Sugar cookies bake up soft and cakey

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This article was published 02/03/2016 (3825 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jodi Wurch wrote in looking for a recipe for Lofthouse-style sugar cookies, which can be found in the bakery section of many supermarkets. These are very soft, very cakey sugar cookies iced and decorated for various holidays. (Currently, you’ll find green for St. Patrick’s Day and pastels for spring.)

I scoured the Internet, where there are a number of copycat recipes. Most of them use an unusual amount of leavening for a cookie recipe, and almost all swear by the generous addition of sour cream.

Thanks also to Nola Wiechman-Praznik, who sent in a family favourite that she and her daughter often use. This recipe is not as cakey as the Lofthouse version, but it is a lovely version of the classic, vanilla-infused soft sugar cookie.

It might not feel like it this week, but spring is coming, so please send in seasonal recipe requests. If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you’d like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 204-697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

 

Lofthouse-Style Soft Sugar Cookies

1.5 L (6 cups) all-purpose flour
7 ml (11/2 tsp) baking powder
5 ml (1 tsp) baking soda
2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
250 ml (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
250 ml (1 cup) sour cream
430 ml (13/4 cups) granulated sugar
2 eggs
10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla

Icing:
250 ml (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla
1 L (4 cups) icing sugar
Pinch salt
90 ml (6 tbsp) heavy cream, or more
Food colouring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 205 C (400 F). Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sour cream on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add dry ingredients in three additions, beating at low speed after each until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.

For the drop cookies, use damp hands to roll dough into 5-cm (2-inch) balls and place on prepared cookie sheet. Using a flat-bottomed glass, gently press flat. For cut-out cookies, cover the dough and chill for at least 45 minutes. On lightly floured surface, roll out to about 6 mm (1/4 inch) thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut cookies and place on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes, watching very carefully. (The tops should just be set and the bottoms just starting to brown.) Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make icing: Meanwhile, in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and vanilla at medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Continue beating while slowly adding icing sugar and salt. Continue to beat until creamy, about 3 more minutes, then add cream, 15 ml (1 tbsp) at a time, to reach desired consistency. Beat at medium-high speed for about 2 more minutes until light and fluffy. Add food colouring, if desired, and beat until combined. Ice cooled cookies and add sprinkles, if desired. Store cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature, layers separated by wax paper, for up to 3 days.

Tester’s notes: This is a soft dough, so you do need to chill it if you want to roll it out. Stick to simple shapes if using cookie cutters: these cakey cookies puff up, so detail will be lost. Like most sugar cookies, these need to be watched carefully when baking as they scorch very easily – and the bottoms can scorch before there’s any sign of burning on top.

When it came to decorating, I just went all-in with pink icing and sprinkles.

 

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

1.1 L (41/2 cups) all-purpose flour
22 ml (41/2 tsp) baking powder
3 ml (3/4 tsp) salt
375 ml (11/2 cups or 3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
375 ml (11/2 cups) granulated sugar
3 eggs
25 ml (5 tsp) vanilla

For the frosting:
1.25 L (5 cups) icing sugar, sifted
75 ml (1/3 cup or 5 1/3 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
15 ml (1 tbsp) vanilla
About 100 ml (7-8 tbsp) milk, plus more, as needed
Food colouring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 175 C (350 F). To make very large cookies, scoop a scant 60 ml (1/4 cup) dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 5-7 cm (2-3 inches) apart. Bake about 10-12 minutes (or about 8-10 minutes if making smaller cookies — see notes) or just until set. (Do not overbake! The edges should be no more than very lightly golden, if at all.) Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies, place the sifted icing sugar in a medium bowl. Add melted butter, vanilla and milk, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 5 ml (1 tsp) at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Tint with food colouring if desired. Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies. (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.) Top with sprinkles if desired. Store in an airtight container.

Tester’s notes: Based on a recipe from Nola’s daughter’s favourite food blog, Annie’s Eats, these cookies get rave reviews whenever they make them. They are not as cakey as Lofthouse cookies, but they are tender and soft. I love the bold use of vanilla. Nola advises flavouring the frosting with either lemon or orange, which takes the cookies to another level. She also makes them using a small cookie scoop, which yields about four dozen cookies. You can also roll out the dough for cut-out cookies.

Make sure to sift the icing sugar for the frosting, or you’ll have a devil of a time with lumps.