This easy Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Recipe has the perfect balance of sweetness with the added tang of lemon. Perfect topped with a cream cheese frosting or dipped in chocolate! Freezer friendly and perfect for the holidays!
This recipe is one of my favorites.
My husband introduced these little gems back when we were dating. The small box he dropped into my office quickly disappeared and left me daydreaming for the day when I would get my hands on that sugar cookie recipe!
His mom generously passed it on to me and it has been a staple here for as long as I can remember.
Whenever we have a rainy day, and a stir crazy kid, we whip up a batch and let him decorate to his hearts content.
Like this recipe? You will love my Cream Cheese Frosting, Classic Sugar Cookies, and Sugar Cookie Fruit Pizzas!
Pipe your favorite frosting using a closed star tip and you can easily create a dozen edible roses for that special someone this Valentines day!
Or use a heart shaped cutter and dip half into melted chocolate.
The lemon extract gives these a unique taste that is slightly addicting, but if you prefer to stick to a more traditional route you can use vanilla or almond extract in its place. Or raspberry… or orange… The possibilities are endless!
Tips for making perfect sugar cookies:
- Do not over mix your dough. I always keep my mixer on the 1 or 2 speed setting while mixing all of the ingredients.
- Roll your dough slightly thicker for soft and chewy cookies or thinner for a more crisp sugar cookie.
- Roll your dough out onto a silicone baking mat. Cut out your shapes and remove the excess dough. Bake as directed. This eliminates the need to transfer your cut cookies helping them keep their shape!
How to freeze sugar cookies:
Follow the directions of the recipe all the way through baking. Place your cookies into a zip top bag once cooled. Label and freeze. Frozen cookies will last up to three months if stored properly.
How to make sugar cookies:
Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1-1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
-
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
-
Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar until light. Stir in the egg, extract, sour cream, and dry ingredients.
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Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll 1/4 inch thick. Cut using your desired shape. Place on the baking tray and cook for ten minutes or until the edges are just lightly browning.
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Yvonne @ TriedandTasty says
I love, love, LOVE the way you decorated these – absolutely beautiful and I LOVE sugar cookies! Win!! Pinning.
Aimee @like mother like daughter says
Thanks for sharing my cupcakes for two as well. These cookies are gorgeous and just make me want to lick the frosting right off the screen!
Joie says
This is the first sugar cookie recipe I’ve seen sour cream added to dough besides my mothers. I think it makes for a soft moist cookie.
Debra says
I love this! It kind of freaks my husband out to add sour cream to sugar cookies, so I just do it when he isn’t looking. 😉
Betty says
I use a little buttermilk in mine….works great! These look awesome too, might just have to give sour cream a try!
Lavonnia says
I wish I could have a steady hand to do the top of my cookies like that. My hand shakes to much and those are absolutely pretty. I do love a sugar cookie very much!
Jesseca says
I actually think my friend frosted these for me, but I do have a tutorial on how to pipe a rose coming soon!
Sylvia Marin says
How to you store with frosting on them??
Jesseca says
I let them sit out until the frosting slightly hardens then layer them in a storage container using wax paper in between.
Diane says
These cookies are so beautiful! I love sugar cookies, but I am not that good at decorating!
marissa | Rae Gun Ramblings says
So pretty and yummy. I’ve done roses on cupcakes forever but never thought to do them on cookies brilliant!
Michelle F. says
I love sugar cookies. The piping on the cookie is so beautiful.
Tonya Bangart says
It’s amazing how a simple swirl of frosting can mimic the look of roses. So beautiful! They almost look too good to eat… almost… you broke down my last bit of willpower at cream cheese frosting. 🙂
Tonya says
So pretty! We all love sugar cookies around here. Can’t wait to give your recipe a try!
Kandi says
Those look so good! And I love the icing on it. I wonder if my gluten free flour will work on it.
Ondria Witt says
How beautiful! We love sugar cookies in our house! These would be so sweet for Valentine’s Day!
Erin Blegen says
I’m actually making these right now and am wondering if the amount of flour is incorrect? The dough is a cake batter-like consistency (no way could it be rolled out) and I’ve been adding just a ton of flour to try and get it right. Can you please help?
Jesseca says
I sent you an email. Seriously… this proves that I’m far from perfect and should start proof reading my posts before I click publish! It’s 3-1/4 to 3-1/2 cups of flour. I use the full extra 1/4 cup
Leanne says
So pretty! They sound delicious too! I’m sure my kids would love them.
MJ @ The Flying Couponer says
WOW! These look so beautiful and delicious! Your pictures are really nice!
kayley says
Beautiful cookies! I love the gray background with the pink frosting. So pretty!
