The best Lofthouse cookies copycat recipe, built by studying the actual ingredient label on a real grocery store box. Super soft, cakey, pale, melt-in-your-mouth, smothered in sweet pink buttercream and rainbow sprinkles. No sour cream, the secret is in the cake flour, the cream of tartar, and the butter-plus-margarine combo. If you love a soft sugar cookie, you're going to love these even more than my marbled Valentines Day sugar cookies.
A reader wrote to me years ago asking if I had a Lofthouse sugar cookie recipe, and honestly, I thought it was funny because there are about a million copycats already on Pinterest. She agreed, but said every homemade version tasted nothing like the original you get at the grocery store. That hit my soft spot for nostalgic, cakey sugar cookies, so I took it as a challenge. The first thing I did was buy a box from the store, bite into one, and remember exactly what makes them so unique: that cakey, airy texture, the super soft interior, the mild white-wheat flavor, the very sweet frosting, and the slightest artificial flavor note that somehow just works. If you've ever had my vanilla cake, this is the cookie cousin of that texture, soft enough to feel weightless but sturdy enough to hold a thick swoop of buttercream.
Quick Glance at the Recipe: Lofthouse Cookies
- Recipe Name: Lofthouse Cookies (Copycat Recipe)
- Why You'll Love It: Cakey, super soft, mild, and slightly almond-scented, with a thick pink buttercream that tastes like the box but better. No artificial color, no shortening crystals, no weird aftertaste.
- Time and Difficulty: 10 minutes prep + 8 minutes bake + 2 hours chill. Beginner-friendly.
- Main Ingredients: Cake flour, powdered sugar, butter, margarine, cream of tartar, cornstarch, almond extract, egg.
- Method: Cream butter and margarine with powdered sugar (not granulated), add egg and extracts, mix in dry ingredients, chill 2 hours, scoop and flatten, bake until the sheen just disappears, frost with American buttercream, and sprinkles.
- Texture and Flavor: Pale, soft, cakey, fine crumb, mild vanilla-almond base, very sweet frosting. The closest homemade version to the original box I've ever tasted.
- Quick Tip: Use POWDERED sugar in the cookie, not granulated. It is the single biggest reason most copycat recipes miss the Lofthouse texture.
Jump to:
- Quick Glance at the Recipe: Lofthouse Cookies
- What Makes This Lofthouse Cookie Recipe Different
- Studying the Original Lofthouse Cookie Ingredient Label
- Lofthouse Cookie Ingredients
- The Lofthouse Frosting Mystery (Why It Crusts AND Stays Soft)
- Common Lofthouse Cookie Problems To Avoid
- Make This Lofthouse Cookie Recipe Your Own
- Lofthouse Cookie Color Match Cheat Sheet
- Make-Ahead, Storage, And The Bake-Sale Plan
- Humidity, Transport, And Shipping
- Lofthouse vs Other Soft Cookies (Comparison Table)
- Why I Can't Crack The Laminated Layers (And You Don't Need To)
- Final Thoughts
- Lofthouse Cookie FAQs
- More Cookie Recipes To Try
- Leave Me A Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Recipe
What Makes This Lofthouse Cookie Recipe Different
Most copycat lofthouse cookies recipes you'll find online go straight for "all-purpose flour plus cornstarch plus sour cream" or "cake flour plus a regular sugar cookie technique" and call it a day. I built this one in the opposite direction. Instead of starting from a sugar cookie I already liked, I started from the actual Lofthouse box, read the ingredient label, and worked backward from what the factory uses.
That changed three things compared to every other copycat I tested:
- Powdered sugar, not granulated, in the cookie itself. This is the closest you can get to the melt-in-your-mouth, almost cake-snack texture of the real thing at home.
- A combination of butter AND margarine, not all butter. The box uses margarine and you can taste it. All butter tips the cookie back toward a normal sugar cookie.
- Cream of tartar, not skipped. It adds the very faint tang you remember from the box and keeps the cookies from spreading.
