Original Lofthouse Cookie (Copycat Recipe)
A true Lofthouse cookie recipe built by studying the original ingredient label. Super soft, cakey, pale, mildly almond-flavored, topped with sweet pink American buttercream and rainbow sprinkles. No sour cream, the secret is in the cake flour, the cream of tartar, and the butter-plus-margarine combo.
Servings: 18 cookies
Calories: 405kcal
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
Ingredient 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 81mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 723IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 0.3mg
