Sour Cream Cookies

Why You’ll Love It

They’re really easy to make: You don’t have to be an experienced baker to get brilliant results from this sour cream cookies recipe. They’re a breeze to whip up.
The cookie flavor is so good: You’re going to love how these taste. The vanilla is so delicious and the sweet buttercream frosting pairs beautifully with the soft cookies.
You can make them your own: You can change up the flavors, perhaps adding citrus zest to the dough or changing the flavor and/or color of the frosting.

Sour Cream Cookie Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

All-purpose flour: I used unbleached flour. You can use that or regular flour.
Baking powder and baking soda: To get the cookie texture just right.
Salt: A pinch of salt brings out the cookie sweetness.
Sour cream: A key ingredient in sour cream cookies.
Vanilla extract: Flavors both the cookie dough and the buttercream frosting.
Powdered sugar: For the frosting (granulated sugar would be too crunchy and grainy).
Freeze dried strawberries: For a strawberry flavor and pink color in the frosting.
Food coloring: To color the frosting. Use any color(s) you have.

How to Make Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Preheat oven: Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Combine the wet ingredients: Mix the butter and granulated sugar, then mix in the egg, and then the sour cream and vanilla extract.
Combine both mixtures: Mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture.
Scoop the dough balls: Scoop the dough into balls using a cookie scoop. Arrange on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Cook them: Bake the cookies until golden brown at the edges, then let them cool completely.
Make the frosting: Cream the butter with a hand mixer, then add the powdered sugar and milk, alternating them. Divide the frosting between 2 bowls.
Color the frosting: Mix food coloring into one and crushed freeze-dried strawberries into the other.
Frost the cookies: Put the one with food coloring in a piping bag and frost half the completely cooled cookies. Use an offset spatula to frost the rest of the cookies with the strawberry frosting.

Substitutions and Variations

Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free flour. Baking soda is gluten-free already and most baking powders are (check the label to make sure).
Salted butter: If you only have salted butter for the cookie dough, use that and reduce the amount of added salt by half.
Different frosting flavors: Add some maple syrup, almond extract, lemon extract, a splash of rum, or similar.
Zest them up: Add lemon, orange or lime zest to the cookie dough.
Toppings: Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top or add any edible decorations you want.

Serving Suggestions

As a snack: Enjoy sour cream cookies as a sweet snack with state fair style lemonade or a glass of homemade Italian limoncello.
For dessert: Serve them for dessert, perhaps after some slow cooker chicken stew or hibachi steak.
As part of a cookie tray: Present these on a platter with other cookies, maybe almond chocolate chip cookies or these chocolate roll cookies.

How to Store Sour Cream Cookies

Store: Keep the frosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and eat within 5 days.
Freeze: You can freeze sour cream cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months but, if freezing, don’t frost them first.
Thaw: Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight and then frost them.