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Sourdough Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 12 cookies
Course: Dessert
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
 
 

Dough
  • 250 g All purpose flour
  • 100 g fresh sourdough discard (3 days old or less)
  • 120 g granulated sugar
  • 110 g unsalted butter 8 TBSP
  • 75 g sour cream
  • 24 g cornstarch
  • 6 g baking powder
  • 2 g baking soda
  • 3 g salt
  • 6 g vanilla
  • 2 g almond extract optionsal
Frosting
  • 200 g powdered sugar
  • 80 g unsalted butter room temperature
  • 20 g milk
  • 4 g vanilla
  • Pinch of salt
  • Food coloring optional
  • sprinkles

Method
 

Cream the butter and sugar
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter and granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth, light, and creamy.
  2. Add the vanilla extract and optional almond extract, and mix until combined.
  3. Next, add the sour cream and sourdough discard. Mix until everything is incorporated. The mixture may look slightly curdled or separated at this stage, which is normal.
Add the dry ingredients
  1. Place the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a sifter.
  2. Sift the dry ingredients directly into the bowl with the wet ingredients.
  3. Using a spatula, gently fold everything together until a soft, uniform cookie dough forms and no dry streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix, as this can make the cookies less tender.
Roll and cut the cookies
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Lightly flour your work surface and transfer the cookie dough onto it.
  3. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough to approximately ¼ inch thick, depending on how thick you'd like your cookies. They do rise a lot, so keep that in mind when shaping.
  4. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, then carefully transfer them to your prepared baking sheet, leaving approximately 1–2 inches between each cookie.
  5. These cookies should spread only slightly while baking, so cut them close to the size you'd like the finished cookies to be.
  6. You can bake the cookies immediately, or refrigerate the dough if you'd like to develop more sourdough flavor.
    If the dough feels too soft or sticky to roll and cut, refrigerate it for 20–30 minutes before continuing.
Bake the cookies
  1. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for approximately 10–12 minutes, or until the tops appear set and the bottoms are just beginning to turn lightly golden.
  2. Avoid overbaking! Lofthouse cookies are known for their soft, tender texture, so you want the tops to remain fairly pale.
  3. Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare the buttercream frosting
  1. While the cookies cool, prepare the frosting.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
  3. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
  4. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat until the frosting is light, smooth, and fluffy.
  5. If the frosting is too thick, add a small splash of milk. If it's too thin, add a little more powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.
  6. Add a few drops of food coloring, if desired, and mix until the color is evenly distributed.
Frost and Decorate
  1. Once the cookies have cooled completely, spread a generous layer of vanilla buttercream frosting over each cookie using a butter knife or offset spatula.
  2. Finish with your favorite sprinkles, and enjoy!

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