These classic Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies are soft and cakey with a tasty buttercream frosting on top. They’re bright, festive, and oh so scrumptious.
For more delicious sweet treats, try our shortbread cookies and chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookies (video).
Table Of Contents
- Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies Recipe Details
- What You’ll Need
- Ingredient Notes
- Add-ins and Substitutions
- How to Make Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Recipe Tips
- FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- Make These Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies in Advance
- More Delicious Cookies!
- Watch VIDEO Recipe Here
- Full Recipe Instructions
Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies Recipe Details
These Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies are great during the holidays because they just aren’t like other sugar cookies. Topped with frosting and sprinkles, they are festive and delicious!
- TASTE: Sweet, vanilla sugar cookies with a creamy and rich frosting, these tasty treats are topped with sprinkles. They’re scrumptious with some coffee or milk.
- TEXTURE: These cookies are airy and thick, with a texture somewhere between a fluffy cupcake and a denser sugar cookie, And they’re topped with a thick buttercream.
- TIME: This recipe will take about 2 1/2 hours to make, but most of that is while the dough chills.
- EASE: There are a number of steps for these cookies, but with pictures and simple directions, you’ll have no trouble making these amazing Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Corn syrup- Will add both chewiness and softness to the cookie. But if you prefer not to use it, you can omit it.
- Food coloring- We’ll use this for the buttercream frosting. You can use any color you like, which is great for holiday parties.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Add zest or extract for extra flavor- Try these cookies with the zest of a lemon, lime, or orange for a citrusy flavor. You can also use an extract for this, like almond or mint.
- Substitute a different topping- Try out different decorations on these cookies. Outline designs and flood them with icing, add colored sugar, or top with chocolate shavings.
- Make them gluten-free- Substitute gluten-free flour in this recipe for a gluten-less version of these Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies.
How to Make Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, room-temperature cream cheese, and granulated sugar together using an electric hand mixer. Beat on high until everything is well-creamed, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the other wet ingredients. Pour the corn syrup, vanilla, and egg into the bowl and beat on high again until well-combined.
- Sift in the dry ingredients. With a fine-mesh sieve over the mixing bowl, add in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Then mix everything together.
- Chill the dough. Form the cookie dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate it for 1-2 hours, or until firm.
- Roll out the dough. Place the dough disk on a sheet of parchment paper, then place another on top. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin to 1/4-inch thickness.
- Cut out the cookies. Using a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter or glass cup, cut out shapes. Then roll out the scraps and cut more shapes until the dough is all used up.
- Bake the Lofthouse cookies. Very carefully, place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake them for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pro Tip: Use a spatula to lift the cookie dough shapes onto the baking sheet to avoid them becoming misshapen. The dough is very soft and should be handled carefully.
- Make the frosting. In a large bowl, add the softened butter and beat it. Then add in the vanilla, powdered sugar, milk, and salt. Mix well. If you plan to color the frosting, then add the food coloring at this time.
- Decorate. When the Lofthouse sugar cookies have completely cooled, frost them and decorate with sprinkles on top. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t use cold butter or cream cheese- In order for these cookies to be moist and fluffy, the butter and cream cheese need to be softened and at room temperature. Otherwise, they won’t completely combine with the other ingredients.
- Chill the dough- It’s important for the dough to be cold when you roll, cut, and bake these. This keeps them thick and from spreading too much while they bake.
- Cool them before frosting- This buttercream frosting will melt if the cookies are too warm, so let them cool all the way before decorating.
- Spoon and level off the flour- This is the most accurate way of measuring flour because scooping a measuring cup into flour leads to it packing in and possibly adding too much to your recipe.
FAQs
Why are Lofthouse cookies so soft?
This kind of cookie is unlike many others. They have an airy, fluffy quality to them that is distinctive. They are so soft because the recipe calls for baking soda, which gives these Lofthouse sugar cookies a less crumbly texture and incorporates more “lift” and air. The cream cheese also adds moisture, so they don’t get dry. Together, this gives them their soft, cake-like texture.
How long should cookies sit before icing?
These Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies should be fully cooled before icing them, about 30 minutes. Let them sit on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before carefully placing them on a cooling rack. Once they are cool, you can add frosting and sprinkles.
Serving Suggestions
These Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies are scrumptious and sweet and pair well with lots of other desserts. Here are a few serving ideas.
- Milk: A glass of cold milk is the ultimate cookie companion!
- Coffee: Try a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte, Iced Caramel Macchiato, or Caramel Frappuccino Recipe (Starbucks Copycat) with these deliciously fluffy cookies.
- Cookie Platter: Serve this on a christmass cookie platter with chewy mollasses cookies, chocolate chip cookies, shortbread cookies, and snickerdoodles.
Make These Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies in Advance
Make ahead: You can make these cookies in advance and store them in an airtight container to keep them fresh until you’re ready to serve.
Storing: Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Freeze: Place the cooled cookies on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, transfer them to a ziplock freezer bag, with parchment paper in between each cookie to keep them from freezing together. They will last up to 3 months.
More Delicious Cookies!
