These Sour Cream Cookies are soft and delicious with hints of vanilla, nutmeg, and the most subtle touch of tang! It’s an 8-ingredient drop cookie recipe that you can make in just 30 minutes and serve as is or decorate in a variety of ways!
Easy Sour Cream Cookies Recipe
Meet your new favorite quick cookie recipe! First off, sour cream drop cookies are ridiculously easy to make. You are literally just dropping spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet and baking. No need to roll the dough, form it, or even chill it! So if you are short on time, sour cream cookies are your best friend.
And adding sour cream to cookies is a total game-changer! It makes them super soft by adding moisture and you end up with cookies with a really tender crumb. Not to mention, the tanginess of the sour cream adds flavor and balances out the sweetness beautifully. But this is not a new concept. In fact, old-fashioned Sour Cream Cookies have been around for a long time!
You can serve them as is with a cup of coffee or milk. But you can also top them with Cookie Icing or Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting if you like. Spices can also be added to the dough to customize the flavor. Sour cream cookies are popular for good reason!
Why You’ll Love These Sour Cream Cookies
- Make and Bake! This is an easy 8-ingredient drop cookie recipe that you can whip together in just 30 minutes! You don’t even have to chill the dough.
- Soft Delicious Cookies! The sour cream makes the cookies both super soft and delicious. It balances out the sweetness and blends perfectly with the vanilla and nutmeg.
- Cookie Canvas! Eat these yummy cookies right out of the oven or top them with your favorite glaze, buttercream frosting, or sprinkles! They are the perfect cookie canvas for kids to decorate.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Brown Sugar – It naturally has some molasses in it which adds a lovely sweetness that complements the sour cream.
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter to control the amount of added salt.
- Sour Cream – Adds a touch of tang as well as lots of moisture to the cookies. You need to use full-fat sour cream.
- Eggs – They help to give the cookies texture and add richness.
- Vanilla Extract – Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Baking Soda – Act as a leavening agent to give the cookies a little rise. Be sure not to mix up the baking soda for baking powder.
- Nutmeg – Adds a warm bit of spice to the cookies that blends well with the vanilla.
- Flour – Simple all-purpose flour is all you need for this recipe.
How To Make Sour Cream Cookies
In cookie making, it does not get much easier than these sour cream drop cookies! Once the simple dough is made it’s just a matter of plopping spoonfuls of it onto a baking sheet and popping it into the oven!
Preheat The Oven And Prep The Pan
First, preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) so that it is hot once the cookie dough is ready. Next, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. The cookies will stick if you skip this step.
Make The Cookie Batter
Now let’s make some cookie batter! Add the brown sugar and butter to the large bowl of your stand mixer. Then using the paddle attachment, mix them together at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Next, mix in the sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract, and baking soda. Finally, add the nutmeg and flour and then mix again until the flour mixture is fully incorporated.
Drop The Cookies
With the dough made you now need to form the cookies. Because these are drop cookies it’s super easy, but they should all be about the same size for even baking. I use a cookie scoop! So grab the prepared baking sheets and then drop 2 tbsp size spoonfuls or scoops of dough onto them that are spaced about 2 inches apart from each other.
Bake The Cookies
To bake, put the baking sheets into the oven and bake the cookies for 12 minutes. When they are done the edges will just be starting to become golden and the bottoms will be done. Then let the sour cream sugar cookies sit on the baking sheet for about a minute and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
What Does Sour Cream In Cookies Do?
It adds moisture to the cookies, which makes them nice and soft with a tender crumb. It also adds a little tang that complements the sweetness of the cookies.
Can You Substitute Greek Yogurt For Sour Cream In Cookies?
Yes! But use full-fat Greek yogurt for the best results. Its fat content and texture is the most similar to sour cream.
Can I Make Gluten-Free Sour Cream Cookies?
Probably yes, yet I’ve not tried. Just follow the same instructions, but make sure to use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour that has xanthan gum in it, which acts as a replacement for the gluten that is naturally in all-purpose flour.
Expert Tips
- Room temperature ingredients. The butter must be soft to make the dough. And for the best texture, the large eggs and sour cream should be at room temperature as well so that they emulsify properly when they are mixed together with the dry ingredients.
- Use a cookie scoop. All the cookies should be almost exactly the same size for even baking and using a cookie scoop is the easiest way to measure them out.
- Rotate the pans. Almost all ovens have hot and cool spots. So for the most uniform baking, rotate the pans halfway through baking.
Storage
The sour cream cookies can be stored in an airtight container for about 4 days at room temperature or for about a week in the fridge. You can also freeze them for about 3 months in a sealed freezer bag. Then just allow them to thaw out at room temperature for a few hours before eating.
Other Delicious Cookie Recipes To Try
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Brownie Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Amish Sugar Cookies
- Checkerboard Cookies
- Twix Cookies
Craving More? Follow Along:
Sour Cream Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sour cream full fat
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the brown sugar and butter to the bowl of your mixer and mix thoroughly until light.
- Mix in the sour cream, eggs, vanilla and baking soda. Add the nutmeg and flour and mix until well combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 12 minutes.
Tips & Notes:
- Room temperature ingredients. The butter must be soft to make the dough. And for the best texture, the large eggs and sour cream should be at room temperature as well so that they emulsify properly when they are mixed together with the dry ingredients.
- Use a cookie scoop. All the cookies should be almost exactly the same size for even baking and using a cookie scoop is the easiest way to measure them out.
- Rotate the pans. Almost all ovens have hot and cool spots. So for the most uniform baking, rotate the pans halfway through baking.
- The sour cream cookies can be stored in an airtight container for about 4 days at room temperature or for about a week in the fridge. You can also freeze them for about 3 months in a sealed freezer bag. Then just allow them to thaw out at room temperature for a few hours before eating.
