Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

Before you start

These are the thick, pillowy sugar cookies sold under clear plastic lids with swirls of pastel frosting and sprinkles. They are closer to a little cake than a crisp cookie. Sour cream and cornstarch keep the crumb soft and fine, and both baking powder and baking soda puff the dough into thick rounds instead of spreading it.

The key is a pale bake. The cookies come out when the tops look set and dry but before any browning appears, then they finish on the hot sheet. Browned edges mean they have gone too far and will be dry. The dough is soft and sticky, so it needs a full hour in the fridge before shaping.

Ingredients

• Cookies315 g (2½ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 30 g (¼ cup) cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter — softened
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg — room temperature
• 120 g (½ cup) full-fat sour cream — room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• Frosting115 g (½ cup) unsalted butter — softened
• 300 g (2½ cups) powdered sugar — sifted
• 2 to 3 tbsp whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 drops pink gel food coloring
• 2 tbsp rainbow sprinkles

Method

1. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high for 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. For this cookie, a well-creamed base helps the soft, cakey texture.
3. Beat in the egg, then the sour cream, vanilla and almond extract until smooth. Add the dry ingredients on low and mix just until combined. The dough will be very soft.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, until firm enough to scoop and roll.
5. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line the sheets with parchment. Scoop 45 g balls, roll them smooth and set them 5 cm (2 in) apart. Press each with the bottom of a lightly floured glass to about 1.5 cm (½ in) thick.
6. Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, until the tops look dry and set and spring back lightly, with no browning on the edges. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then on a rack until completely cool.
7. Beat the frosting butter until creamy, add the powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 tbsp milk and beat for 2 minutes until fluffy, adding more milk if needed. Tint pale pink.
8. Spread a thick layer of frosting on each cookie with an offset spatula and add sprinkles right away, before the frosting forms a skin.

Tips for success

• Flouring the glass, or dipping it in sugar, keeps it from sticking to the soft dough.
• Undercooked-looking centers are what you want. The cookies keep cooking on the sheet.
• Many people like these cold. Refrigerating the frosted cookies firms the frosting and gives the dense texture of the store-bought kind.

Substitutions

Sour cream

Full-fat Greek yogurt or cream cheese, softened, works in the same amount. Cream cheese gives a slightly denser, richer cookie.

Cornstarch

Replace both the flour and cornstarch with 345 g cake flour for an even finer, softer crumb.

Almond extract

Leave it out and add another ½ tsp vanilla. Almond is what gives the familiar bakery flavor, so the cookies will taste plainer.

Variations

Holiday colors

Tint the frosting green, red or pale yellow and match the sprinkles to the season.

Lemon frosted cookies

Replace the almond extract with 1 tsp lemon zest in the dough and use lemon juice in place of the milk in the frosting.

Troubleshooting

Cookies spread thin

The dough was not chilled long enough or the butter was too warm. Chill the dough a full hour and reshape any soft balls.

Dry, crumbly cookies

They were overbaked or too much flour was used. Weigh the flour and pull them before the edges brown.

Frosting slides off

The cookies were still warm. Cool them completely, and add powdered sugar if the frosting itself is loose.

Storage

Keep frosted cookies in a single layer in an airtight container. They keep at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Unfrosted cookies freeze for up to 2 months; thaw before frosting.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw dough, which contains raw flour and raw egg. Contains wheat, egg and milk; check sprinkles for allergens if serving children with allergies.