Super-Soft Sugar Cookies

brought by Jenn Iverson

1 cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 eggs

4 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

When making this dough, you will think, “Are you kidding me?” because it will be so sticky it’s hard to imagine using cookie cutters on it.  I usually end up adding more flour, probably ½ cup.  Just add some until you think it’s at least manageable, but the less flour you add, the better they will taste.  Then chill the dough for at least an hour before rolling them out (this helps immensely).  Use plenty of flour when you roll them out.  I often dip the cookie cutters in flour.  Roll the dough ¼-inch thick and then cut with cookie cutters.  Bake at 350º for 8 minutes (trust me!) for large shapes or 6 or 7 minutes for tiny shapes).    

After cookies cool completely, store in an airtight container until ready to frost.  I usually bake them one day and frost them the next.  If you’re not going to frost them the same day or next day, freeze them until frosting day.  Then remove them from the freezer 4-5 hours before frosting. 

The following frosting recipe is usually the perfect amount for a generous spread of frosting on each cookie.  After frosting them, you can leave them out on cookie sheets for up to a day, as the frosting will keep them soft.  When the top of the frosting has hardened, you can layer them on top of each other and store them in an airtight container.  If I think they will last more than a day or two, I freeze them until the day I’m ready to serve them.  This keeps them soft.  Just remove the amount you’ll be needing and put them on a plate an hour or two before serving (or eat them frozen if you can’t wait!).  If cookies aren’t as soft as you want them to be, you can try putting a piece of bread in the container with them (not in the freezer).  This usually softens them up a bit. 

Note: For recipe club, I replaced the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt.  This made the cookies even softer than usual, but if I do this again, I will probably add a little extra salt to the dough, maybe ¼ - ½ teaspoon.

Frosting

¾ cup shortening

6 cups powdered sugar (heaping)

½ cup milk

1 ½ tsp. almond extract

food coloring