These no-roll Valentine’s Day sugar cookies are a homemade, and dare I say, better version of the traditional Lofthouse cookies. This recipe is universal to any holiday, just switch out your frosting color and seasonal sprinkles!
No holiday potluck would feel complete without that container of thickly frosted festive Lofthouse cookies, right? But this year I got to thinking that I could definitely make these bad boys myself. They were easier than I thought, and I am so happy with how they turned out.
Usually, I steer away from making sugar cookies because I am wholly uninterested in rolling out cookie dough and cutting them into shapes. I’m all for going all out in the kitchen, but for whatever reason rolling out dough is where I draw the line. But have no fear, these are simple and take very little effort to get a perfect shape every time!
This particular cookie dough is thick and cakey. The secret? Using cake flour, sour cream, and cream of tartar. The cake flour and sour cream give these cookies a more dense, filling kind of texture than your standard cookie, while the cream of tartar helps to level it out by keeping it fluffy at the same time. Cake flour is easily found at most grocery stores, and Swan Downs is the gold standard.
Once your dough is made, it will be really sticky. Waiting for cookie dough to chill is annoying, but is definitely a necessary step for these cookies. About 10 minutes in the freezer is all the time needed to chill the dough and is just the right amount of time to get frosting made.
I made a classic buttercream, in Valentine’s Day red, and it is the perfect topping for these cookies. AmeriColor is my favorite brand of gel coloring- it is affordable and so easy to use. I also found heart-shaped sprinkles at Walmart, which oddly enough is always where I find the best selection of baking supplies.
After trying a couple of different techniques, I found that rolling the dough balls between my hands to make them smooth and then lightly pressing the tops down with the bottom of a glass cup gave me the perfect round cookie. They don’t change shape a whole lot while they bake, so they need to go into the oven smooth and symmetrical.
These cookies need between 8 and 10 minutes to bake at 400° F. They should be the faintest shade of gold on the bottom edges, but will be soft to the touch. Let them set for about 10 minutes before transferring them off the baking sheet, and let them cool completely before frosting them.
Load these no-roll Valentine’s Day sugar cookies with your homemade buttercream and decorate with sprinkles while the frosting is still wet.
Check out my other absolute favorite, gooey s’mores cookies, here!
No Roll Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- stand mixer or handheld mixer
- silicone baking mats or parchment paper
- baking sheets
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1/2 C unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 C sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 C sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 3 C cake flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 C unsalted butter
- 3 C powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch salt
- 4-6 tsp milk add one at a time until you get the frosting to a consistency you like
- food coloring
- holiday or festive sprinkles
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream the butter until it is completely smooth. Add the sour cream and sugar, and mix until there are no clumps. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract
- In a separate bowl, mix the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt
- Slowly add a little of the dry mixture to the wet at a time and mix, ensuring it is fully encorporated. The dough should be thick and sticky. Place the mixing bowl of dough in the fridge for 10-15 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 400° F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Scoop out the cookie dough in about 1 tbsp balls. Roll them gently between your hands to create smooth round balls. Once they are lined up on a baking sheet, gently press the tops of them flat with the bottom of a glass cup
- Bake for 9 minutes. They should be soft to the touch but after 5-10 minutes will set to the appropriate texture. Cool cookies completely before frosting them
Buttercream Frosting
- In a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat the butter until it is completely smooth with no lumps. Add 1 C of powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tsp of milk. Mix until the powdered sugar is smooth
- Continue adding 1 C of powdered sugar and 1 tsp of milk and then mixing until you've incorporated all of the powdered sugar. Add 1 tsp of milk at a time until you've reached a desired consistency for the frosting
- Add 2-3 drops of food coloring to the desired amount of frosting and mix until the color is no longer streaky
- Frost the cooled sugar cookies and top with festive sprinkles while the icing is still wet