I tested versions with sour cream because so many copycats swear that's the secret. It added moisture in the bowl but baked out drier in the cookie. Not the Lofthouse vibe. So no sour cream here. After six rounds of testing, this is the version that comes the closest. I'm honestly 90% satisfied. The only thing I haven't quite cracked is the oddly laminated-looking layers inside the commercial cookie, more on that further down.
Studying the Original Lofthouse Cookie Ingredient Label
Whenever I build a copycat, the ingredient label is the cheat sheet. Here is what's on a real Lofthouse box vs what's in this homemade version, side by side.
| Real Lofthouse box | This homemade recipe | Why I matched it (or didn't) |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar (listed first) | Powdered sugar + frosting sugar | Powdered sugar in the cookie creates a finer crumb than granulated. |
| Enriched bleached flour | Cake flour | Cake flour is the lower-protein cousin of bleached flour. Closest at-home swap. |
| Margarine | Butter + margarine | Margarine alone bakes flat and greasy. Butter alone is too rich and "buttery." Combo splits the difference. |
| Vegetable oil | (Built into the margarine) | The factory's margarine already carries the oil component. No separate oil needed. |
| Cornstarch | Cornstarch | Same, soft texture, lower gluten development. |
| Egg yolk + egg whites | 1 whole egg | A single whole egg covers structure without going dense. |
| Artificial flavor | Almond extract + vanilla | Almond is the closest at-home dupe for the "Lofthouse-y" flavor note you remember. |
| Food coloring | Americolor electric pink (or any color) | Gel coloring gets the brightness without thinning the frosting. |
| Cream of tartar (in trace amounts) | Cream of tartar | Tang plus structure. The detail nobody else copies. |
| Modified food starch | (Skipped) | Industrial stabilizer. Not needed at the home-baking scale. |
| Mono- and diglycerides | (Skipped) | Industrial emulsifiers. Not needed. |
Reading the label first is the entire reason this recipe lands closer to the real cookie than most copycats. Everyone else starts from a sugar cookie they already like and tweaks it. I started from the box.
Lofthouse Cookie Ingredients
Most of this is pantry baking, with two specialty notes: cake flour and one tub of margarine you'll keep around for next time. I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a digital kitchen scale for the most accurate results. This dough, especially, can swing dry or sticky if you measure flour by cups.
- Powdered sugar. Powdered sugar dissolves into the butter without the gritty graininess of granulated sugar. That's what creates the super soft, almost snack-cake texture. Almost no other copycat does this, and it's the single biggest reason most homemade Lofthouse cookie recipes don't live up to the original.
- Unsalted butter. Pull it out at least an hour ahead of time so it's properly soft. Cold butter will not cream into the powdered sugar correctly, and you'll end up with a streaky dough.
- Margarine. Yes, really. The Lofthouse box uses margarine, and you can taste it. I tried this recipe with all butter (too rich, too "buttery") and all margarine (too greasy, flat). Half and half is the answer. If you don't keep margarine around, see the substitutions section below for the butter-plus-shortening swap a reader suggested.
- One large egg. Bring it to room temperature so it incorporates evenly. Cold egg seizes the butter.
- Cake flour. Cake flour is the closest at-home equivalent to the enriched bleached flour Lofthouse uses. AP flour will work in a pinch, but the cookie will be denser and chewier, not the Lofthouse cakey texture. No cake flour on hand? My cake flour substitute (AP flour plus cornstarch) is the workaround I use.
- Cornstarch. Cornstarch contains zero gluten-forming protein, so it dilutes the flour's overall protein and makes the crumb more tender. It also gelatinizes when it hits oven heat and traps moisture inside the cookie. This is the second-most important ingredient after the cake flour for texture.
- Cream of tartar. This is the one ingredient almost every other copycat skips. It adds the subtle tang that makes Lofthouse cookies taste like Lofthouse cookies and not like generic sugar cookies. It also keeps the cookies from spreading too much in the oven by reacting with the baking soda.
- Baking soda + baking powder. The combo gives lift without a strong baking-soda aftertaste. Don't swap them, you need both.
