The Softest Sugar Cookies Of Your Life From The Food Charlatan. Recipe

Experience the ultimate indulgence with this Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe that transforms classic flavors into irresistible treasures. Featuring a secret twist, these cookies emerge delicate yet wonderfully robust. Ideal for festive moments, they are the Best Sugar Cookies to delight family and friends with tender charm and truly unforgettable taste.

I always get excited whenever I whip up these soft sugar cookies from Food Charlatan. This recipe has quickly become one of my favorites cause it gives you cookies that hold their shape perfectly after baking.

The secret ingredient, sour cream, makes them unbelievably soft while adding a unique tang that complements the rich flavor from unsalted butter and granulated sugar. I mix together 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch before creaming the butter with sugar until its light and fluffy.

Then I incorporate a large egg at room temperature and a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Adding the sour cream turns out to be the gamechanger.

I love serving these cookies with the BEST buttercream frosting for sugar cookies or even royal icing. These are some of the best soft Christmas sugar cookies and soft sugar cookies I’ve ever made and they never disappoint.

Why I Like this Recipe

I love this recipe because first, it gives me cookies that always come out super soft and delicious. I appreciate that secret boost of sour cream—it makes the cookies so moist and full of flavor. I also really like how they hold their shape after baking, so I never end up with a sad, messy blob of dough. Plus, I enjoy that I can have fun frosting them with either buttercream or royal icing, depending on my mood.

This sugar cookies recipe has a neat little secret trick that makes the cookies the softest and most flavorful i’ve ever had. They come out of the oven looking just right, instead of turning into a big, unrecognizable mess. I mean, sometimes other recipes let you down but this one always does the job. And if you feel like cranking up the fun factor, just throw on your favorite buttercream frosting or royal icing and watch them become the hit at any get-together.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour provides structure to cookies with plenty of carbohydrates, though not high in fiber.
• Unsalted butter adds rich fats and flavor making the dough soft and tender.
• Granulated sugar sweetens the mix while giving cookies a tender melt in your mouth texture.
• Sour cream is the secret ingredient that adds moisture and a slight tang to balance sweetness.
• Cornstarch helps create extra soft texture by inhibiting gluten formation in the dough.
• Baking soda leavens cookies gently making them rise and adding slight airiness overall.
• Salt enhances flavors by balancing sweetness and intensifying other ingredients.
• Egg provides protein and structure while uniting ingredients into a smooth mixture.
• Vanilla extract adds aromatic flavor that makes cookies smell amazing and taste even better.

Ingredient Quantities

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream (the secret ingredient!)

How to Make this

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch until they’re well mixed.

3. In a separate large bowl, beat 1 cup softened unsalted butter with 1 cup granulated sugar until it’s light and fluffy.

4. Add 1 large egg (at room temperature), 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup sour cream to the butter and sugar; mix well until everything is combined.

5. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring until just combined, do not overmix or your cookies might come out tough.

6. Scoop out the dough with a tablespoon like a cookie scoop and place them on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart to give them room to spread a little bit.

7. Bake the cookies in your preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until the edges set and the cookies look soft in the middle.

8. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

9. Once the cookies are completely cool, frost them with your favorite buttercream or royal icing if you like.

10. Enjoy the softest, most flavorful sugar cookies of your life and share them (or not, they might disappear fast)!

Equipment Needed

1. Oven
2. Baking sheet
3. Parchment paper
4. Medium bowl
5. Whisk
6. Large bowl
7. Electric mixer (or a hand mixer if thats easier)
8. Measuring cups and spoons
9. Cookie scoop or tablespoon
10. Cooling rack

FAQ

The Softest Sugar Cookies Of Your Life From The Food Charlatan. Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• All-purpose flour – You can try using cake flour instead. It makes cookies a bit softer, but adjust the amount slightly cause cake flour is lighter.
• Unsalted butter – If you don’t have unsalted, go for salted butter. Just use a little less salt in your recipe so it don’t get too salty.
• Sour cream – No sour cream? Plain yogurt works almost as good and gives that similar tangy flavor.
• Cornstarch – You could swap cornstarch with arrowroot powder. They both help keep the cookies tender, so it’s a pretty good switch.

Pro Tips

1. Make sure your butter, egg, and sour cream are all at room temperature before you start mixing – cold ingredients can mess up the way your dough comes together.
2. Sift your flour, baking soda, salt and cornstarch in a bowl to get rid of any lumps, this make the final dough a lot smoother and more even.
3. When you mix the dry ingredients with the wet, only stir until you can’t see any flour – overmixing can make your cookies tough, so it’s okay if it still looks a little messy.
4. After you pull the cookies out of the oven, let them chill on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack – this helps them firm up without falling apart.