The Soft Sugar Cookie You’ve Been Dreaming Of
This particular rolled sugar cookie recipe has been handed down through three generations–Grandma’s sour cream sugar cookies have real staying power!! And that’s because they’re the quick, easy and perfect sugar cookies your holiday baking dreams are made of. The dough is easy to roll and cut out, and the final result is deliciously buttery. Whether you’re making Christmas cookies, or celebrating another special occasion, these cut out sugar cookies will feel like a party. For another taste of the holidays, try our classic gingerbread loaf!
How to Make The Best Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Recipe
Homemade sugar cookies really are easy to make, but a little baking technique goes a long way in making sure you get perfect sugar cookies every time. It helps to break the process into a few simple steps.
Sifting: the best texture begins here. Sifting all of the dry ingredients together (sugar included) helps to aerate your flour and distribute the leavening (baking soda).
Cut the fat into the dry ingredients: for flakey, tender sugar cookies, you want to carefully cut the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients just as you would for pie crust—resist the urge to use your electric mixer!
Do you need to chill sugar cookie dough? Chilling dough is an important step in making sure your cookies don’t spread when baked. When the fats (shortening and butter in this recipe) are chilled, they melt slower in the hot oven. This means your cookies will hold their shape, and you’ll have plenty of actual shapes to decorate, instead of unidentifiable blobs of unevenly baked dough.
Rolling out the dough: with just enough flour on your roller to ensure a no-stick situation, roll out your sugar cookie dough to a ¼-inch thickness and (finally!) it’s time to let your little elves get to work cutting out all of their favorite shapes.
How to know when your cookies are done: these sugar cookies bake fast, so keep an eye on them! Watch for just a touch of light golden brown at the edges of your cut-outs—this should happen around the 6-8 minute marker—and take care not to over bake. We’re looking for perfectly soft sour cream sugar cookies, that are a dream to sink your teeth into.
Notes On Our Sugar Cookie Ingredients
As we mentioned, this sugar cookie recipe has been handed down through three generations, and while some of the ingredients may look a bit old fashioned it has stood the test of time. Here is a quick look at what make these rolled sugar cookies work so well:
Shortening: shortening has fallen out of fashion, but it is one of the reasons these cookies are so perfect for rolling out and cutting. Shortening, technically, is a term for any fat that is solid at room temperature. The combination of vegetable shortening and butter in these sugar cookies really helps the dough hold its shape and limits spreading, which is so essential for cut out cookies.
Sour cream: sour cream is a true unsung hero of the baking world. What does sour cream do in sugar cookies? It brings moisture and flavorful fat to this otherwise basic cookie dough, and produces a supremely tender cookie.
Vanilla: a small spoonful of vanilla is really the only strong flavor of rolled sugar cookies like these, so use the best you can. We’re huge fans of this brand of Pure Vanilla Extract.
How to Make Your Homemade Sugar Cookies Picture-Perfect
Everyone has their own idea of what old fashioned sour cream sugar cookies should look like—and isn’t that part of the fun? Especially when we’re making rolled sugar cookies with our kids, we like to pull out all the stops—lay out a table full of cookie cutters, bowls of colored icing, and plenty of sprinkles and let everyone’s imaginations do the rest. Here are a few must-haves for dressing up your rolled sugar cookies for the holidays:
Cookie cutters: this simple set of snowflake cookie cutters is always a hit, but nothing beats family heirlooms—if your parents or grandparents have a set of cookie cutters, ask to borrow them for this project to make it even more special.
Silver dragees: these silver balls are the gold standard when it comes to making your homemade sugar cookies look polished and professional—not to mention festive.
Icing: this icing is luxurious and thick, and using heavy cream instead of milk means that it tastes good, too. If you don’t have piping bags, just use a zipper top bag with the tip snipped.
More Great Cookies To Make Every Day A Special Occasion
We don’t think you need to wait until the next holiday to bake. Here’s a few more great reasons to turn on your oven:
And one giant cookie to win them all Salty Dark and Milk Chocolate Skillet Cookie
Did You Make Our Easy Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Recipe?
If you make these sour cream sugar cookies, we’d love to hear about it! Be sure to snap a photo, add it to your Instagram feed or stories and tag us @themodernproper and #themodernproper if you do.
