The Best Frosted Sugar Cookies – lofthouse-style
last updated 03/15/2026
If you love those irresistibly soft, thick frosted sugar cookies from the grocery store bakery, you’re going to fall in love with this homemade Lofthouse-style frosted sugar cookie recipe. This recipe comes from my sister-n-law. I have been making it for almost thirty years and it always gets rave reviews. These cookies are everything you want in a classic bakery sugar cookie—pillowy soft centers, lightly sweet vanilla flavor, and a fluffy layer of creamy frosting topped with colorful sprinkles. The best part? They’re easy to make at home with simple pantry ingredients and stay soft for days. Perfect for holidays, birthdays, bake sales, or anytime you need a cheerful cookie, these soft frosted sugar cookies bring that nostalgic bakery favorite right to your kitchen.
Why I love these cookies
Nothing gets eaten up faster than a frosted cookie at a tailgate party! It’s a fact. Actually, any gathering with children these cookies are a sure bet! I’ve done the research to prove it. Kids love frosted sugar cookies! Put them out at a football tailgate party and you’ll be the hit of the party! I have a confession. I hate making decorated cookies. I don’t have the patience to fuss. But you know what you don’t really need to decorate these, just frost them and add a few sprinkles and you are good to go! Heck don’t even bother with sprinkles. Since it’s Grandville’s Homecoming this weekend I chose to go way out of my comfort zone and decorate these cookies; all in the name of Bulldog Pride!! I know they’re not that amazing, but they got gobbled up so fast I don’t think anyone even noticed that I painstakingly decorated {can you say finger cramp?} them.
Gather these ingredients
How to make lofthouse-style sugar cookies
You can make the dough and bake it all in the same day but I suggest making the dough and chilling it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
Measure dry ingredients into a separate bowl: flour, salt, baking powder, and cream of tarter. Whisk to combine. Set this aside.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer add room temperature butter and sugars. Beat until light and fluffy.
Add vegetable oil and eggs. Mix until ingredients come together. Mixture will be very loose. Add vanilla extract. Scrape down sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Gradually add dry ingredients. Take time to scape sides and bottom of the bowl a couple times. When all of the dry ingredients have been added and dough is a smooth consistency. Do not be tempted to add more flour at this point the cookie dough is looser than most.
Get a 3-4 large pieces of plastic wrap out on your counter, divide cookie dough equally between the pieces of plastic wrap and wrap it tightly into round discs. Place in refrigerator for minimum of 2 hours and as long as 72 hours. Twenty-four hours is what I normally wait.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
When ready to bake, get out your cookie sheets, and line them with parchment paper. Decide what cookie cutters you want to use. I prefer to use cookie cutters that are less detail because these cookies are softer and will not hold any detail.
Remove one disc of cookie dough at a time from your refrigerator. Place dough on a well floured counter top.
Dust your rolling pin and roll cookie dough out to a thickness somewhere between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch thick. Dip cookie cutter in flour and cut out cookie shapes.
Carefully transfer cookies to cookie sheet. I like to use a spatula to do this. Leave at least an inch around each cookie. Place in preheated oven and bake for 8 -10 minutes. When cookies just barely start to brown around the edges take them out of the oven. Give it five and then remove them to a cooking rack. Repeat the process until all your cookies have been baked.
I have the yield of this recipe at 24 cookies, but it really depends on the size of your cookies. Twenty-four cookies gives you large cookies. You could easily get as many as 36 to 40 depending on size and if you are recycling your dough scraps, rolling them out, and cutting more cookies. See TIPS below for why not to put cut out cookies straight in the oven.
Keep in mind, this dough is tender. The more you work with it the softer it will get. This is why I say take each disc out of the refrigerator just before you want to roll it out. You can always throw your scraps in a bowl and put them in the refrigerator and at the end use all the scraps to do your last roll and cut.
Making frosting and frosting your cookies
Whip shortening and vanilla together in bowl add half of the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of half and half whip on high for 3 minutes or until fluffy add remaining sugar and liquid mix on high until fluffy about 5 minutes. (If you want you can divide frosting up into different bowls and add a few drops of gel food coloring to make a variety of colorful frosting.
I need to confess that sometimes {whisper} I buy fluffy white frosting. You heard me. {yelling} I buy the tubs. The little cute tubs that you can re-use for homemade play dough. When I’m in a hurry it’s so much easier. There it’s out. Ima cornercutter, frostingbuyer.
When cookies are completely cooled, frost, and decorate with sprinkles or decorative frosting.
Tips for Perfect Lofthouse-Style Sugar Cookies
- Use room temperature ingredients: Butter, eggs, and dairy mix more evenly and help create that soft, tender texture.
- Don’t put cut out cookies straight in the oven: If your dough gets too warm during the cut out process, put cut out cookie dough on a parchment line baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for 30 minutes. They will hold their shape better during baking.
- Don’t overbake . These cookies should remain pale on top. Just barely brown on the bottom edge. When you gently press your finger into the middle of a cookie it could not feel soggy it should feel baked, and hold up to the press. Overbaking will make them lose their signature soft texture.
