a 1tbsp of cocoa powder per 1 cup of buttercream, too. Place a stencil over a piece of parchment. Spread a moderately thick layer of buttercream over the stencil. Lift the stencil. Clean the stencil with a paper towel. Repeat. Freeze buttercream transfers for 20 minutes.

Repeat the stenciling process with a snowman shape and a hat template. Use white and black buttercream. You can make black buttercream from brown buttercream, add some black food coloring to brown buttercream and mix well. Again, freeze buttercream transfers.

Alternatively, you can use other stencils like this star shape stencil to make fun star shapes. Freeze buttercream star transfers for 20 minutes.

DECORATE COOKIES

Spread a layer of blue buttercream on a cookie. Blend in some white buttercream. Decorate the edge with white nonpareils sprinkles. Spread a layer of red buttercream on the bottom section. Use a fork to create texture.

Take frozen buttercream transfers, place them upside down directly onto the blue buttercream section and carefully peel off the parchment. Buttercream must be frozen for this technique to work. Small buttercream transfers freeze in no time and will also become soft very quickly. Work with a couple of pieces at a time. If transfers become too soft, stick them into the freezer to firm up.

Use sprinkles to make the buttons, eyes, and nose.

Using the same technique, make gingerbread men transfers, and decorate snow globe cookie with buttercream transfers.

Spread a layer of green buttercream onto the tree cookie. Then with a fork create texture in the buttercream. Decorate the top with white nonpareils sprinkles. And then gently place frozen yellow start buttercream transfer onto the tree cookie.

Let the buttercream frosting crust for a couple of hours. Then store cookies in an airtight container, layered between parchment sheets. Keep in a cool place or fridge.

TO MAKE SOFT SUGAR COOKIES DECORATED WITH BUTTERCREAM YOU NEED

MORE CUTE DECORATED COOKIES

Baked undecorated sugar cookies on a cooling rack
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5 from 2 votes

Soft Sugar Cookies with Sour Cream Buttercream Frosting

bake at 350F, 8-10 minutes, mine were done in about 9 minutes) If making larger cookies than 3 inches, bake them for little longer.
Author Hani

Ingredients

Soft Sugar Cookies

  • 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 stick room temperature unsalted butter
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup room temperature sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • additional flour for dusting

Sour Cream Buttercream Frosting

  • 2 cups room temperature unsalted butter
  • 6 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 tsp lemon extract

Instructions

Soft Sugar Cookies

  • Beat room temperature butte with sugar until creamy 3-5 minutes. Gradually beat in room temperature sour cream, beat for 1-2 minutes.
  • In a small dish break egg, add vanilla and vanilla bean paste, whisk until combined. Gradually add egg mixture into the butter mixture, beat well. Scrape the bowl few time to ensure all in well mixed.
  • Sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
  • Gradually on low speed at dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Dough will be soft, it should be overly sticky but it will be soft. It’s okay. Dump it onto a plastic wrap sheet and cover and shape into a disk. Refrigerate overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 350F. Cut the dough into half, return second half into the fridge. Use flour on your work surface and roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Use rolling guides to ensure even thickness.
  • Cut out as many cookies as you can, transfer them onto a light colored baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake at 350F bake for 8-9 minutes. For cookies larger than 3.5 inch bake for a minutes longer. Try not to overbake or they will not be as soft. Let cool for couple minutes on a baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container or freeze for up to 2 months.

Sour Cream Buttercream Frosting

  • Beat room temperature butter, until creamy, gradually add powdered sugar, beat until fluffy then gradually beat in room temperature sour cream, beat in vanilla, almond and lemon extract.

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10 Comments

  1. This is the soft sugar cookie recipe I’ve been looking for! The dough rolls and cuts well once chilled and the shape holds up better than other soft sugar cookie recipes I’ve tried. I did chill them on the sheet once they were cut and before baking. The scraps re-roll very nicely, I can’t tell the difference between the first roll out and the cookies from scraps rolled a second and third time. Thank you!

  2. Hi Hani!
    Long time fan, first time commenting. Two questions.
    1. can you freeze sour cream buttercream
    2. Do the frosted cookies have to be refrigerated or can this sour cream buttercream be left out at room temp?

    Thank you for all the wonderful recipes, helpful tips and instructions! So glad you share your talents with us all!

    1. Hello Regina, thank you for stopping by. I honestly haven’t tried freezing this buttercream. I have to test it out first.
      I’ve had these frosted at room temperature, after placed them into an airtight containers, for up to 2-3 days with no issues.

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