Copycat Lofthouse Cookies
This recipe for thick, cakey, homemade Lofthouse cookies will make you totally forget the grocery store bakery! Starring vanilla, sugar, and sour cream – these puff up perfectly every time and are topped with a delicious buttercream frosting. They are fabulous for cookie decorating with kids, gifting to a loved one, or to bake on a lazy Sunday.
Regardless of holiday, or day of the week, nearly every grocery store carries Lofthouse cookies. Their seasonal sprinkles and the sweet smell of the cakey cookie, are undeniably comforting.
Lofthouse cookies have their roots in a home kitchen, which is undoubtedly why so many of us love them. Supposedly, this family recipe was originally sold out of a pickup truck in the late 1990s and now their bright colored frosting and sprinkles are all over the country!
Plenty of home bakers have created their own copycat Lofthouse cookies, and these are the closest I have ever gotten to that classic bite that almost melts in your mouth. Thanks to the use of both baking powder and baking soda, these babies are incredibly fluffy and I can’t wait for you to try them!
Making the cookies, step-by-step
These cookies come together quite easily, simply whisking the dry ingredients together, then adding them to the creamed butter and sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
The dough is refrigerated for at least 2 hours because it’s quite sticky when it’s finished mixing.
Once the dough is chilled, you’ll roll it out and use a round cutter to cut out your cookies. I like to use a 2½-inch round cutter, which makes the perfect size cookie for me – not too big, not too small! (I have this set of round cutters that I LOVE.)
The cookies bake for a short time (only 7 minutes) and will still be pale when you remove them from the oven (don’t overbake or they won’t stay soft!), then need to cool completely before being frosted.
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Easy buttercream frosting
The signature sweet frosting that Lofthouse cookies are known for is super simple to make.
Like a traditional American-style buttercream, we first whip together the butter and vanilla, then slowly add powdered sugar and salt. Once it’s completely smooth, the heavy cream is added a small amount at a time, then the frosting is whipped on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Then you can get totally creative! Keep the frosting white or add food coloring (these gel food colors are my all-time favorite) at this point, then slather on the cooled Lofthouse cookies.
Lofthouse cookies decorating and flavors
If you want to be as close to the real thing as possible – use the seasons and the food coloring in your pantry to spice them up! On most trips to the grocery store, you’ll find Lofthouse cookies with white, bright pink, or bright yellow frosting with rainbow sprinkles.
However, you can get festive with holiday versions in both flavor and decorations. A couple of examples:
- Add a small bit of lemon extract to the frosting in the spring and summer for a lemon-y flavor.
- Add peppermint extract to the frosting for Christmas.
- Use red and green sprinkles for Christmas-themed cookies (or tint the frosting red or green!).
- Use red, white, and blue sprinkles for the 4th of July.
- Use pastel sprinkles for Easter (or use pastel colors for the frosting!).
And the list goes on!
Storage and freezing instructions
The classic Lofthouse cookies are known for being soft, and I love that these are the same way.
- Storage: These cookies stay fluffy and fresh in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freezing Dough: You can make the dough and freeze the packs of dough wrapped in plastic wrap in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before rolling. You can also freeze the dough rounds once you cut them out; store them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Place them on a prepared baking sheet and let sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before baking. (Hint: A post-it with the baking instructions taped to the container will save you, and make a late-night baking session much easier!)
- Freezing Cookies: Once the frosted cookies are set, you can stack them in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper between layers, and freeze for up to 1 month. If you individually wrap each cookie in plastic wrap, they will stay fresh in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
In a cookie mood? Give these a try!
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Top 10 Favorite Cookie Recipes
- Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
I would love to see you try out these homemade Lofthouse cookies for yourself! If you do, please stop back and leave a rating and let me know how you liked them! ENJOY! 😍
Lofthouse Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 6 cups (720 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (340 g) sour cream
For the Easy Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups (452 g) powdered sugar
- Pinch salt
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater attached, cream the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough will be a bit “sticky”. Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1½ inches thick, then wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least two hours until firm.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Flour the countertop and the top of the dough. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, until pale golden. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Cook cookies completely before frosting.
- Make the Frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar and the pinch of salt. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat at medium-high speed for a minute or two until light and fluffy. If desired, add food coloring and beat until combined.
- Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. Let cookies sit for several hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.
Notes
- Equipment: Round cutters / Gel food colors / Baking sheets
- Seasonal Ideas: Lemon or peppermint extract in the frosting, tinting frosting festive colors, different seasonal sprinkles on top.
- Storage: Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Freezing Dough: You can make the dough and freeze the packs of dough wrapped in plastic wrap in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before rolling. You can also freeze the dough rounds once you cut them out; store them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Place them on a prepared baking sheet and let sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before baking.
