Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies
Don’t have Cupid’s bow and arrows handy? Try using these Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies for Valentine’s Day instead!
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Valentine’s Day is a strange holiday. I get it. But there’s something refreshing about all of the brightly colored red roses and decorations in the middle of winter. While modern Valentine’s celebrations center around roses, chocolates and cards, the holiday actually dates back to the Roman empire. Valentinus was a bishop in the mid 3rd-century who was caught marrying Christian couples at a time when aiding Christians was forbidden by the Roman emperor Claudius. He was put to death for these actions, but it wasn’t until the Middle Ages that his name became associated with the holiday. Sorry for the history lesson…I’m just completely fascinated by Roman history!
Speaking of Roman history, I took Latin throughout middle and high school. In my senior year, I took Latin IV, and our teacher gave us all nicknames from Roman and Greek mythology. For all of our Latin Club events, we’d dress in character. Fun, right? Well, unfortunately I didn’t end up as someone cool like Zeus or Poseidon. Nope, I ended up as Cupid. Seriously?
Can you picture being a guy in high school and ending up with Cupid as your Latin nickname for the year? But I wasn’t one to be deterred. I owned my role as Cupid! I had a white toga with red stripes down the side. But the best part is that I went and got a Nerf crossbow set. A little white and red spray paint later, and I had a weapon fit for a god! I think my Mom still has that Cupid’s Crossbow somewhere in her garage. I might need to bring that back with me soon. I’ve got plenty of matchmaking skills still left in me!
Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies
Frosted Soft Sugar CookiesA couple of days ago, I was in the grocery store and noticed the Lofthouse frosted sugar cookies. You know the ones I’m talking about right? The thick cake-like cookies with frosting and sprinkles. They show up for all of the big holidays…and I kinda enjoy them…a lot. Since I love to bake, I decided I needed to try making my own version of these frosted soft sugar cookies at home. And they turned out awesome!
I did pick up a couple of tips from my attempts at making these cookies. First, make sure to refrigerate the dough. This dough is super sticky, and refrigerating makes it a little easier to roll out. You will still need to flour the countertop generously, but the cold dough is easier to work with. Also, make sure to roll the dough out to about 1/4″. I made some of these cookies a little thicker (partially by mistake but also partially out of curiosity), and the flavor is just off. They taste more like a floury biscuit with frosting on top. Not bad…but also not what you’re looking for when you reach for a cookie. Oh, and these cookies will taste better several hours (or even the next day) after being baked. The powdered sugar in the frosting is a bit sharp for my tastes when first made…but it’ll taste better after it sits.
We took these cookies with us to the curling club, and they disappeared quickly. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did! As for me, I’m off to find my Cupid Crossbow. I’ve got some people to shoot…uh, I mean matchmaking to do!
Did you make a batch of these Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d leave to see your version!
Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
For the Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 drops red food coloring
- sprinkles and coarse sanding sugar for decoration
Instructions
- Using a countertop mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes on medium speed). Add the eggs, egg yolk, sour cream and vanilla. Mix just until blended.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (baking soda, baking powder and flour) until well combined.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the bowl; mix just until combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients.
- Refrigerate dough for 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Roll dough out on a well-floured countertop to 1/4" thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut desired shapes. Place cookies on lined baking sheets.
- Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes, or until edges turn light golden brown. Place cookies on a cooling rack until fully cooled.
For the Frosting
- Using a countertop mixer, beat together the powdered sugar and melted butter until well combined.
- Add the milk and vanilla; beat until combined. (Note: If the frosting is too thin, add an extra ¼ cup of powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add an extra tsp of milk.)
- Gradually add the red food coloring until frosting reaches desired color.
- Frost and decorate cookies.
Notes
Looking for more tasty cookie recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Way to own your Latin-name-for-the-year, David! So, when you and Mrs. Spiced have kids, any chance that y’all will all dress up in white togas with red stripes and carry spray painted Nerf crossbow sets – the first time y’all go trick or treating? 🙂
I love-hate sugar cookies – I love them because obviously they are just darn good and I hate them because they are just so darn good! Yours are super adorable and do I have to join y’alls curling team to get my hands on some?
