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Gracious Cooking

Swig Sugar Cookies, But Better

These soft, sweet but not too sweet sugar cookies are perfect for any holiday or event.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes
Servings: 38 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cookies
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened ½ cup is 1 stick.
  • ¾ cup canola or vegetable oil any neutral flavored oil will work.
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 and ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 5 and ½ cups all-purpose flour fluff the flour before scooping it to prevent accidently adding too much flour.
  • 3 or 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar for pressing the cookies
For the Cream Cheese Buttercream
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Method
 

For the Cookies
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  3. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the butter, oil, vanilla, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar together and beat until very creamy, about 5 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle the cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt over the mixture, and beat until well combined.
  5. Add the eggs and sour cream, and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed.
  6. Add the flour and mix on low speed until combined (no floury pockets), but do not overmix. This only takes about 10 seconds in my mixer. Also, if your mixer bowl does not have a lid, cover it with a towel so you don't spray flour everywhere.
  7. On your lined baking sheet, scoop out cookies that are 1 and ½ Tablespoons' worth of dough. I use a #40 (medium) cookie scoop to do this. I can fit 16 cookies per sheet. Leave about an inch or an inch and a half between cookies.
  8. Spray the bottom of a flat glass with cooking spray. Dip the bottom of the glass in granulated sugar, and lightly press each cookie until it is between ¼ and ½ inches thick. Dip the glass in sugar after each cookie to prevent sticking.
  9. Bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for 7-9 minutes, until set but not browned. 8 minutes was perfect in my oven. If overcooked, these will be crumbly and not soft.
  10. Remove cookies to a wire cooling rack, and let cool completely before frosting.
For the Frosting
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (I use the cake paddles on my Bosch), add the butter and cream cheese. Beat until combined and smooth.
  2. Add the heavy cream, and beat until smooth again.
  3. Add the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. Beat until very smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. If the frosting looks too thick, you can add a little more cream.
  4. Frost your cookies and enjoy!

Notes

Top these cookies with fruit or sprinkles for a festive touch. Serve immediately if using fruit.
Store covered. I store mine in a cake saver. These can stay at room temperature for about a day, but after that should go in the fridge. Try them cold! They're tasty. Of course you can bring them back to room temperature before eating, too.
These should freeze great. I haven't personally tried it, but I would press the cookies, freeze them on a tray, and them put them in a Ziplock bag in the freezer. When ready to bake, take them out of the freezer and bake in a 325 degree oven for 10 ish minutes. Check them at 8.