- Freezing Cookies: Frosted cookies that have set can be stored in an airtight container (with parchment between layers) for up to 1 month.
- Recipe adapted from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
[Photography by Dee Frances]
I would love to try this recipe but 6 dozen is way too many for us! If I cut it in half how many eggs do I use?
Hi Barbara, Good news! The recipe makes 36 cookies, which is 3 dozen :)
I made these last night with one of my daughters. They are soooo good! I substituted the sour cream with Greek yogurt (only because I didn’t have any sour cream on hand) and I added an additional teaspoon of vanilla to the frosting. I had to decrease the bake time to 4 minutes, as 7 minutes yielded an over baked cookie in my oven. It’s a super sticky dough, I had to work in additional flour to be able to roll it and cut with to shape. I also recommend dividing into more than two rectangles; the colder the dough stays, the better!
Just made these, they are fantastic. I actually used some other cookie cutter shapes as well. They held there shape perfectly. Love these!
Made this recipe for the first time today and the cookies tuned out so well and they are very delicious!!! :) I’m glad you included the dough freezing and storing instructions. I’d like to try to make some dough ahead of time. Thanks for sharing this recipe I will definitely make these cookies again!
How long will the frosting last for if stored in the fridge?
Hi Melisa, It will stay for up to 1 week.
Made these over the weekend. They did not disappoint! Tasted even better than the store bought ones. They were light, airy, and had such amazing flavor. My family had devoured almost the entire batch by nights end. These will definitely be in my frequent bake rotation.
Hi, Michelle, Do you think these could be baked as a drop cookie?
Hi Kate, Yes, you could do that!
Thank you for this recipe. I plan to make it tomorrow. I noticed the oven temp is 425. That’s high for a cookie since I usually have cookies bake at 350. Is this correct?
It’s correct, you’re baking for a very short amount of time.
So pretty. Your Christmas version cookies are adorable. These are just “happy” cookies😊
Am I able to substitute Cake Flour for the All Purpose Flour?
Hi Brenda, Doing so would alter the texture of the cookies.
Can I freeze the dough?!
Yes, definitely!
Love your blog! Will the frosting harden on the loft house cookies so they can be packaged without messing up the frosting? If not, do you know of a frosting recipe that will do that?
Hi Tricia, Yes, I’m able to stack these once dry with a layer of parchment between without an issue!
Hi Michelle,
If I make the dough this weekend to cook next weekend….would you refrigerate it first overnight and then freeze or put in the freezer right after preparing the dough? Should I take the dough out the night before I plan to cook? Thank you!
Hi Carolyn, I would put it in the freezer right away and yes, put it in the refrigerator to thaw the night before.
You are the best…thank you! Any good baked or crockpot ham recipes?
Aw thanks Carolyn! I actually have never made a ham (baked or crockpot)! It’s on my bucket list, though :)
We have a birthday boy that likes plain sugar cookies…thoughts on this recipe and just leaving off the frosting???? Any changes? Thank you!
Hi Carolyn, If you’re looking for just a plain sugar cookie with no frosting, I would recommend this recipe: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/soft-chewy-sugar-cookies/
Hi! My daughter is making these for a friend and decided on the soft and chewy version! Thank you for the suggestion!
Made these this morning and they are wonderful.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was 120 cookies a normal amount to come out of this recipe? They’re delicious, and I’ve never actually had Lofthouse cookies before (they don’t priduce the in Ireland as far as I’m aware) and I find them so tastey… but 120? Did I mess up my measurements somewhere?
Hi Michelle, I noted in the recipe that it yields 5 to 6 dozen cookies, so it’s possible that you made yours smaller and thus got more cookies out of it?
If i wanted to make this into one giant cookie cake, what do you suggest the bake time would be? My daughter does not like cake or cupcakes, but LOVES the sugar cookies from the store. Her best friend has a peanut allergy so we just make everything from scratch to avoid any peanut issues. Thank You!!
Hi Kasi, I haven’t tried that with this particular recipe, so I’m not sure exactly how long you would need to bake it. I’d probably start checking around 20 minutes, just to make sure you don’t over bake it. Enjoy!
I’m vegan but I miss lofthouse cookies soooo badly, and I wanted to make some for my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day, so I decided to veganize this recipe! Replaced butter with Earth Balance (a vegan margarine), the eggs with flax eggs (1 tbsp flax + 3tbsp water), and the sour cream with Tofutti vegan sour cream. I also replaced the cream in the frosting with coconut cream.
The dough came together beautifully, didn’t have any problems rolling it out at all (seriously, these are the easiest-to-roll sugar cookies I’ve ever made). They puffed up nice and soft in the oven. Have yet to frost and taste them! I’ll let you know how they turn out.
