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Lofthouse Soft Sugar Cookies with Strawberry Frosting

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Soft, pillowy Lofthouse-style sugar cookies topped with an easy strawberry frosting. These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are ultra-sweet and just like the beloved store-bought cookies!

Lofthouse Soft Sugar Cookies

Ah, the grocery store sugar cookies that we all hate to love (or love to hate). You know the ones. They’re thick, soft, and so sweet they make your mouth hurt. But we wouldn’t have it any other way! After all, there’s just something about a big, frosted cookie that puts a smile on my face.

So I took my favorite sugar cookie recipe, replaced the granulated sugar with powdered sugar, and (with a few other swaps) landed on these homemade Lofthouse-Style Cookies! And let me tell you, the texture is so good –  tender and soft, just like the ones from the store!

The powdered sugar is key to the pillowy texture of these cookies. As well as chilling the dough for the perfect cookie thickness. I made these cookies big and topped them with a pink strawberry frosting for maximum Lofthouse-ness, because it seems the store-bought cookies always have pink frosting. If you’re not fond of strawberry, you can flavor the frosting any way you’d like. Lemon and orange would both be amazing. Whatever flavor you choose, I have no doubt you will love these!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

  • Plant-based butter adds moisture and buttery flavor to the cookies + makes up the bulk of the frosting.
  • Powdered sugar gives these cookies their soft, tender texture. You absolutely must use powdered sugar in order to get the right cookie texture. Plus, you’ll need it for the frosting!
  • Egg binds the ingredients together.
  • Vanilla extract adds flavor to both the cookies and frosting. Feel free to replace it with another extract – orange, lemon, strawberry, etc.
  • Salt 
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Corn starch helps create a more cake-like cookie.
  • All-purpose flour is my go-to cookie flour for classic cookies.
  • Freeze-dried strawberries are ground up into a powder to flavor and color the frosting. If you plan to make a different flavor of frosting, you’ll omit the strawberries.
Yield: 16 Cookies

Lofthouse Soft Sugar Cookies with Strawberry Frosting

Lofthouse Soft Sugar Cookies with Strawberry Frosting

Soft, pillowy Lofthouse-style sugar cookies topped with an easy strawberry frosting! These dairy-free cookies are melt-in-your-mouth good!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 54 minutes

Ingredients

Cookies

  • 2/3 cup plant-based butter, softened (see Note 1)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Strawberry Frosting

  • 1/2 cup plant based butter, softened (see Note 1)
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2/3 cup freeze-dried strawberries, crushed and sifted (see Note 2)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3-4 Tbsp plant-based milk

Instructions

  1. Make the Cookies: in a large bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy and totally mixed. Beat in the eggs and then the vanilla extract. Beat in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and corn starch. Use a large spoon or spatula to gently mix in the flour until well incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for 2-3 hours, or until it's firm enough to roll up.
  2. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet (or 2) with parchment paper. Scoop dough balls (I baked 6 per batch/baking sheet) 3 Tbsp in size. Roll dough balls smooth and flatten to a hockey puck shape. Return the leftover dough to the refrigerator.
  3. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 6-8 minutes or just until the middles no longer look wet. If desired, immediately use the back of a spoon to gently re-shape the cookies to "perfect" circles. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
  4. Continue the rolling, flattening, and baking process until all cookies are baked, being sure you always bake on a room temperature baking sheet. Allow the baked cookies to cool completely before making the frosting.
  5. Make the Frosting: in a medium bowl, beat together the butter, freeze-dried strawberry powder, and vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar and 1-2 Tbsp of milk. Beat until combined, adding more milk as necessary to get a spreadable frosting.
  6. Begin frosting the cooled cookies, adding sprinkles along the way, if desired. The frosting will begin to set a bit as you frost, so you'll need to add sprinkles as you go along.
  7. Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container. I found these cookies to be softer the day after baking (as long as they're sealed up)!

Notes

  1. You can use plant-based butter in stick or tub form. When using tub "butter", you won't need to set it out at room temperature for very long as it will soften very quickly - I've even used it straight from the refrigerator!
  2. Blend or crush 2/3 cup of freeze-dried strawberries. Sift it through a mesh sifter and use the fine powder in the frosting. Toss out the chunky bits.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

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Orange Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies (dairy-free)

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These orange-flavored Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with olive oil instead of traditional butter, and they are out of this world delicious. The sweet orange zest and fruity olive oil pair so well with the semi-sweet chocolate chips in these brown sugar-heavy cookies!

Orange Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Few things are better than warm, fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. Add orange zest and extra brown sugar and you’ve got what may be my new favorite cookie! These cookies rely on olive oil for their fat, which helps create a cookie that’s tender on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside, and there’s no way you can eat just one. I made these cookies substantial in size and added extra chocolate chips to get more of “bakery cookie” look and feel.

Since these cookies are made with a liquid oil, chilling the dough is necessary for a thicker cookie. You can technically bake this dough as soon as it’s mixed, but your cookies will be thin and crispy (and still delicious). After three batches, I can confidently say that I much prefer the thicker cookie. I allowed my dough to chill overnight for maximum flavor, but 3 hours should be all you need to stiffen the dough enough to bake!

Yield: 10-11 Cookies

Orange Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Orange Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Big, orange-flavored chocolate chip cookies made with olive oil instead of traditional butter! The orange zest and semi-sweet chocolate chips pair so well with the fruity olive oil in these brown sugar-heavy cookies!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg, room temp (see Note 1)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/4 cup unrefined cane sugar (or white granulated sugar)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp orange extract (see Note 2)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
  • Zest from 1 large orange

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and sugars. Whisk in the olive oil until totally combined - this will take a few seconds.
  2. Whisk in the extracts and then the baking soda and salt. Use a large wooden spoon or spatula to gently mix in the flour.
  3. Finally, mix in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips (reserving the other 1/4 cup for pressing into the dough balls) and the orange zest. Cover and chill the dough for 3 hours or overnight.
  4. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop and roll six dough balls 3 Tbsp in size, and then place the remaining dough back into the refrigerator.
  5. Press extra chocolate chips (optional) into the dough balls and place them on the baking sheet. Bake cookies at 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until the edges have just started to brown. If the cookies need even more chocolate chips, press them in as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. Then allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
  6. Allow your baking sheet to cool (or transfer the parchment paper to another baking sheet) and repeat steps 4-5 to bake up the rest of the dough.
  7. Sprinkle orange zest over the baked cookies. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

  1. You can bring your egg to room temperature by placing it in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes.
  2. I highly recommend picking up orange extract from the baking aisle at your grocery store. It adds so much flavor to any recipe that calls for orange flavor! If you don't have any on hand, replace it with more vanilla extract + add more orange zest.
  3. For extra circular cookies, use the back of a spoon to gently manipulate the cookies' shape as soon as you take them out of the oven. Obviously this is optional (and simply something I like to do before taking photos)!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

11

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 279Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 174mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 2gSugar: 23gProtein: 3g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

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Inside Out Peanut Butter Blossoms (dairy-free)

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Dark chocolate thumbprint cookies filled with sweet peanut butter frosting “kisses”. These Inside Out Peanut Butter Blossoms are the “inside out” version of the popular Christmas cookie!

Inside Out Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut butter and chocolate. A classic combo that’s known to get people really excited. I’m one of those people. And these cookies are an absolute dream. Soft dark chocolate cookies coated in crunchy sugar and “filled” with the easiest peanut butter frosting. Pipe the frosting to resemble the chocolate kisses of the original peanut butter blossoms, and I promise that these cookies will excite any chocolate + peanut butter lover.

These cookies come together quickly and easily (no chilling!!) and then the frosting is made up of runny peanut butter and powdered sugar. Get out your piping bag and a Wilton 2A tip and start practicing those peanut butter “kisses”! And if you’re not the best piper (hello, it’s me), don’t worry. The frosting is thick and pliable (not sticky) so you can re-pipe the kisses as many times as you need to – you can literally peel them out of the thumbprints and add the frosting back to your piping bag without a mess! The result is a stunning little cookie, perfect for any movie night or small gathering.

Ingredients You’ll Need + Substitutes

  • Dutch-process cocoa powder is richer in flavor and darker in color than regular cocoa powder. It really elevates the chocolate flavor of these cookies! Hershey’s Special Dark is what I use as it’s affordable and easily available!
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Sugar sweetens the cookies AND decorates them. For the cookie dough, you can mix in white granulated sugar, coconut sugar, or unrefined cane sugar. For rolling the dough balls, you want to use white granulated sugar.
  • Egg binds the cookies together. For a vegan option, you can use a flax egg – mix 1 Tbsp of flaxseed meal with 3 Tbsp of warm water; allow to thicken for 5 minutes.
  • Olive oil is my go-to baking oil (you won’t taste it in these cookies). Avocado oil or light olive oil would work as well.
  • Peanut butter makes up the frosting kisses. You’ll want to use runny “natural” peanut butter made with only peanuts and salt. In order to get the perfect frosting, the peanut butter must be room temperature (in its runny state).
  • Powdered sugar thickens and sweetens the peanut butter. If you’re looking for something less sweet, you can replace 1 Tbsp of the sugar with a starch such as arrowroot.
Yield: 13 Cookies

Inside Out Peanut Butter Blossoms

Inside Out Peanut Butter Blossoms

Dark chocolate thumbprint cookies filled with sweet peanut butter frosting "kisses". These festive cookies are the inside out version of your favorite peanut butter blossoms!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cookies

  • 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (coconut, unrefined cane, or white cane)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup white granulated sugar (for rolling)

Peanut Butter Filling

  • 1/2 cup natural runny peanut butter (made with just peanuts and salt), room temp (see Note 1)
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, and olive oil. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix until totally combined.
  4. Add 1/3 cup of white granulated sugar to a small bowl/dish. Begin scooping dough balls (6 at a time) 1.5 Tbsp in size. Roll the dough balls smooth and then roll each one in the granulated sugar until well coated.
  5. Bake the sugared dough balls at 350°F for 5 minutes. Immediately press light "thumbprints" into the center of each hot cookie (I used the cap of my vanilla extract bottle). Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Then, re-press each thumbprint to make a deeper well. Repeat until all cookies are baked.
  6. Once the cookies are cool, make the frosting by combining the peanut butter and powdered sugar in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Heat the frosting for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
  7. Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 2A tip. Pipe peanut butter "kisses" into each of the cookie thumbprints. If you mess up, don't fret; the frosting is thick enough that you can pull it off, add it back to the piping bag, and pipe it again without making a mess - yes, I did this multiple times!
  8. After you've piped all of the kisses, you can use your fingers to gently twist the tips of each kiss for a cleaner, pointier look.
  9. Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container.

Notes

  1. Your peanut butter must be in its runny, room temperature state in order to get the perfect frosting consistency. If you use cold, thick PB, then your kisses won't hold their shape after being piped.
  2. The cookies won't spread much in the oven, so you will flatten them out when making the thumbprints.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

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Molasses Sprinkle Cookies (dairy-free)

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Soft & chewy Molasses Sprinkle Cookies made extra fun & festive with sprinkles! This easy, one-bowl recipe is especially kid-friendly (hello, sprinkles!), but the molasses flavor will have both kids and adults swooning over these sparkly holiday cookies!

Molasses Sprinkle Cookies

I know, I know. There are A LOT of chewy molasses cookie recipes out there. And that’s because a good molasses cookie filled with warm, cozy spices is just what we all want for the holiday season! Add sprinkles and you’ve got one festive cookie that’s just begging to be the star of your cookie exchange. Seriously, these Molasses Sprinkle Cookies are delicious. They’re loaded with molasses flavor and the soft, chewy texture paired with the crunch of the sprinkles couldn’t be more perfect.

