Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies add so much fun to bake during the holidays!  Colorful icing, pretty sprinkles, fun shapes!  With Valentines Day coming up, I thought I'd mix up a batch of these soft, tender cookies.  This recipe mixes up and tastes different than many other sugar cookie recipes.  It has a cakier texture and not quite as sweet, which is a nice complement to a sweet frosting.  The cookies puff up beautifully and stay so soft!  These are not an easy cookie for doing fancy decorating.  If I'm in the mood to add borders and designs, I use a cookie recipe that stays flat and more crisp. 

You can use any frosting you like for these, but frosting is a breeze to make.  I'll post my recipe below if you'd like to try it.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1 C. sugar

2 eggs

1 C. soured cream (cream that has gone sour - not sour cream like you'd put on a baked potato)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

3-3 1/2 C. flour

Cream sugar and eggs, add soured cream and vanilla.  Mix well then add all dry ingredients.  Add up to 1/3 C. more flour if it seems too soft.  It should be a soft, sticky dough... it will firm up enough to handle as it chills.  Chill at least 1 hour.  Roll on a well floured surface to about 1/3 inch.  Cut into shapes and place on ungreased baking sheet. (They do stick though, so if you'd like, try spraying the sheet with cooking spray first) Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.   Cool and then frost.  

Joy's Frosting directions....

1 C. butter or margarine, softened (or a combination of both)

5 C. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 C. milk

Beat butter until smooth, add powdered sugar and mix until no large clumps of butter remain.  Add vanilla and milk.  Beat until smooth.  Check the texture... you want it to be soft enough to spread and swirl with a knife.  If it looks too thin - add 1/4 C. more powdered sugar at a time until it's the texture you want.  If too thick - add milk 1 T. at a time until desired consistency.  Keep covered so a crust doesn't form. 

Joy's Notes:  I love, love, love! this cookie and icing!   If you don't have soured cream in the fridge, to each cup of cream needed, add 2 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice and then use as directed in recipe.  Today I used 1/2 yogurt and 1/2 cream and it worked great.  The cream is providing the fat in the dough though, so if you're substituting, be sure you still have some fat in there... whole milk or full fat yogurt, etc.   Really - be prepared for the dough to be somewhat sticky even after chilling.  Flour your hands and keep any surface or utensils you are using floured.  The frosting is just directions.  I like using almond flavoring sometimes - or even lemon.  It is so smooth and buttery tasting.

You MAY want to hide these after they're frosted so you can ration them out.  It is really easy to eat several at a time.  Not that I'd be caught doing that.  :o)   ENJOY!  ... and Happy Valentines Day!

 

Look how puffy these are right out of the oven.  Beautiful!