Lofthouse Cookies

I finally baked a homemade version of Lofthouse cookies! You know what I'm talking about right? Those amazing, almost doughy, super soft cookies you get in the grocery store...they are so addictive.

Making them from scratch does make me feel better about their calorie content and such because I really can control exactly what goes in them. Like low-far sour cream instead of regular... By the way, who knew that sour cream was the ticket?

These are seriously so good. I made them for Young Women's tonight because the girls were heart-attacking a couple less active young women and needed cookies. I humbly volunteered. Now I had an excuse to make them and then lots of people to shell them out to so I wasn't tempted to eat the entire plate by myself. Which would not have been a good idea. ;)

Anyway, here is the recipe for both the cookies and the icing I used. Very simple, you can't screw this up. Word to the wise though, when they say generously flour your surface for rolling, be generous! I'm pretty sure I threw at least another cup into the recipe because the dough is so sticky.

Lofthouse Cookies
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, plus 1 yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sour cream
3 cups flour, plus extra for desired consistency and rolling

Directions:

1. Cream together butter and sugar.
2. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
3. Mix baking soda, baking powder, and 3 cups flour in separate bowl. Combine dry ingredient mixture with wet ingredients.
4. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 425 F. Roll out dough on generously floured surface to 1/4 inch thick.
6. Cut out shapes (I used hearts!) and bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8 minutes.
7. Cool on wire rack. When completely cool, frost and decorate as desired.

Lofthouse Cookie Icing
Ingredients:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup shortening
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth.
2. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes.
3. Color with food coloring if desired.

Another little tidbit of advice for the icing, you may want to halve the recipe because this makes ALOT. That's what I did and I had a nice little coating on each cookie. Plenty, but not too much so as to send one into a sugar coma. ;)