Thanks for sharing my marshmallows!
Elizabeth Copeland says
These sound amazing. I’ve never made cookies with sour cream in them. You have the cookie recipe title on the icing recipe.
Jesseca says
Thanks for catching that Elizabeth! Looks like I wasn’t working my A game when I wrote this post last night!
Holly C. says
So pretty! Why don’t my sugar cookies ever look like this? Guess I need more practice. 🙂
Jill Greenlaw says
These cookies almost look too pretty to eat. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I love a good sugar cookie.
Jill Greenlaw says
This cookie almost looks too pretty to eat. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I love a good sugar cookie recipe.
Jesseca says
Thanks Jill ! You’ll love this one. It’s up in my top favorite easy desserts of all time.
Cindy says
My mom got this recipe with her sunbeam mixer over 40 years ago. It’s been a family favorite and Christmas tradition for four generations. It is the best sugar cookie recipe ever. It’s good without the icing
Jacqueline says
Funny thing – I have been on the hunt for the best sugar cookie. I tried one tonight that tons of people swore by and I would never made them again. I thought they were a bore – dry and tasteless with a funky sour cream frosting. I can’t wait to try these. You sure made them pretty with the frosting!
Emily says
This recipe sounds delicious! I was just wondering if the dough needs to be refrigerated before cutting/shaping by any chance?
Jesseca says
Nope. You can if you’d like but I don’t refrigerate my dough and don’t have problems rolling and cutting.
Marsha says
I made a trial batch of these to see if I wanted to use them for a bridal shower in a couple of weeks. DELICIOUS! I opted for Mexican vanilla instead of lemon extract. The cookies came out perfect and the cream cheese icing was divine. I love that they are not too sweet.
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe and for sharing which tip you used to make the rose. These were so easy.
Jesseca says
I am so glad they turned out well for you!
Pattue says
These look amazing! Would love to make them for my daughter’s upcoming wedding. Do you know if I can make them and freeze them ahead of time?
Jesseca says
I’ve never tried freezing them so I’m not sure. You could always try a test batch long before the wedding.
kellie says
these look so yummy! thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hollie says
Hi these are so pretty! I am in charge of and event I am going to be making these for and need to transport them. Will the icing harden enough for me to stack a few?
Thanks
Jesseca says
Yes. I layer a little bit of parchment or wax paper in between the layers.
pohelly says
they are absolutly beautiful,
but i have one question, in the cream cheese : with which I can replace the cream cheese? ^^
thank you thank you
Jesseca says
Since the recipe is a cream cheese frosting I’d suggest not making any substitutions. Especially with the cream cheese. But if you are looking for something a little different try the vanilla buttercream from my Vanilla Cupcakes. http://bit.ly/1iZ1JSm
Cecelia says
I was wondering do you use unsalted butter for the cookies and icing?
Jesseca says
I probably should, but I like a little extra salt in my sweets. I use salted butter for every recipe on my site unless I specifically say unsalted.
Krysta says
Unless I’m just missing it, about how many cookies does this recipe make? Thanks!
Jesseca says
It really depends how thin you are rolling your dough and the size of your cookie cutter. I typically get 30 cookies per batch.
Carrie says
Any idea why the recipe isn’t showing up for me all of a sudden? I saw it earlier, but now it’s saying [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:87]. Thanks!
Jesseca says
I had an issue with the plugin I was using. You should be able to see the recipe now.
Andrea Melville says
I can’t access your recipe either would love to try these they look so beautiful. thanks
Jesseca says
You should be able to get the recipe now. Sorry about that!
Joyce Susco says
I can not see the recipe either just all the pictures, 🙁
Jesseca says
All fixed. Sorry about the delay.
Jill FCS says
These look beautiful and sound delicious. Do the finished cookies need to be stored in the fridge?
Jesseca says
I normally just store mine in an air tight container on the counter or a ziploc.
Christine says
How long are the cookies good for? They probably won’t last for more than a day in my house anyway…lol. So pretty!
Jesseca says
I usually only keep mine around for a week at most.
Ashley Souvannaraj says
I made these cookies the other day & they turned out amazingly. Love love LOVE this recipe. Everybody gobbled them up (; Thank you!
londerella says
Orange zest (peel) also makes them yummy. Bit of a Christmas flavour to otherwise bland cookies. Glad to see someone else looking for zing!
mariam says
These are perfect for my sisters upcoming bridal shower. Do you know how far in advance I can make them and store on counter?