- Clear vanilla extract. I use clear vanilla in the cookie so it doesn't tint the dough beige. Real brown vanilla works fine, the cookie will just look slightly less pale. In the frosting either is fine, the food coloring covers any tint.
- Almond extract. This is the secret to the "Lofthouse-y" flavor note. Lofthouse's label says "artificial flavor," and almond extract is the closest at-home dupe. Use exactly ¼ teaspoon. Any more and the cookie starts to taste like marzipan, which is a great flavor but not a Lofthouse flavor.
- Salt. Used in the cookie and the frosting. Just enough to keep the cookie from tasting flat.
- Whole milk. Thins the buttercream to a pipeable consistency. Heavy cream works too if you want a slightly richer frosting.
- Americolor electric pink gel food coloring. Used in the frosting only. Gel coloring gets you the classic Lofthouse pink without thinning the frosting. Liquid food coloring works, but you'll need more, which can affect texture. See the color match cheat sheet below for non-pink versions.
- Rainbow sprinkles. Optional but mandatory in spirit. These are not Lofthouse cookies without them.
How To Make Lofthouse Cookies Step-By-Step
Before you start mixing: butter, margarine, and egg all need to be at room temperature, not cold. Have your stand mixer ready with the whisk attachment, your baking sheets parchment-lined, and oven preheating to 375º F. The dough does need to chill for 2 hours before you scoop and bake, so plan a little ahead.
- Cream the butter, margarine, and powdered sugar together in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment until the mixture is light, fluffy, and almost white. This usually takes 3 to 5 minutes. The powdered sugar dissolves much faster than granulated, but you still want air whipped in.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and mix on medium until just combined. Stop and scrape the bowl. The mixture should look smooth and pale, not broken or curdled. If it looks curdled, your butter or egg was too cold.
PRO TIP: Cold butter and cold egg are the number one cause of curdled, broken cookie dough. Pull them out an hour before you bake. If you forgot, pop the egg into a bowl of warm tap water for 5 minutes and let the butter sit while you measure everything else.
- Add the cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and mix briefly on low to distribute. Scrape the bowl.
- Switch to the paddle attachment and add the cake flour, mixing on the lowest speed until just combined. Do not keep beating once the flour disappears into the dough. Over-mixing develops gluten and turns the cookies tough.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to 24. Chilled dough holds its shape in the oven and gives you that thick, puffy Lofthouse profile.
- Scoop the chilled dough with a medium cookie scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Aim for about 18 cookies total.
PRO TIP: If the dough chilled overnight and feels too firm to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. You want firm-but-pliable, not crumbly.
- Roll each scoop into a smooth ball with your hands, then flatten with your fingers to about ½ inch thick and 3 inches wide. The flattening matters. Lofthouse cookies don't spread the way drop sugar cookies do, so the shape you put into the oven is more or less the shape you get out.
- Bake at 375º F for 8 to 9 minutes, just until the sheen on top of the cookie disappears. The cookies should NOT brown. Even the bottoms should stay pale. If you see golden edges, you've gone too long.
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Warm cookies melt the buttercream.
- Make the buttercream. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, cream the softened butter until smooth and pale. Add the powdered sugar gradually on low, then increase to medium and add the milk, vanilla, salt, and food coloring. Whip until smooth and pipeable.
- Pipe a generous swoop onto each cooled cookie with a round 804 tip. Top with rainbow sprinkles immediately, while the frosting is still tacky.
The Lofthouse Frosting Mystery (Why It Crusts AND Stays Soft)
If you have ever eaten a Lofthouse cookie out of the package, you've noticed something weird about the frosting. The top has a very faint crust, just enough that the cookies can stack on top of each other in the clamshell container without smudging. But the second you bite in, the frosting underneath is completely soft, almost creamy. Most homemade buttercreams do one or the other. They either crust into a hard shell (American buttercream that has fully crystallized) or stay totally soft and sticky (Swiss meringue, Italian meringue, or under-sweetened American). Lofthouse does both at the same time, and almost no copycat recipe explains how.
