Close your eyes and picture the softest, cloud-like cookie dissolving on your tongue 🍥: a tender sour-cream crumb that practically sighs 😌, then a glossy swoop of dreamy pink frosting melting into every bite like spun-sugar silk 💖🌸. These Sour-Cream Sugar Cookies taste like the prettiest corner of a spring garden party 🌷🎀 where pastel plates clink 🥂, laughter sparkles ✨, and someone just handed you the sweetest little “happy” wrapped in frosting and sprinkles 🧁💕.
I bake these when I want the house to smell like a hug 🏡💗, when baby-shower tables need a touch of blush 👶🎀, or when a Tuesday just demands something lovely 📅✨. Thirty minutes from bowl to bakery-perfect ⏱️, no fancy skills required just one bowl 🥣, a cookie scoop 🍪, and a swirl of rosy buttercream 🌹. Pack them in cellophane bags and you’re the hostess hero 🎁; stack them on a cake stand and watch them disappear before the candles are lit 🕯️🍰. Pillow-y soft, party-ready, endlessly shareable your new celebration staple starts right here 🎉💕
💖 Why You’ll Love These Cookies
These cookies are the definition of soft, sweet, and celebratory!
✨ Light and pillowy from sour cream
💗 Frosted with silky, pink vanilla buttercream
🎀 Perfect for birthdays, baby showers, or tea parties
🧑🍳 Simple to make and decorate
🧊 Dough chills beautifully for make-ahead ease
🧰 Tools You’ll Need
- Mixing bowls (medium & large)
- Hand or stand mixer
- Whisk + rubber spatula
- Cookie scoop (1½ tbsp)
- Plastic wrap
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheets
- Wire rack
- Shallow bowl for frosting prep
✨ Key Ingredients
For the Cookies
- All-purpose flour (2½ cups): Gives the cookies structure while staying soft
- Sour cream (½ cup): Adds moisture and that melt-in-your-mouth bite
- Salted butter (½ cup): Rich and flavorful base
- Granulated sugar (1 cup): Sweetens and softens
- Baking powder & baking soda: Help the cookies rise and stay cakey
- Vanilla extract (2 tsp): Warm, classic flavor
- Eggs (2 extra-large): Bind everything together
For the Frosting
- Salted butter (½ cup): The creamy base
- Clear vanilla flavoring (1 tsp): Keeps the frosting color vibrant
- Powdered sugar (2¼ cups): Smooth and sweet
- Half and half (2–3 tbsp): Softens and spreads the frosting
- Pink gel food coloring (2–3 drops): Adds that dreamy rose hue
🍪 How to Make Sour Cream Cookies
🍰 Mix the Dough
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sour cream until smooth (about 1–1½ mins).
Add sugar and vanilla extract, beat again until fluffy.
Mix in eggs one at a time, until no yellow streaks remain.
Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
❄️ Chill the Dough
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
🔁 Scoop & Bake
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment.
Scoop dough using a 1½ tbsp cookie scoop and place 2 inches apart.
Gently press each ball down just a little.
Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the bottoms are just golden.
Let cool 2–3 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack.
🧁 Make the Frosting
In a bowl, beat butter and clear vanilla until creamy (1–1½ mins).
Gradually add powdered sugar and half and half until smooth and spreadable.
Add pink gel coloring for a soft blush tone.
🎀 Frost & Serve
Once cookies are completely cool, generously frost each one.
Decorate with sprinkles or edible pearls if desired!
💡 Tips for Perfect Cookies
- Chill the dough to help the cookies hold their shape and bake evenly.
- Don’t overbake! The cookies should stay pale with just-golden bottoms.
- Use a cookie scoop for uniform size and easy frosting.
- Make it your own: Try purple, blue, or yellow frosting to match your celebration!
👩🍳 Gemma’s Pro Tips
“These are the cookies for baby showers or birthdays—add pastel sprinkles for a dreamy finish.”
“You can freeze the dough balls or baked cookies—just frost after thawing!”
🧊 Storage Tips
Room Temp: Store frosted cookies in an airtight container up to 3 days.
Fridge: Keep for up to 1 week, layered with parchment.
Freezer: Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 2 months. Frost after thawing!
💕 More Cookies You’ll Love
- 💚 Grinch Snowball Cookies – Buttery, Green & Full of Holiday Cheer!
- 🍎 Apple Pie Cookies That Taste Just Like Grandma’s Pie!
- 🍪 Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies – The Classic Everyone Loves
- 🍋 Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies – The Softest Cookie You’ll Ever Taste
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🎀 Soft Sour Cream Cookies with Pink Frosting
Description
These Sour Cream Cookies are soft, cakey, and just the right amount of sweet! The sour cream keeps the texture extra tender, while the vanilla butter frosting (in the prettiest pink hue) makes them totally party-ready. Whether it’s a baby shower, birthday, or cozy afternoon, these cookies are always the right choice.
Ingredients
Cookies
Frosting
Instructions
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Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
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Beat butter and sour cream until smooth (1–1½ mins).
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Add sugar and vanilla, beat 1 min.
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Mix in eggs one at a time.
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Add dry ingredients gradually. Chill 30 mins.
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line trays with parchment.
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Scoop 1½ tbsp dough balls, place 2” apart, gently flatten.
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Bake 10–12 mins. Cool on tray 2–3 mins, then transfer to rack.
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For frosting: beat butter + vanilla, add sugar and half and half, then tint pink.
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Frost cooled cookies and serve!