Hahaha….well, when we have kids, there is a strong possibility that at least ONE of us will be dressed up as Cupid carrying a Nerf bow and arrow. Mrs. Spiced will be walking behind making sure that we don’t get into too much trouble. 😉 And yes, you have to join our curling team, Shashi! But I can promise it’s loads of fun, and we’ll shower you with all sorts of treats and cookies and cakes.
David, I love these!!! I need to make sugar cookies on Saturday for my girls. . totally going to try this recipe! and heart shaped anything is the way to my heart and my daughters for Valentine’s Day 🙂 just pinned this! love!!
Yay! Thanks so much, Alice. I love, love, love these cookies. If you do make these bad boys, remember to roll them out no more than 1/4″ thick. (I tried thicker, and they tasted like biscuits.) And the frosting tastes better if you let it sit for a few hours (day?) first…you know how powdered sugar frosting can be! Either way, I hope you and the girls have an awesome Valentine’s Day!!
OMG Cupid? Really Cupid? I’ll never stop laughing. Forget Grilling Troll you are Cupid for now on and that’s final! 😀
Cupid Troll? That doesn’t really work, Alpha! But if it means I get a free pass to run around and shoot other wolves with arrows…then count me in!
David, I need those sugar cookies in my life, like now!! They look SO puffy and moist, and that frosting though…need I say more?! Pinned!! 🙂
Yes! Thank you so much, Christina! I’m pretty sure I could have eaten all of these cookies…but we had to exercise some self-control and take them to our buddies at the curling club. 🙂 Happy Valentine’s Day!
I’ve actually never tried a Lofthouse cookie, but I’m a complete sucker for soft, chewy cookies, so I can’t imagine why these won’t be insanely delicious! P.S… CUPID?! Bwahaha! That’s just flippin’ adorable.
Oh man, Lofthouse cookies are pretty tasty. They’re different in that they’re soft and kinda bready…but they’re still tasty. The frosting is the key because the cookies don’t taste all that sweet by themselves. But as with any frosting, it tastes better if you let it sit for a few hours or even a day. Time to go find my bow and arrow…Cupid’s got work to do!
How cute are these. They would be really fun for kids to make too. And adults as well haha
Haha…I guess kids would love these, but I wouldn’t know since the adults ate all of these. Hahaha! Happy Valentine’s Day, Dannii!!
I totally appreciate the history lesson. And also these cookies! Looks like those store bought ones, but I am sure taste way better 🙂
Hehe…yeah, sorry I got carried away with the history lesson there. I guess the former Latin teacher in me came out there. But, yes, these cookies taste exactly like the store-bought ones…but way better. However, I noticed that these cookies needed to sit for like 12-24 hours before they really tasted amazing. The initial flavor of the powdered sugar frosting was way sweet (you know how powdered sugar frosting can be…), but it mellowed over time and then I couldn’t put these cookies down!
Can I have one.. or two.. ok, maybe three! They look gorgeous!
Funny story with Cupid, it make me remember my years of studying Latin – 4 years in total. Fortunately, our teacher wasn’t in for fun games so she didn’t give us any nicknames, just a lot of study, hours spent at the library and plenty of homeworks 😀
Booo on all of that homework, Oana! I mean, the work is important…but you gotta have fun it, too. I actually ended up teaching Latin for several years, and I like to think I mixed up the hard work with some fun stuff in there, too. I mean, come on…getting to dress up as Cupid and run around shooting people with a Nerf bow and arrow gun? Priceless!
Mate, you actually took Latin by choice?! Big props there, they cancelled that subject for us because no one elected it! Cupid- What a fitting name!
I actually love those kind of cookies but the ones here are so heavy on the frosting, your teeth hurt! (like the frosting to cookie ratio is like 100:1). These loook deicious!
Haha…I did indeed take Latin by choice! Now I can have a conversation with the Pope whenever he travels to upstate New York. (Since that happens quite often, you know.) Seriously, though, I loved it…and I ended up teaching Latin for several years, too. That is, until the school canceled it in favor of starting a Chinese program instead. Boooo!!
Yes, these cookies were awesome…so sweet, but so awesome! I had to limit myself to just one of these cookies at a time or otherwise I think I might have gone into a sugar coma.
So pretty! I make sugar cookies only during Christmas but I should really make them more often!
Thanks, Manali! Sugar cookies are one of those classics that totally deserve to show up all year long! All you gotta do is change the color of the sprinkles, and *boom* they’re perfect for whatever holiday is coming up. 🙂