Sour Cream Cookies are rich, soft, buttery, with a creamy, cake-like texture. Delicious on their own but even better when decorated with buttercream frosting!
Sour Cream Drop Cookies
Our old-fashioned Sour Cream Cookies recipe is so easy to make and bakes a big batch in just 10-12 minutes.
Almost like a soft sugar cookie recipe where you don’t cut out the dough but rather drop it by the spoonful, these sour cream sugar cookies bake up fluffy instead of flat!
These soft and pillowy cookies have a mild, slightly sweet flavor, so they’re meant to be frosted with buttercream and decorated with sprinkles. However, they are definitely delicious without looking fancy, because sometimes plain is just perfect!
Why We Love Sour Cream Cookie Recipes
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- Cookies made with sour cream and butter have a creamy texture with golden, slightly crisp edges.
- Fun to decorate with kids using your favorite colored frosting and sprinkles.
- No need to refrigerate the batter before baking.
- Perfect for holidays, parties, cookie exchanges, or dessert platters.
Sour Cream Cookies Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Full-fat sour cream
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Pure vanilla extract
- Buttercream frosting: You can use a homemade frosting or any store bought brand.
- Gel food coloring
- Sprinkles
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Fill With Flavor: Feel free to try lemon zest or almond extract as an alternative to vanilla extract. You can also use a spiced buttercream frosting for fall.
- Customize Your Colors: I love adding gel food coloring to the buttercream to create festive colors. Pastel colors are pretty for Mother’s Day and Easter; red or pink is perfect for Valentine’s Day; green is great for St. Patrick’s Day or Christmas.
How to Make Sour Cream Cookies
- Make The Wet Mixture: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, mix, and then mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Create The Cookie Dough: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
- Bake: Drop cookie dough balls onto baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Cool And Coat: Cool completely before covering with buttercream and sprinkles. Enjoy!
Tips For Making The Best Sour Cream Cookies
- Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature before beating.
- Do not overmix the cookie dough, or you will lose the beautiful, light, cakey cookie texture and have a tough cookie instead.
- Do not overbake the cookies; they should be slightly golden on the edges.
- I like lining my baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup and removal of cookies.
- Make sure your cookies are completely cooled before frosting or the frosting may melt off.
How to Store Sour Cream Cookies
- To Store: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Bake and freeze your cookies for up to 3 months without the frosting. Completely thaw before adding the buttercream.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
Other Easy Cookie Recipes
- Brownie Cool Whip Cookies
- Snickers Cookies
- Snow Ball Cookies
- Applesauce Cookies
- M&M Pudding Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies with Icing
If you tried this Sour Cream Cookies Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Sour Cream Cookies
Serves — 24
Sour Cream Cookies are rich, soft, and cake-like treats that taste delicious when topped with buttercream. Easy to make and fun to decorate with kids!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Cooling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 2 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttercream frosting homemade or storebought
- Gel food coloring for tinting buttercream
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg and mix until well combined.1 egg
- Mix in the sour cream, and vanilla extract.½ cup full-fat sour cream, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
- Drop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoons or a small cookie scoop onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Allow them to cool for 30 minutes and then spread them with buttercream and garnish with sprinkles.1 cup buttercream frosting, Gel food coloring for tinting buttercream, Sprinkles
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Bake and freeze your cookies for up to 3 months without the frosting. Completely thaw before adding the buttercream.
- Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature before beating.
- Do not overmix the cookie dough or you will lose the beautiful light cakey cookie texture and have a tough cookie instead.
- Do not overbake the cookies; they should just be slightly golden on the edges.
- I like to line my baking sheets with parchment paper for easy clean up and cookie removal.
- Make sure your cookies are completely cooled before frosting or the frosting may melt off.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