Amber Mae says
I had to add an egg and 1/4 cup of butter to get these to “cookie consistency” Maybe it’s the dry climate I live in, but as is the dough was more like sand, but with those additions it was a yummy recipe that rolled out easily.
Since I can’t attach a picture, here’s a link to a picture of how they turned out 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/AmberMayBe/photos/a.538191666260192.1073741825.296870317058996/652086111537413/?type=1&theater
Jesseca says
They look delicious! Did you remember to add the sour cream? There have been a few times I’ve forgotten until the last minute to add that ingredient and my dough looked dry.
Amber Mae says
I did. Maybe I counted incorrectly when I was putting in cups of flour. My kids were being… loud… when I was making them 🙂
June P says
Thank you for sharing! And the genius idea of icing a cookie this way! Is it possible to use just 1/2 cup butter, rather than 1/4 butter and 1/4 shortening? Thanks!
Sara says
Hi these cookies are absolutely gorgeous!! I’d like to try them but never have shortening on hand. Is it possible to substitute butter or oil for the amount of shortening?? Thanks for your help!
Mary says
Yum! I’m going to get dressed and go to the store right now! These look amazing and since I’m pregnant, my cravings are hard core! Lol!
Ana says
Your cookies look gorgeous! After baking them, how much time can I keep them before they expire ? I’m thinking about how much time in advance I can prepare them…
Marilyn says
Not only do your cookies sound amazing they are simply gorgeous!
Misty says
Sour cream makes all the difference in baking homemade sugar cookies! 🙂 It’s what gives them the super moist texture and keeps them so soft. I’ve got an amazing sugar cookie recipe that has been passed down from generations that are to die for! So addicting! Lol I love the recipe that you have for the cream cheese frosting, I will definitely be baking a batch with some of that yummy frosting on them today! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Anita says
i doubled the recipe and for some reason it was a bowl of crumbs :-(. had to keep adding and tweaking…..and now they are baked and spongey…..what did I do wrong?? 🙁
Jesseca says
the last time that I made these I noticed that it does go through a crumbly stage. I kept mixing with a stand mixer until it started to come together and then used my hands to form it together a little better. I think it has something to do with the consistency of the sour cream. Sometimes it’s thicker and other times it’s runnier depending on the brand.
REagan says
for some reason these did not turn out for me:( once baked they were spongey like a pancake and tasted more like biscuits than sugar cookies:( I don’t know what went wrong! does this ever happen when you make them?
Jesseca says
I have never had that problem. Did you make sure you measured correctly? Sometimes I’ll accidentally grab a one cup instead of a half without thinking.
Ceara says
I am making the cookies right now and it is way to dry, cannot roll it out, seems to need more liquid or moisture. I don’t know what to add, I read the directions over and over, double checked my work, and I think I did everything exactly like it says. Should I add more butter?
Jesseca says
Hi Ceara,
I just double checked the original recipe that my mother in law gave me and all of the ingredients are listed correct, but I actually had a hard time the last time I made these. What I did was just added a tablespoon of milk. I’m working on an updated sugar cookie recipe that won’t have this problem or seeing where the ingredient list needs to be adjusted.
dora says
I’ve never seen a sugar recipe with baking soda. Are you sure it’s not baking powder?
Shannon says
Hello there! Thank you for sharing this recipe! They are BEAUTIFUL! Two questions. 1) Do they need to be refrigerated because of the cream cheese? 2) How long will it take for them to crust over so I can stack them like your awesome pictures? Thank you so much!!
Deborah says
These sound scrumptious! I am going to make them for valentines. What do you mean by shortening though? Crisco? Thanks!
Jesseca says
Yes, Crisco. You could also use all butter if you’d prefer.
Enie says
i bought organic all vegetable shortening from Whole Foods (trying to take the guilt off of using shortening!), but does it actually have to be Crisco??
Sue bang says
do you have to keep these in the refrigerator? They are beautiful
Jesseca says
Yes, if you make them with cream cheese frosting. We take them out of the fridge an hour or so before serving so they aren’t cold.
http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2011/10/cream-cheese-frosting-refrigeration/
Enie says
how and for how long can you store/freeze/etc your cream cheese frosting? also, can you freeze the cut out cookies or are they best rolled/cut/baked the day of? Thanks!!!!
Jacqueline says
Who wouldn’t fall in love with a guy who brings these! Fun family story behinds beautiful cookie.
Rosemary says
Hi Jesseca,
I was just wondering if these would be a good cookie to do cut-outs with. Do they spread at all and give nice crisp edges? Thanks!
Nana says
What size tip did you use for the pink roses? Thanks!