These copycat Lofthouse cookies are an easy copycat recipe that tastes just like your favorite grocery store Lofthouse sugar cookies. The cookies are soft, cakey, and melt in your mouth, and are frosted with a sweet vanilla frosting and decorated with colorful sprinkles!
Ingredients for Copycat Lofthouse Cookies
Soft Sugar Cookies
- Cake flour – Cake flour is a must for this recipe to create the light and soft texture. All-purpose flour will not work well in this recipe.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch helps the cookies stay soft and fluffy.
- Baking powder – Leavening agent to help the cookies puff up.
- Salt – A pinch of salt enhances the flavor of the cookies.
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature, softened butter.
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil. Oil adds moisture to the cookies and helps with the cakey texture.
- Powdered sugar + granulated sugar – A combination of powdered sugar and granulated sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness without the cookies having a grainy, sugar texture.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds amazing vanilla flavor.
Vanilla Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract.
- Salt – A pinch of salt helps to contrast the sweetness of the frosting.
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream makes the frosting smooth and creamy.
Tools & Supplies for Making Copycat Lofthouse Cookies
How to Make Copycat Lofthouse Cookies
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Make the cookie dough: Whisk together the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream the butter, vegetable oil, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar until it is smooth. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix until a soft cookie dough forms.
- Bake the cookies: Portion out the cookie dough using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and place on the prepared baking pan, allowing room for spreading. Bake the cookies for approximately 12 minutes until they are puffed up in the center. Cool on the pan for 1 minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting: Whip the butter for 5 minutes until light and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and mix until combined. Drizzle in the heavy cream. Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip until the frosting is smooth and creamy. *Optional – Add gel food coloring to tint the frosting.
- Frost the cookies: Fill a piping bag with the tip cut off with the vanilla frosting. Pipe a swirl of buttercream frosting onto the cooled cookies. Use a small offset spatula to spread the frosting over the cookies. Decorate with colorful sprinkles.
Recipe Tips
- Do not substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour in this recipe. Cake flour will give the cookies a very light texture and replicate the Lofthouse cookies. All-purpose flour will make a dense and chewy cookie.
- If desired, add a bit of almond extract to the sugar cookie recipe or frosting for a delicious variation.
- Do not over bake the cookies. The cookies should remain a pale color and have no caramelization on the bottom or around the edges. This will help the cookies remain soft and cakey, rather than dry and crumbly.
- Use a large cookie scoop to get even, uniform, and round cookies. Use a round cookie cutter or the back of a spoon to gently shape the cookies into a perfect circle immediately when they come out of the oven.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 to 3 days.
Copycat Lofthouse Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Soft Sugar Cookies
- 2 ½ cups cake flour do not substitute
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- ¼ cup colorful sprinkles
- gel food coloring to tint the frosting
Instructions
Soft Sugar Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line baking sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter, vegetable oil, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until a soft cookie dough forms.
- Portion the cookie dough using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and place on the prepared baking sheet pan, allowing room for spreading. Bake the cookies for approximately 12 minutes until the cookies puff up in the center and remain pale on the edges. Cool the cookies on the pan for 1 minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter for about 5 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Drizzle in the heavy cream. Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip the frosting for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. *Optional – Add a few drops of gel food coloring to tint the buttercream, if desired.
Frost the Cookies
- Fill a piping bag with the tip cut off with the vanilla frosting. Pipe a small swirl of frosting onto the cooled cookies. Use a small offset spatula to spread the frosting over the top of the cookie. Decorate the cookies with colorful sprinkles.
Notes
Made This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Addie says
I made this recipe and the cookies were delish and exactly like the Lofthouse at the market. So happy you shared this. I am going to try a little freeze dried strawberry powder in the frosting next time, but my husband wants them exactly as the recipe. He really loves them
Courtney says
Hi Addie! So happy to hear you loved the recipe! I tested it several times to get it as close as I could to the Lofthouse brand! Strawberry powder sounds super delicious! Love that idea!
Anonymous says
Need g not cups
Courtney says
Absolutely! You can convert the recipe to grams by clicking on the “metric” button in the recipe card!