- Do not skip chilling the dough. Chilling the dough helps the dough roll easily and keeps cookies thick.
- Use a light-colored baking sheet. Dark pans can cause the bottoms to brown too quickly.
- Let cookies cool completely before frosting. This keeps the frosting fluffy and prevents it from melting.
Variation
- Classic Almond Bakery Style – Add a touch of almond extract to both the cookie dough and frosting for that traditional bakery flavor. What is a touch? 1/4 teaspoon in the dough, and a drop of two in the frosting. A little goes a long way with almond extract.
- Holiday Sprinkle Cookies – Switch the frosting color and sprinkles for Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, or birthday parties.
- Chocolate Frosted Sugar Cookies – Swap vanilla frosting for chocolate buttercream.
- Funfetti Sugar Cookies – Mix rainbow sprinkles directly into the dough for colorful cookies.
- Lemon Sugar Cookies – Add a drop or two of lemon extract to the frosting for a bright twist. The sprinkle with yellow dusting sugar or non pareil sprinkles. What a fun bright cookie for a bridal shower or a baby shower.
FAQs
–Do I have to chill the dough? Chilling helps the dough set up for rolling out. There is also some science behind chilling any and all cookie dough. It’s called dough maturation. Chilling the dough solidifies fats, reduces excessive spreading, and hydrates flour, resulting in a more flavorful cookie.
–How do I keep sugar cookies soft? Store them in an airtight container with a slice of bread to maintain moisture.
–Can I make these cookies ahead of time? Yes! The cookies can be baked a day or two ahead and frosted before serving.
–Can I freeze frosted sugar cookies? Yes, these cookies freeze well with or without frosting when stored properly. With that said, I would recommend freezing unfrosted if you are making this for a special occasion as the frosting might get some condensation on it as it thaws causing frosting to appear spotty. However, if you are freezing them for lunches or just to keep from eating them they freeze just fine frosted.
That just about covers it all! Don’t wait for special occasions to make these frosted cookies. Make them now, today, very soon! Share them and spread some joy! And when you do, I’d love for you to leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review in the recipe card below—it helps others find the recipe and lets me know how they turned out in your kitchen. If you share your cookies on social media, be sure to tag me so I can see your beautiful creations. Now go forth and bake some cookies!!
From my table to yours with love,
Sheila
P.S. If these cookies made you smile, share them with a friend who loves a good frosted sugar cookie.
The Best Frosted Sugar Cookies – lofthouse-style
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cream tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 1/2 cups unbleached flour
Whipped White Frosting
- 1 cup vegetable shortening I use Crisco.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons half & half or milk (you may need more depending on consistency of your frosting)
Instructions
- Add butter and sugars to your mixing bowl, mix on high until creamed together and fluffy.
- Slowly drizzle in oil beating as you go until oil is incorporated, add vanilla. Add one whole egg plus a yolk beat until combined and creamy.
- In a separate bowl add dry ingredients gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet until cookie dough forms a ball. Dough will be looser than most cookie dough so don't skip this next step.
- Separate dough into three portions. Wrap the ball of cookie dough in plastic wrap or place in a zip-loc bag. Refrigerate dough for 3 hours or over night is best. (I have refrigerated for as long as 72 hours.) 24 hours is best.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Lightly dust countertop with flour take the dough, place on top of flour, dust with more flour and slowly begin to roll out dough. As is warms it will be come more pliable, when it's really cold it can tend to break. Roll dough out to 1/3 of an inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters or use a glass to cut out round cookies. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet for 5 minutes before removing to baking rack.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting directions
- Whip shortening and vanilla together in bowl add half of the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of half and half whip on high for 3 minutes or until fluffy add remaining sugar and liquid mix on high until fluffy about 5 minutes. When cookies are cooled, frost, and decorate with sprinkles or decorative frosting.
I’m so sorry for your loss and for your daughter’s. There really isn’t anyone cancer hasn’t touched, at least indirectly. I found you by searching #OXOGoodCookie since I just posted my own decorated cookies. What a coincidence that you chose to go out of your comfort zone with your cookies–I said almost the same thing in my post! I love that big round cutter, because if you’re gonna have a cookie, you may as well *really* have a cookie! 🙂
Hello! Thank you so much for saying Hi! And taking the time to seek out other GoodCookie posters. I’m with ya, if you’re gonna have a cookie, well then lets have a cookie!!! XO sheila
This is not on topic exactly but I went to a food blogging conference over the weekend and one of the presentations was an hour of scolding for every time we didn’t eat organic or bought something that traveled more than 25 miles. I thought about my life as a single working mother with a boy who played football, did competitive skating (yes, all 220 lbs of him) and my daughter was in everything. I was lucky they got fed at all some nights. I would have bought tub frosting too and by gosh they’d better like it.
Nice cookies. 🙂
YEAH! you went to a blogging conference! How fun….but bummer about the scolding, that is not fun. Hope the rest of the time was well spent. My kids like “bought” frosting better too! I am not a frosting person, so I’d rather just buy it than mess with making it. But once in a while I do make it…. ;D and lick my fingers!