Copycat Lofthouse Cookies

You’re probably familiar with the colorful Lofthouse cookies at the grocery store. The soft sugar cookies are brightly frosted and sprinkled for each season—and extremely hard to resist! It’s easy to buy a package of cookies at the grocery store, but I think this copycat Lofthouse cookies recipe may result in treats even better than the store-bought version.

Copycat Lofthouse Cookie Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: To get the perfect copycat Lofthouse cookies, you’ll need a lot of all-purpose flour—6 whole cups, plus a little extra for rolling out the dough. All that flour makes for a thick cookie.
• Leavening agents: One of the best aspects of Lofthouse cookies is how fluffy they are. To re-create this fluffiness at home, you’ll need both baking soda and baking powder to mimic that rise.
• Butter: Since there are so few prominent flavors in a Lofthouse cookie, you’ll want to reach for high-quality ingredients to achieve the best taste. There’s a lot of butter in this recipe, so we recommend splurging on the best butter from the store.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar is our sweetener of choice for this copycat Lofthouse cookies recipe. Don’t use brown sugar—the molasses will throw off the flavor.
• Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temperature before starting the recipe. Remove the eggs (and, while you’re at it, the butter) from the fridge 30 minutes beforehand.
• Vanilla extract: As an avid baker, I’ve always found that buying the best vanilla extract is worth the splurge, especially for recipes like this where you’re using only simple ingredients.
• Sour cream: If you’ve ever had a Lofthouse cookie, you know that they basically melt in your mouth. Well, we have sour cream to thank for that! Sour cream adds richness and moisture without weighing down the cookie.
• Frosting: For some of you, the frosting on a Lofthouse cookie is the very best part! To re-create a copycat version at home, you’ll need softened butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, a touch of salt, heavy whipping cream, food coloring and, of course, rainbow sprinkles.

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough

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In a large bowl, whisk together 6 cups all-purpose flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set the mixture aside.

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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until it’s fluffy and pale in color, three to four minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, then beat in the vanilla extract and sour cream until incorporated.

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Gradually add the flour mixture, on low speed, scraping down the sides as needed until a sticky dough ball forms.

Step 2: Divide and chill the dough

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Divide the dough into two equal-sized balls. Flatten the balls into 1/2-inch rectangular shapes and tightly wrap them in storage wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.

Editor’s Tip: As you roll out the first disk in the next step, keep the second one in the fridge. The dough is much easier to work with when it’s cold.

Step 3: Roll and cut out the dough

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Preheat the oven to 375°F. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup all-purpose flour on a cutting board or countertop. Grab a rolling pin and roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick circle.

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Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles for the cookies. Transfer the dough circles to parchment-lined baking sheets.

Pop the baking sheets in the oven and bake until the cookies are lightly golden on the edges, seven to eight minutes. Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool slightly, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely to room temperature.

Editor’s Tip: Cut out as many cookies as you can so you don’t have to re-roll the dough. Since the dough is floured to prevent sticking, kneading the extra dough together will absorb that flour, creating drier cookies.

Step 4: Make the frosting

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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and vanilla extract on medium speed until fluffy.

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Slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar and the salt.

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Once the frosting is smooth and creamy, slowly beat in the heavy cream until the frosting is super light and fluffy, two to three minutes.

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Finally, beat in the food coloring, if desired.

Step 5: Decorate the cookies

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Once the cookies have cooled completely to room temperature, spread the frosting on the cookies. You can do this using a mini offset spatula, a butter knife or the back of a spoon. Immediately decorate with sprinkles before the frosting sets. Serve and enjoy!

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Recipe Variations

• Add a bit of citrus: For a refreshing and bright flavor, zest a lemon or orange into the cookie dough and the frosting. You could also use lemon or orange extract for the same effect.
• Play around with baking spices: Any fall-obsessed bakers out there? Break out the fall spices from your cabinet and shake them into the dough. For ease, I like using a pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice blend. Then, color the frosting a gorgeous orange hue and search for fall-colored or leaf-shaped sprinkles for the top.
• Change the frosting: Lofthouse cookies’ frosting is iconic, but if you’re not a fan, that’s OK! Feel free to try out other frosting recipes, such as chocolate frosting, cream cheese frosting, or a fruity frosting like lemon, strawberry or blackberry.

How to Store Copycat Lofthouse Cookies

Allow the frosting to set before storing. Gently place the cookies in an airtight container, layering sheets of waxed paper between each stack. These cookies should last for up to one week in the fridge.

Can you freeze copycat Lofthouse cookies?

Yes, you can freeze copycat Lofthouse cookies. Follow the same storing directions as above, then pop them in the freezer. They can be frozen for up to three months. Then, thaw the cookies in the fridge overnight and enjoy!

Copycat Lofthouse Cookie Tips

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What makes Lofthouse cookies so soft?

Unlike a standard sugar cookie, Lofthouse cookies are made with both baking soda and baking powder for a softer, less crumbly texture. The dough also includes sour cream to keep the cookies moist. The texture is soft and airy, like a cross between a cookie and a cupcake.

What is the best food coloring to use for this copycat Lofthouse cookies recipe?

The best type of food coloring to use for the frosting is pink gel food coloring. It’ll provide the most vivid color without having to use much of it. Traditional liquid food coloring can do the job just fine, though. If you’re interested in natural food dyes, use freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries, or try beet juice. Just know that you won’t get as vivid of a color as with artificial food dyes.

Why did my Lofthouse cookies turn out so dry?

If your Lofthouse cookies are more dry than melt-in-your-mouth, you may have added too much flour. This could happen from not measuring flour the right way. Next time, use a spoon or fork to fluff up the flour, then spoon the flour into the measuring cup rather than digging the measuring cup in the flour. Add enough flour so it’s heaped in the cup, then scrape off the excess with the flat side of a butter knife.

Another misstep that can occur is over-flouring the countertop when rolling out the dough. The dough can absorb the excess flour, leading to a drier cookie. Next time, flick just enough flour onto the countertop, using a motion similar to skipping a rock across the water’s surface.

Finally, re-rolling the extra cookie scraps can cause those cookies to come out a bit too dry. Doing this introduces excess flour into the cookie dough, leading to dense and dry cookies.