Soft, chewy, and perfectly sweet, these homemade pink Lofthouse cookies are reminiscent of the grocery store version but so much more delicious!

These are SO much fun to make and enjoy, especially if you have little ones who adore the store-bought version of these super-soft sugar cookies.

Copycat Lofthouse Cookies

We all know them and most of us love them! Lofthouse cookies are a sort of guilty pleasure. They are just so irresistible, with the super moist and chewy texture, the best sweet sugar cookie flavor, and pillowy, thick frosting. Plus, sprinkles make everything better, and you can’t have Lofthouse cookies without sprinkles. You just can’t!

You’ve likely seen the original Lofthouse cookies at your grocery store — pretty much every one stocks them. They’re often topped with different colored frostings, but you can’t miss the signature golden, round cookies with generous icing on top. Kiddos love them, and let’s be real, adults do, too.

I love to make them from scratch because they are way easier than you’d expect, and I know exactly what’s going in them. As good as the grocery store ones are, there’s just something extra special and delicious about the homemade version. It makes them less of a guilty pleasure, and more just a plain and simple pleasure. That, I can get behind!

What Are Lofthouse Cookies?

Everyone’s seen Lofthouse cookies at the grocery store I’m fairly certain! They’re the super soft, chewy sugar cookies usually on display in see-through plastic containers at the front of the store — at least when I’ve seen them! They’re a hit with kids (okay, and adults, too), and they’re just the softest, best sugar cookies with creamy, thick, colorful frosting on top.

Recipe Ingredients:

For the cookies themselves, you’ll need:

Butter: All good cookie require butter!

Sugar: And of course, sugar is necessary for sugar cookies. 🙂

Egg: An egg will help to bind the dough and help the cookies to rise.

Sour cream: Sour cream is unexpected but adds great moisture and just a touch of tartness to balance the sweet.

Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds warmth.

Almond extract: Almond is optional but recommended for an extra dose of nutty flavor.

Flour: Flour is the base starch in these cookies.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch makes the cookies more crumbly, but not fall apart.

Baking powder and soda: This duo helps the dough to get nice and puffy as it bakes.

Cream of tartar: This gives the cookies a distinct tangy flavor and keeps them soft.

Salt: Salt brings out the sweetness and balances the other ingredients.

To make the frosting, make sure you have:

Butter: Butter makes this frosting extra creamy and rich.

Vanilla extract: Vanilla gives it a touch of warmth so it’s not all sugar.

Almond extract: Almond isn’t mandatory but recommended for a warm and nutty kick.

Powdered sugar: This is what flavors the frosting and makes it thick.

Cream: Cream smooths and lightly thins the frosting.

Food coloring: Use a few drops of red food coloring to get a pretty pink frosting like the photos in this post. You can also use any other food coloring instead if you prefer!

Sprinkles: Sprinkles are necessary and oh-so-much fun!

How to Make Lofthouse Sugar Cookies:

Lofthouse cookies are surprisingly easy and so much fun to make!

Cookies: Beat the butter and sugar about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs, and beat about 1 minute.
Add the sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract, and stir to combine.
Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt; mix until combined.
Cover the top of the dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop a tablespoon of dough into your hands; roll it into a ball between your palms.
Place the ball on the cookie sheet; repeat with remaining dough to fill 12 to a sheet.
Press the dough until it’s about 3/4 of an inch thick.
Bake about 10 minutes.
Rest cookies for 5 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack.
Let the cookies cool completely before icing.
Icing: Beat the butter, vanilla, and almond extract until creamy.
Add powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of cream; beat about 2 minutes.
Beat in the red food coloring until you reach your desired pink color.
Add additional cream until mixture is the consistency you like.
Spread the top of the cookies with icing; decorate with sprinkles.
Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Tips for the Best Cookies:

Lofthouse cookies are the best! Here are some simple tips to remember when you make them:

Use the almond extract: Technically it’s optional, but almond extract adds the best, subtle nutty flavor to the cookies and frosting both. Use it if you have it!
Don’t skip chilling the dough: Chilling the dough is necessary because it helps the cookies not to spread out too much as they bake, keeping them puffy and soft.
Sprinkles aren’t optional: Sprinkles make these so much fun and like the cookies you’d find at the store! Don’t skip them. 🙂

Decorating Ideas:

You can’t go wrong with the classic frosting + sprinkles combo to decorate your Lofthouse cookies. But if you want to get even fancier, you can try:

Multiple colored frostings: Separate the white frosting into different bowls and add various food coloring colors to the different bowls for multicolored cookies.
Fun designs: Use a variety of colored frosting and edible decorations to make silly faces, game balls, or animals out of the cokies.

How to Store these Cookies:

These cookies store well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you stack them, be sure to only stack up to two layers, and don’t press the top layer down onto the bottom layer. You don’t want to squish the frosting or stick the cookies together.

Love cookies? Me too! Give these cookie recipes a try: