Soft, Lofthouse-style sugar cookies flavored with festive peppermint! These sweet, cakey cookies are topped with a peppermint buttercream and tons of sprinkles!

Peppermint Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

If you’re looking for a homemade version of the soft, cakey grocery store cookies, then I’ve got the recipe for you! With a festive, holiday twist, my Peppermint Lofthouse Sugar Cookies are big, sweet, and all decked out with the perfect peppermint frosting (and, of course, sprinkles, too!). The secret to the pillowy soft texture of these cookies is simple: powdered sugar + corn starch. Instead of using a granulated sugar, you’ll sweeten the dough with light, soft powdered sugar. The corn starch helps keeps things soft so these cookies stay tasting fresh for days.

Not a fan of peppermint? You can replace it with your favorite extract to get the exact Lofthouse-style cookie you’re dreaming of. Orange, lemon, and vanilla are a few classics that would taste amazing in this cookie dough. Flavor the frosting the same as your cookies, and then top it all off with your favorite sprinkles!

Ingredients You’ll Need + Substitutions

Plant-based butter helps make these cookies buttery soft (and delicious!). If you aren’t dairy-free, regular butter will work just fine in this recipe. For the frosting, plant-based or regular butter will work as well.
Powdered sugar is a key ingredient to get the cakey, soft texture we want in these cookies. You won’t want to use any other sugar. Same goes for the frosting – only powdered sugar will work.
Eggs bind the ingredients. I haven’t tested this recipe with any egg replacers.
Peppermint extract brings that festive, holiday flavor to both the cookie and frosting. Feel free to use your favorite extract in its place: orange, lemon, maple, vanilla, etc.
Baking powder + baking soda work together to perfectly leaven these cookies; I don’t recommend any substitutes.
Corn starch keeps these cookies fresh and soft for days. You should be able to use arrowroot or tapioca starch in its place, though I haven’t tested either of these myself.
All-purpose flour is part of the cookie dough base. I like to use an unbleached variety when I bake. A gluten-free all-purpose flour may work here, but I haven’t personally tested it.
Plant-based milk thins out the frosting to make it smooth and easy to spread. You can use your favorite “milk”, water, or regular milk.

More Peppermint Recipes

Peppermint Brownie Sandwich Cookies

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Brownies

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes with Marshmallow Mint Buttercream

Yield: ~17 Cookies

Peppermint Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

Name: Peppermint Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 17
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2/3 cup (75g) plant-based butter (or regular butter), softened (see Note 1); 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (see Note 2); 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/4 cup (32g) corn starch; 2 3/4 cup (358g) all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup (57g) plant-based butter (or regular butter), softened; 2 tsp peppermint extract; 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar; ~1 Tbsp plant-based milk (or regular milk)

Deliciously soft & cakey, Lofthouse-style sugar cookies topped with a peppermint buttercream and festive sprinkles!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

2/3 cup (75g) plant-based butter (or regular butter), softened (see Note 1)
2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (see Note 2)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup (32g) corn starch
2 3/4 cup (358g) all-purpose flour

Peppermint Frosting

1/2 cup (57g) plant-based butter (or regular butter), softened
2 tsp peppermint extract
3 cups (360g) powdered sugar
~1 Tbsp plant-based milk (or regular milk)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and extracts. Next, beat in the baking powder, baking soda, and corn starch. Finally, add the flour and use a large spoon to mix until the dough comes together.
Scoop and roll dough balls 3 Tbsp in size - it's important to roll them smooth. Add 6-8 dough balls to your prepared baking sheet. Slightly flatten the dough balls. Bake at 350°F for 8-11 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat until all cookies are baked.
Once the cookies are baked and totally cooled, you can make the frosting. It's important for the cookies to be totally cool so the frosting doesn't melt. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and peppermint extract. Add in the powdered sugar and milk and beat until all is combined. If you find the frosting too thick, add more milk; if it's too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
Frost the cookies using your preferred method - I used a small, angled frosting spatula. While you're frosting the cookies, top each one with sprinkles immediately after frosting. Make sure you add the sprinkles as you go along, or else the frosting will be too stiff for the sprinkles to stick.
Store cookies in an airtight container in a single layer.

Notes

Butter: you can use plant-based/vegan butter or regular butter for this recipe. Stick butter must be softened before beating, while tub "butter" can be used straight from the refrigerator (it's already soft).
Peppermint: make sure you buy peppermint extract for these cookies - not mint extract.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to see!

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Ingredients

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!
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.