Here is what's actually happening:
The crust on top. Powdered sugar in a buttercream is mostly sucrose, which slowly recrystallizes as the surface of the frosting dries out and loses water to the air. That is what creates the very thin sugar shell on top. Give a piped buttercream 30 to 60 minutes uncovered and it will form this crust naturally.
The soft interior. The interior stays soft because the air can't get to it, so the sucrose has nothing to recrystallize against. The fat in the butter stays at its room-temperature consistency, which is silky-soft, not hard.
The Lofthouse twist. The factory frosting also includes a tiny amount of corn syrup or invert sugar. Both are non-crystallizing sugars (they physically cannot form the same crystal lattice as sucrose), so they slow down the surface crusting just enough that the shell stays delicate and snap-able instead of hard and sandy. You can replicate this at home with 1 Tablespoon of light corn syrup added to the frosting, but the recipe as written without it is already 90% there because we're whipping the butter to a very soft, pipeable consistency that crusts gently on its own.
If you want a slightly more bakery-perfect crust on yours, add 1 Tablespoon of corn syrup to the buttercream after the powdered sugar. The frosting will crust more cleanly and the interior will stay even softer. Totally optional.
Common Lofthouse Cookie Problems To Avoid
My frosting won't hold a piped shape. Too much milk. Add powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time until it's pipeable again. Or you used liquid food coloring instead of gel, which thinned it. Switch to gel coloring next time.
My cookies spread too much. The dough was probably too warm when it went in the oven, or you didn't add the cream of tartar. Chill the dough for the full 2 hours, and if your kitchen is hot, freeze the shaped cookies on the baking sheet for 15 more minutes before they go in.
My cookies are dry and crumbly. Either you used all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, or you overbaked. Lofthouse cookies are PALE coming out of the oven. The bottom should look almost the same color as the top. If the bottom is golden, the cookie is overbaked.
My cookies came out browned and chewy. All butter instead of butter-plus-margarine, granulated sugar instead of powdered, or too long in the oven. Any one of those will push the cookie toward "soft sugar cookie" and away from "Lofthouse copycat."
My dough is too sticky to scoop. Either your butter was too warm, or you under-measured the cake flour. Chill another 30 minutes and try again. If still sticky, sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of cake flour over the dough and fold it in gently.
My frosting crusted into a hard shell, not a soft crust. You whipped too much air into the buttercream, and it dried out fast. Cover the cookies loosely with plastic wrap (touching the top of the frosting) once the surface is just set. Adding 1 Tablespoon of corn syrup to the frosting also prevents this.
Make This Lofthouse Cookie Recipe Your Own
This is the cookie base, and from here you can take it in a dozen directions.
- Lofthouse cookies dipped in royal icing. A reader named Pam asked if these cookies hold up to a royal icing dip. Yes, once cooled. Cool the cookies completely, then dip the top into thinned royal icing, let the icing set for 6 to 8 hours, and decorate with piping or sprinkles on top. The texture stays soft underneath, the royal icing gives you a clean shiny shell on top. Great for decorated event cookies.
- Lofthouse cookie cake. Press the entire dough into a parchment-lined 9 inch round cake pan, bake at 350º F for 22 to 28 minutes, then frost in a spiral and add sprinkles. Birthday-perfect.
- Almond + cherry version. Bump the almond extract to ½ teaspoon and tint the frosting cherry red. Tastes like a cherry-almond shortbread.
- Lemon Lofthouse. Swap the almond extract for lemon extract and add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the dough. Tint the frosting pale yellow.
- Confetti Lofthouse. Fold ¼ cup of rainbow sprinkles directly into the dough before chilling. Funfetti cookie, Lofthouse base.
- Brown butter Lofthouse. Brown only the BUTTER portion (4 oz) before creaming. Keep the margarine as-is. Adds depth without going too rich.
- Cream cheese frosting alternative. Beat 4 oz of softened cream cheese into the buttercream after the butter and before the powdered sugar. Tangy bakery vibe.
- Sub for the margarine if you don't keep it around. A reader named Suzanne asked about this. Use 4 oz of unsalted butter plus 4 oz of room-temperature shortening (Crisco). Slightly less Lofthouse-y in flavor but very close in texture.