I liked these cookies. But they came out to biscuity, I was hoping for a more soft and cakey cookie. The dough was very sticky as well even after chilling overnight, so I might have had to use a lot more flour just to roll them out. But overall a fairly good cookie recipe. Thank you for posting this.
Holy smokes…These are awesome. My “food-critic” teenager said are better than the store bought version. Made the recipe exactly as posted.
Have been making them for years. I don’t know what a ‘normal’ Lofthouse cookie tastes like but these are delicious!! I tried the Serious eats version too and honestly yours are 1000 times better.
How can these be store in an air tight container, but not refrigerated, if they have buttercream frosting?
I typically do not refrigerate things with buttercream icing. It is still enough that it doesn’t melt or anything like that at room temperature.
I made these for Memorial Day yesterday and oh my gosh, they were a huge hit! I had some leftovers so I sent them with my kindergartener to school today. I am sure they will be loved there as well. Another great recipe from Brown Eyed Baker, thank you!
Michelle-
Thank you so much for this recipe. As I mentioned before I live on an island and the yummy Lofthouse pink frosted sugar cookies are hard to come by. I just lost my father last month after a battle with colon cancer for three years. I graduated last June from college and came back home to take care of him while my mom continued to work. He wanted to die at home and to comply with his wishes I was in charge of his many medicines, hospice doctor’s treatment orders, his GP’s treatment orders and his oncologist’s treatment orders. Needless to say I had a lot on my plate. Lofthouse cookies have been something that has allowed me to escape the pain and longing left by his passing, even if its just for a little bit. But they are quite pricey and unreliable on the island, so I can’t wait to make my own batch and have that brief moment enjoying the delicious, fluffy cookie topped with that amazing frosting but WITHOUT those pesky sprinkles. :).. Your story touched my heart as well as my stomach. :). I truly hope that some day I won’t wake up hoping it was all an awful nightmare, then run to his room to check on him, and be confronted with the truth that I have really lost my daddy. I hope that I will find something that reminds me of a good memory of us, like your memory of your father, and that I am able to smile, reminisce and still miss him but not with this devastating, often paralyzing and overwhelming grief that I still struggle with daily. Michelle, thank you so much for your recipe and for sharing your lovely memory of your father- it meant a lot to me. I am also very sorry for sharing such a depressing story but I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you and your recipe. -Kaitlin
Hi Kaitlin, I’m so sorry for your loss. It always hurts, but it dulls as time goes by. It will resurface with ferocity when you’re not exactly expecting it, but as with most things, time does help to heal the wounds. Thank you for sharing your story; I hope you enjoy the cookies and they provide some relief. xoxo
Sending hugs Kaitlin! I too lost my father last month to cancer and your sharing really hit home for me.
I made these cookies and really liked them. They were REALLY good the third day after being stored in an airtight container. The cookies became softer each day. BTW – I used 1/2 all purpose flour and 1/2 cake flour because I love Softasilk flour!
After all the comments about the consistency of the dough, I decided to treat these as slice and bake cookies. I didn’t have the patience to deal with contrary dough. It worked perfectly! Simply create your desired size roll, store in freezer, slice 1/4 inch thick and bake.
Hi BrownEyedBaker! I want to have these cookies for Valentine’s Day but, I’m scared that these cookies will taste like flour when I roll the cookies out. I’ve tried to make rolled cookies before but, they were a complete disaster. Can you give me some tips about rolling cookie dough or tips about this recipe?
Thank You!!
Hi Mary, They won’t taste like flour! There are a couple of things you can do if you’re nervous, though. Use a pastry brush to brush off any excess flour once you’re done rolling out. You could also try to roll the dough between pieces of parchment paper instead of using flour, which sometimes works.
Thank You So Much!
Thank you Michelle! When I made them I rolled them into balls and flattened them with a floured, wooden spatula. It worked great and they were absolutely delicious! Thanks for the great recipe…the sour cream is what I had been missing in other recipes I tried!
Do you think these can be made as a drop cookie or does the dough absolutely need to be rolled out? These look super yummy!
Hi Lindsey, I haven’t made these as drop cookies, so I can’t give you a firm answer, but I think if you rolled them into balls, then flattened down to a 1/4-inch thickeness with the palm of your hand of the bottom of a glass, that it could work.
I made these for Christmas and enjoyed using colorful sprinkles on top. Big hit with the grandkids! One comment is that my dough was super sticky, almost glue like. Freezing the dough didn’t help much either. I’ve made many (!) recipes posted here and this is my first “fail.” Good flavor but very hard dough to work with. I’ll stick with sugar and Spritz cookies.
These were good, but I still prefer and LOVE your original, first sugar cookie and icing recipe. Those were deliciously dreamy!
Hi! I just wanted to let you know I am including these in my 25 christmas cookies and bars blog post at mommy’s sweet confessions. I love lofthouse cookies!