Name: Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 49 min
Ingredients: 1 cup butter (softened) (Use unsalted butter for best results.); 1 cup sugar; 2 eggs (Room temperature eggs mix better.); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt (Enhances flavor.); 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 cup sour cream (Adds moisture and tang.); 3 cups all-purpose flour (Add gradually until dough comes together.); 1/2 cup butter (softened) (Use unsalted butter.); 4 oz cream cheese (Softened at room temperature.); 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (Sifted to prevent lumps.); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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How I Stumbled on Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

The first time I baked these, I was trying to fix a cookie that always came out either too cakey or too crisp. I wanted something that felt soft in the middle, slightly tender on the edges, and that played nicely with a tangy, silky frosting. That hunch led me to a recipe that uses sour cream in the dough, and from the moment the oven hummed and the kitchen filled with a warm, buttery smell, I was hooked. If you like cookies with a cream cheese spin, you might enjoy the way this compares to my other favorites, like the cream cheese sugar cookies with strawberry buttercream frosting I sometimes make for summer parties.

I won’t hide the ingredients from you because they’re simple and exactly why these work so well. For the dough you’ll need 1 cup butter (softened), 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 cup sour cream, and about 3 cups flour. Then for the frosting there’s 1/2 cup butter (softened) again, 4 oz. cream cheese, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Saying them out loud feels like a recipe from home, and you probably already have most of these in your pantry.

Sugar Cookie Dough

When I tell people the trick is sour cream, I mean it. The 1/2 cup sour cream adds moisture and a gentle tang that keeps the centers soft after cooling. I start by creaming the 1 cup butter (softened) with the 1 cup sugar until it’s light and pale, about three to five minutes if you have a hand mixer. Then I add the 2 eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated, and stir in that 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. I drop in the 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder, then fold in the sour cream. The flour goes in gradually—3 cups total—and you want to stop when the dough just comes together. It should be slightly tacky but not sticky. A tip: if the dough feels too loose, chill it for 30 minutes; that makes cutting out shapes easier and prevents spreading.

A personal thing I do is let the dough rest in the fridge while I preheat the oven and clean up. It gives the flavors time to settle. Also, if you like a hint of lemon, zesting half a lemon into the dough brightens everything without making it overtly citrusy.

Cut Out and Bake Cookies

Rolling these cookies out is calming for me; the kitchen usually smells of butter and sugar and the dough is smooth under the rolling pin. I roll to about a quarter-inch thickness for a soft, tender bite. Use cookie cutters and transfer the shapes to a baking sheet lined with parchment. These cookies bake quickly—usually around 7 to 9 minutes in a 350°F oven—but here’s the way I know they’re done: the edges will look set and might have the tiniest bit of golden color, while the tops should still look soft. They will firm up as they cool, so resist the urge to bake them until they’re fully browned.

If you want a firmer, more snappy cookie for stacking, roll them a little thinner and bake for an extra minute or two, but for what I love—soft, yielding cookies—stick with a shorter bake. A trick I learned from my grandmother is to rotate the baking sheet halfway through so they brown evenly. And if a batch spreads too much, pop the tray in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking the next one; chilled dough holds shapes better.

While the cookies cool, I usually make a pot of coffee or a quick pitcher of lemonade, because these frosted cookies pair nicely with something slightly acidic to cut the sweetness. If you want to try a different flavor profile, I sometimes dust the unfrosted centers with a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon before baking, which gives a warm undertone.

Cream Cheese Icing

For me the best part is the frosting. Soften 1/2 cup butter and 4 oz. cream cheese until creamy, then beat them together with 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Start mixing at low speed so the powdered sugar doesn’t puff everywhere, then turn it up until the frosting is smooth and whisper-light. It should be thick enough to hold a peak but soft enough to spread with a small spatula. If it feels too sweet or stiff, a teaspoon or two of milk loosens it; if it’s too loose, add a bit more powdered sugar. I like spreading a modest layer on fully cooled cookies so the frosting sets without melting.

I sometimes color a small portion of the icing for simple decorations, but mostly I keep it pale and glossy—cream cheese frosting that still lets the cookie shine. One tip: if you make the frosting ahead, store it in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature and rewhip for a minute before using.

Small Ways I Make Them My Own

This is where small variations come in. You can fold a teaspoon of lemon zest into the dough for brightness, or add a tablespoon of cocoa to the flour to make a subtle chocolate-sour cream base. If you want to play with other cookie-and-frosting combos, I often think of the red velvet version when I’m in a chocolate mood, and sometimes I make the red velvet cookies with an easy cream cheese frosting instead of these—there’s something about cream cheese that just lifts cookie flavors and I love comparing them on a plate to that red velvet take.

As for serving and storing: these cookies are great at a party, stacked on a platter with fruit and coffee, or boxed for neighbors. If you need to make them ahead, bake the cookies and keep them in an airtight container for up to two days before frosting; I frost the day I plan to serve so they look fresh. Leftovers, if you have any, store well in an airtight container at room temperature for three days, or freeze unfrosted cookies for up to two months. When freezing cookies, I separate layers with parchment and thaw them on the counter before frosting. If you want dessert pairings beyond coffee, these are lovely with a slice of something richer on the table—I’ve served them alongside carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for a bake sale once, and the combo made people laugh because it was cream cheese overload in the best way that carrot cake was a crowd-pleaser.

A couple more small tips I always use: cool cookies completely before frosting to avoid runny icing, chill the dough if your kitchen is warm so shapes hold, and if the frosting is too soft after beating, pop it into the fridge for 10 minutes and then re-whip.

Conclusion

If you want a reference to a similar classic that inspired part of this, I like the way the original "Sour Cream Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting" recipe lays out technique and timing; it helped me refine my own little changes over time Sour Cream Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting. Give these a try the next time you want a soft, tender sugar cookie that feels a little grown-up thanks to sour cream and a tangy cream cheese frosting.