Lofthouse Cookie Color Match Cheat Sheet
The classic Lofthouse is pastel pink, but these cookies are the workhorse of holiday baking. Every event, every holiday, every gender reveal. Here are the Americolor combinations I use for the frosting.
Make-Ahead, Storage, And The Bake-Sale Plan
This is the section I wish every cookie recipe had, because Lofthouse cookies are bake-sale and shower bait. Here is the matrix.
- Cookie dough. Wrap tightly in plastic, refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze the disk wrapped in plastic plus a layer of foil for up to 2 months. To use frozen dough, thaw overnight in the fridge, then sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before scooping.
- Pre-scooped raw cookie dough balls. Scoop, flash-freeze on a parchment sheet for 1 hour, transfer the frozen balls to a zip-top bag, freeze up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 375º F, add 2 to 3 extra minutes.
- Baked, unfrosted cookies. Airtight container at room temperature, 5 days. Or freeze in a single layer, then stack in a container with parchment between layers, up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature in the container so they don't get soggy from condensation.
- Buttercream frosting. Airtight container at room temperature, 2 days. Refrigerator, 5 days. Freezer, 2 months. Re-whip on medium for 1 minute before using.
- Frosted assembled cookies, room temperature. Single layer in an airtight container, 3 days. If stacking, give the frosting a full hour uncovered to crust first, then layer with parchment between.
- Frosted assembled cookies, refrigerator. Single layer in an airtight container, 5 days. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving so the frosting softens back up.
- Frosted assembled cookies, freezer. Flash-freeze frosted cookies in a single layer on a sheet pan for 1 hour, then stack in a container with parchment, up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature in the container, expect a slight softening of the frosting after thawing.
The 5-day bake-sale plan. Day 1: make the cookie dough, refrigerate. Day 2: scoop, shape, bake, cool, store unfrosted in an airtight container at room temperature. Day 3: make the buttercream and refrigerate. Day 4: bring frosting to room temperature, re-whip, frost the cookies. Let the frosting crust uncovered for 1 hour. Day 5: stack with parchment between layers, transport in an airtight container.
Humidity, Transport, And Shipping
Lofthouse cookies are summer cookies. They are also wedding shower cookies, gender reveal cookies, and bake sale cookies. Which means humidity and transport.
Outdoor events. Move cookies from the fridge into a sealed cake box or cookie box BEFORE they come up to room temperature. Any condensation forms on the box, not on the cookies. Keep them shaded.
Humidity above 60 percent. The buttercream will stay tacky longer than the 1 hour rule. Plan for 2 to 3 hours uncovered before stacking, and add 1 Tablespoon of corn syrup to the frosting for a firmer crust.
Transport. Frost cookies single-layer on a sheet pan, refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm the frosting, then stack in an airtight container with parchment between layers. Transport flat (not on edge), out of direct sun, in a cool car.
Shipping. Lofthouse cookies don't ship well frosted. Too soft, too smudge-prone. Ship the cookies unfrosted, send a small container of frosting separately, and let the recipient frost the cookies themselves. Or skip the buttercream entirely for shipping and ship plain (which is its own delicious cookie).
Lofthouse vs Other Soft Cookies (Comparison Table)
People search "Lofthouse vs sugar cookies" a lot and the honest answer is that they are not the same cookie. Here is how Lofthouse compares to the nearest cousins.
| . | Lofthouse Cookies | Classic Sugar Cookie | Frosted Sugar Cookie | Whoopie Pie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texture | Cakey, soft, fine crumb | Crisp edges, chewy middle | Soft middle, crisp edges | Cakey, very soft |
| Sweetness | Very sweet (especially frosted) | Moderate | Sweet | Moderate |
| Flour | Cake flour | All-purpose | All-purpose | All-purpose |
| Sugar | Powdered | Granulated | Granulated | Granulated |
| Decoration | Buttercream + sprinkles | Royal icing or sanding sugar | Buttercream | Cream filling sandwiched |
| Best for | Bake sales, showers, holidays | Holiday cutout decorating | Birthdays, casual | Lunchbox, fall events |
If you want a true crisp-edge cutout sugar cookie, this is not the recipe. Try my marbled Valentines Day sugar cookies. If you want soft, cakey, melt-in-your-mouth, almost-snack-cake, this is the one.