For maximum recipe success (i.e. to get cookies instead of a puddle of burnt dough) you will have to chill this cookie dough for at least two hours. The good news? The recipe is one-bowl and comes together very quickly – no mixer required! Whip up the cookie dough and throw that baby in the refrigerator. Leave it overnight or sort your sprinkles while you wait! I promise it’s worth it! And if you have kids, get them involved in the mixing process and let them pick the sprinkles – my daughter loved seeing the end result of all her hard work 😉

Yield: 18 Cookies

Molasses Sprinkle Cookies

Molasses Sprinkle Cookies

Soft & chewy spiced molasses cookies made extra fun & festive with sprinkles! These easy, kid-friendly cookies are perfect for cookie exchanges, holiday parties, or enjoying all to yourself - we don't judge.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (white or raw)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice or nutmeg
  • 1 Tbsp corn starch
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sprinkles

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, olive oil, molasses, and vanilla. TIP: measure out the oil first and then use the same liquid measuring cup for the molasses for easy cleanup.
  2. Mix in the salt, spices, corn starch, baking soda, and baking powder. Add in the flour and gently mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least two hours, or overnight.
  3. Once the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Add the 1/2 cup of sprinkles to a shallow dish/bowl.
  4. Scoop cookies, 8 at a time, 1.5 Tbsp in size, and then return the leftover dough to the refrigerator. Roll each cookie into a smooth ball and carefully dip and roll the top and sides in the sprinkles. The dough balls will be soft, so you may need to re-shape them a bit as you place them on your baking sheet.
  5. Bake at 350°F for 5-6 minutes or until the cookies have spread (see Note 1). Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
  6. Repeat until all cookies are baked, being sure to alternate baking sheets so that you're always using a room temp baking sheet.
  7. Once the cookies have cooled, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature. I've found them to be chewier and softer the next day!

Notes

  1. To keep these cookies chewy, be sure you don't over-bake them. They only need 5-6 minutes in the oven.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

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Chai Spice Brown Sugar Cookies (dairy-free)

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These soft-baked Chai Spice Brown Sugar Cookies are the prefect little Autumn cookie. Cozy, warm spices – like cardamom and cinnamon – pair wonderfully with the sugar cookie base that we all love this time of year!

Chai Spice Brown Sugar Cookies

I woke up this morning to the first snowfall of the year – eek! For us, this means that Fall is in full swing, and the holiday season is nearing – my toddler genuinely thought that snow meant it was Christmas today! This is the first year she has really understood how to be excited for something so far in the future, and she can’t wait. What it does mean? Cookie season is almost among us!

Along with all the pumpkin and apples are the familiar spices of Autumn that we all love in our muffins, pastries, and cookies this time of year. These Chai Spice Sugar Cookies are lightly spiced with an easy mix of familiar spices – if you don’t have ground cardamom in your pantry, I’m going to just say that you need it. It’s one of my favorite baking spices, and it’s really necessary for the full chai spice experience! You’ll use brown sugar in these cookies for extra moisture and flavor. Bake them a day in advance, seal them up in an airtight container, and you’ll have wonderfully soft, spicy sugar cookies that will stay soft for days!

Yield: 18 Cookies

Chai Spice Brown Sugar Cookies

Chai Spice Brown Sugar Cookies

Soft-baked brown sugar cookies lightly spiced with warm chai spices. Start the holiday cookie season early with these simple, glistening cookies!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • Pinch of finely ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or more brown sugar)
  • 1/3 cup light olive oil (or other liquid vegetable oil)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling (optional)

Instructions

  1. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices; set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until totally combined. Add liquid ingredients to the dry and stir until a dough forms. Cover and chill the dough for at least two hours.
  3. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Add 1/4 cup of granulated sugar to a small bowl.
  4. Scoop cookies (six at a time) 1.5 Tbsp in size. Roll into smooth balls (the dough will be sticky!) and toss into the bowl of sugar, coating each dough ball with sugar. Carefully place dough balls on prepared baking sheet, re-shaping as necessary.
  5. Bake cookies at 350°F for 6-8 minutes or just until the edges are slightly brown. Allow cookies to cool on the sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
  6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 until all cookies are baked, alternating between your cookie sheets so that the cookies are baked on a room temp sheet.
  7. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

  • For a spicier cookie, double the spices!
  • The chill time for the cookie dough is necessary! Without it, the dough will be far too soft to scoop and roll
  • These cookies will be softer the day after baking - make sure to store them in an airtight container

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

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