Watch VIDEO Recipe Here
Full Recipe Instructions
Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies
These Frosted Lofthouse Sugar Cookies are perfect for the holidays, or anytime. Soft, cake-y, and sweet, they practically melt in your mouth.
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Servings: 28 cookies
Calories: 264kcal
Ingredients
For the cookie
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp light corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3 1/4 cups flour spooned and leveled off
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
For the frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 1/2 cup powder sugar
- 1- Tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Food coloring
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large bowl add 1 cup unsalted softened butter, 1/4 cup room temperature cream cheese, and 1 cup granulated sugar. Use an electric hand mixer and beat that on high speed until it’s well-creamed together. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Now add 3 tablespoons light corn syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 large egg. Beat that on high speed again until it’s well combined.
- Now place a fine-mesh sieve over the mixing bowl and add 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled off), 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp baking soda.
- Sift the dry ingredients in, then mix one last time.
- Form the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 1 to 2 hours or until it firms up.
- Once the dough has firmed up in the refrigerator, place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Then place another sheet of parchment paper on top.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Then use a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter or glass cup to cut out circles. Roll up the scraps and repeat this again
- The dough will still be very soft so be gentle when lifting each cookie. Transfer the shaped cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-8 minutes.
- Meanwhile make the sugar cookie frosting. In a large bowl, beat 1 cup of softened unsalted butter using an electric hand mixer.
- Then add 1 tsp vanilla extract, 4 1/2 cups powder sugar, 1 tbsp milk, and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well until everything is combined. At this point, you can add your choice of food coloring or leave it as it is.
- Once the cookies are fully cooled down you can frost them and add your favorite sprinkles on top.
Notes
- Don’t use cold butter or cream cheese- In order for these cookies to be moist and fluffy, the butter and cream cheese need to be softened and at room temperature. Otherwise, they won’t completely combine with the other ingredients.
- Chill the dough- It’s important for the dough to be cold when you roll, cut, and bake these. This keeps them thick and from spreading too much while they bake.
- Cool them before frosting- This buttercream frosting will melt if the cookies are too warm, so let them cool all the way before decorating.
Nutrition
Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 441IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
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Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!
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Christine says
I would love to get loft house cookies and frosting recipe to make. Can you please send me a copy of it?
Dina says
Hi Christine, if you scroll down to the bottom of the post, the recipe card has a print button so you can print a copy to keep on hand. I hope that helps.
Tanya says
I would like to make these cookies but I have a quick question. In the recipe ingredients it says 1/4 cup cream cheese. Will that be half an 8oz package of cream cheese (4oz) or a quarter package of cream cheese (2oz)?
Dina says
Hi Tanya 🙂 1/4 cup of cream cheese is 2oz. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I adjusted the recipe to show that. I hope you love this recipe! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Tanya says
In your video it looks like you put 1/2 package or 4oz of cream cheese. Is this the correct amount?
Dina says
Hi Tanya, you are correct it should be 4 ounces. Thank you for catching that!
Karen says
Hi I would love to try these cookies but just wondering if I can use salted butter & omit salt?
Dina says
Hi Karen 🙂 I use unsalted butter because I like to control the amount of salt I put in my recipes. If you use salted butter you have a set ratio of salt. You are also guessing how much salt is in the recipe and how much you need. Technically you can use salted butter but I don’t know how the flavor will turn out. I hope that helps. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Saayon M. says
This was a perfect recipe! You explained every step properly with great measurements. Also bake time was perfect for the cookies! Though, when I made my dough it was not firm enough to make cutouts even after in the fridge for hours, so I resorted to rolling balls and smushing them. They were perfect! Thank you for the recipe and I definitely recommend this recipe over any cookie recipe I tried!
Dina says
You are very welcome for this recipe and thank you so much for your support! Awesome to hear you found these Lofthouse cookies perfect and delicious! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback on my blog! 🙂
Erin says
So, I’m in the middle of making these cookies and now just waiting for my dough to chill. The batter did taste like LOFTHOUSE (of course you have to eat some batter). We are having a Christmas cookie decorating party tonight with the family. It took me a while to find the right recipe….. so you won lol. I will post pics of the cookies when they’re finished. Thanks for sharing. = )
Dina says
Hi Erin, I am so glad you stopped by my recipe! I am also thrilled that you enjoyed these cookies so much!! Thank you for you kind feedback 🙂
Skye says
It was super fun!! The icing is very nice and fluffy. I think I may have made the cookies too thin, but otherwise, my family and I thought they were great for Halloween. I plan on bringing them back for Christmas, too! I’m so glad to have a good sugar cookie recipe with almond extract, seeing as it’s a family allergy.
simplyhomecooked says
Yay! So happy that you and your family loved these lofthouse cookies! So awesome that this will be a repeat recipe in your home 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your kind feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Daniella Thompson says
Hello,
Thank you for the recipe. Is corn syrup necessary? I am using organic ingredients and corn syrup is not really organic. Hard to find organic versions since Monsanto the gmo creater doesn’t offer organic versions. Anyway please lmk if I can leave it out. Thx
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Daniella, you can substitute the corn syrup with honey 🙂 I hope you love this recipe!