Why I Can't Crack The Laminated Layers (And You Don't Need To)
When you break a store-bought Lofthouse cookie open, the interior has a slightly layered, almost flaky appearance. It looks like the cookie was made by laminating butter into the dough the way you would for biscuits. I tested this. You can recreate the layered look by cutting cold butter into the dry ingredients with a food processor instead of creaming. It works. The cookie really does look more laminated.
The catch: in a blind taste test, the layered cookies and the creamed cookies tasted identical. Same flavor, same texture in the mouth. The only difference was visual, and the food processor method added an extra dish and 15 minutes of fuss. So I kept the creaming method, because the eating experience is the same, and the kitchen is cleaner. If you want to chase the laminated look for a photo shoot, cut 8 oz of cold butter+margarine into the dry ingredients with a food processor, pulse 8 to 10 times, then add the wet ingredients. Otherwise, cream and don't worry about it.
Final Thoughts
Lofthouse cookies are a nostalgic cookie. People don't seek them out because they're the best cookie ever baked. They seek them out because they taste like a grocery store birthday party, a 7th-grade locker decoration, a clamshell from a vending machine, an Easter basket from a relative who didn't know what to send. That texture is the texture of a memory.
What I love about this version is that you get the memory without the aftertaste of the store-bought version. Cakey, soft, lightly almond, just sweet enough. And the frosting is fun. There is a reason these end up at every wedding shower, every gender reveal, every Valentine's Day, every Easter table. They photograph beautifully, they hold a color, and they make people happy.
Six rounds of testing, and the answer was on the box the whole time. Powdered sugar. Butter plus margarine. Cream of tartar. The almond extract that nobody talks about. The rest is just being patient with the chill time and pulling them when they're pale.
Lofthouse Cookie FAQs
Yes, as long as they've cooled completely first. Pour your royal icing into a shallow bowl, dip the top of each cooled cookie, let it drip for a moment, then set it on a wire rack for 6 to 8 hours to fully set. The cookie stays soft underneath while the royal icing gives you a clean, shiny, decorateable top. Perfect for events.
The cleanest substitution is 4 oz of unsalted butter plus 4 oz of room-temperature vegetable shortening (Crisco). The flavor will be slightly less Lofthouse-y, but the texture comes out very close. Avoid swapping in all butter; the cookie loses the unique Lofthouse texture and tips toward a regular sugar cookie.
Cracks usually mean the dough was too cold going into the oven, or the dough ball wasn't flattened enough before baking. Chilled-but-pliable is the goal, and a ½ inch flat round bakes more evenly than a tall ball.
Yes. Press the entire dough into a parchment-lined 9-inch round cake pan, bake at 350º F for 22 to 28 minutes, cool completely, then frost in a spiral with the buttercream and decorate with sprinkles. Great birthday cookie cake.
Technically yes, but they are their own category. A classic sugar cookie has crisp edges and a chewy interior, made with granulated sugar and all-purpose flour. Lofthouse cookies are soft and cakey throughout, made with powdered sugar and cake flour. They share a family tree, but they are different cookies.
More Cookie Recipes To Try
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If you tried this Copycat Lofthouse Cookie Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Equipment
- 804 piping tip and bag
- Medium cookie scoop or spoon
Ingredients
Lofthouse Cookies
- 6 ounces powdered sugar
- 4 ounces margarine or butter
- 4 ounces unsalted butter softened
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 13 ounces cake flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract or real extract is ok
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Buttercream Frosting
- 8 ounces unsalted butter softened
- 16 ounces powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 ounces milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon electric pink food coloring Americolor brand
- 2 Tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Before you begin: Pull butter, margarine, and egg out of the fridge an hour ahead so everything is at room temperature. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. The dough needs to chill in the fridge for 2 hours before scooping, so plan ahead.
For the Lofthouse Cookies
- In the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, cream together the butter, margarine, and powdered sugar until light, fluffy, and almost white, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix on medium until just combined. Scrape the bowl.
- Add the cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix briefly on low to distribute.
- Switch to the paddle attachment. Add the cake flour and mix on the lowest speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375º F. Use a medium cookie scoop to portion the chilled dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Roll each scoop into a smooth ball, then flatten with your fingers into a round about ½ inch thick and 3 inches wide.
- Bake at 375º F for 8 to 9 minutes, just until the sheen on top of the cookie disappears. The cookies should not brown.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting
- In the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, cream the softened butter until smooth and pale.
- Add the powdered sugar gradually on low. Once incorporated, increase to medium and add the milk, vanilla, salt, and food coloring. Whip until smooth and pipeable.
- Pipe a generous swoop onto each cooled cookie with a round 804 tip. Top with rainbow sprinkles while the frosting is still tacky.
Video
Notes
- All refrigerated ingredients (butter, margarine, egg) need to be at room temperature for the dough to come together properly.
- Powdered sugar in the cookie is non-negotiable for the Lofthouse texture. Do not swap in granulated.
- Almond extract is the secret to the "Lofthouse-y" flavor note. Use exactly ¼ teaspoon.
- Cream of tartar adds tang and structure. Do not skip.
- Clear vanilla keeps the cookie pale. Real vanilla works, the cookie will just look slightly less white.
- Americolor electric pink is the closest match to the classic Lofthouse pink. See the color match cheat sheet above for other shades.
- Standard cookie sheet, parchment-lined: 18 cookies in two batches.
- 9 inch round cake pan: full dough pressed in for a Lofthouse cookie cake. Bake at 350º F for 22 to 28 minutes.
- Mini cookie scoop on a parchment sheet: about 36 mini cookies, bake at 375º F for 6 to 7 minutes.
- Cookie dough: airtight container in fridge up to 3 days, freezer up to 2 months.
- Pre-scooped raw dough balls: flash-freeze 1 hour, then bag, freezer up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, add 2 to 3 extra minutes.
- Baked unfrosted cookies: airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days, freezer up to 3 months.
- Buttercream: airtight container in fridge up to 5 days, freezer up to 2 months. Re-whip before using.
- Frosted cookies: airtight container at room temperature 3 days, fridge 5 days, freezer 1 month. Let frosting crust 1 hour before stacking.
- Margarine: 4 oz unsalted butter plus 4 oz room-temperature vegetable shortening (Crisco) is the cleanest swap.
- Cake flour: my cake flour substitute (AP flour plus cornstarch) works in a pinch but texture will be slightly less cakey.
- Almond extract: leave out for nut allergies. The cookie will lose its "Lofthouse-y" flavor note but will still be a delicious soft sugar cookie.
- Whole milk in frosting: heavy cream works for a richer frosting.
- For a slightly bakery-perfect crust on the frosting: add 1 Tablespoon of light corn syrup to the buttercream after the powdered sugar.
- Don't substitute granulated sugar for powdered sugar in the cookie. You will lose the Lofthouse texture entirely.
- Don't use all butter or all margarine. The combo is the point.
- Don't skip the cream of tartar.
- Don't overbake. Lofthouse cookies are PALE coming out of the oven. Even the bottoms should be pale. Golden = overbaked.
- Don't use cold ingredients. Butter, margarine, and egg all need to be at room temperature.
Pam says
would theses cookies stand up to being dipped in royal frosting or are they too soft?
Liz Marek says
After they are cooled they should be just fine to dip in royal icing
Suzanne Hanger says
The recipe states 4 oz unsalted butter AND 4 oz margarine or butter. Instead of buying a pound of margarine which I won't use all of, would you suggest I try 4 oz unsalted butter and 4 oz crisco, or should I use 8 oz butter?
Liz Marek says
Thats a great idea! I'll add that to the substitutions.