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    Home » Recipes » Cookies/Bars

    Aunt Clara’s Glazed Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

    By Nancy Mock December 6, 2020 Updated December 8, 2022 4 Comments

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    Iced cookies arranged on an oval platter with sheets of paper underneath.

    These cookies are unique thanks to their soft texture and sweet topping. Aunt Clara's Glazed Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are a tasty, old-fashioned treat.

    Five cookies with brown icing and dried orange slices in background.
    → Jump to Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.

    These Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are a family recipe handed down through my great-Aunt Clara, grandmother, and mom. They were always on hand at holiday time when we were kids.

    An old-fashioned sour cream sugar cookie is unlike a regular sugar cookie which has either a crispy or chewy texture. These cookies have a bite that falls somewhere between a cookie and a biscuit: they're very soft and pillowy.

    The soft sugar cookies are flavored with a hint of nutmeg and orange. And my own twist to the family recipe? Sweet maple glaze. Spread over the tops, this glaze puts makes these cookies even more delectable!

    Iced cookies on sheets of paper and with grated nutmeg and orange zest over tops.

    Why should I put sour cream in my sugar cookies?

    Sour cream does amazing things for sugar cookies! According to Allrecipes, sour cream has more fat than milk, and fats help make baked goods more tender and cakey. Because sour cream is thick, it won't thin out your cookie batter the way milk will.

    Finally, sour cream is ... sour! It lends a bit of tangy flavor while the acids activate the baking soda and baking powder to make these cookies puffy and light.

    Baked cookies with iced tops and a white spatula with icing.

    Why you'll love this recipe

    Easy sour cream sugar cookies are fun to make with the family and with friends. The soft texture makes them a unique treat in a cookie exchange, and the spice blend gives them a holiday flavor.

    The cookie dough mixes up lickety-split in your stand mixer or with a hand mixer. It's also a no-chill dough, meaning you can begin baking cookies as soon as your dough is finished mixing. The glaze is simple to whisk up, too!

    🔪 How to make Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

    Maple syrup, butter, eggs, sour cream, flour, powdered sugar, and whole nutmeg.

    Ingredients:

    • Butter: For a tender and tasty cookie
    • Sugar: Use white granulated sugar
    • Eggs: Large eggs are what I use here
    • Orange Juice: Just a little is all you need for the flavor
    • Sour Cream: This ingredient makes a really soft cookie texture
    • All-Purpose Flour: King Arthur Flour is my go-to brand
    • Baking Powder & Soda: These leaveners help the cookies rise
    • Nutmeg: Just enough to lightly scent the cookies
    • Maple Syrup: Use the pure stuff, from Vermont, of course!
    • Confectioner's Sugar: With maple syrup to make the glaze

    Step 1: Mix the batter

    Cookie dough with grated nutmeg in a mixing bowl.

    Cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the eggs and other wet ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and then add them to the wet mixture.

    Step 2: Scoop the dough

    Scoops of white cookie dough on a lined baking sheet.

    Use a cookie scoop to place mounds of batter on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

    Step 3: Bake 'em!

    Baked round cookies on a lined baking sheet.

    Bake the cookies in a 350° F oven until they're lightly browned.

    Step 3: Add the maple glaze

    Light brown icing in a white bowl with hand mixer over it.

    Mix together the ingredients for the maple glaze. Once the cookies have cooled, dip the tops into the glaze. Let the cookies rest on a cooling rack until their tops are set.

    Oval tray holding iced puffy cookies on sheets on paper.

    FAQs

    Can you freeze sour cream sugar cookies?

    Yes, unglazed cookies freeze very well: Once the baked cookies are completely cool, place them in a single layer in a freezer-proof Ziploc bag. Store the cookies in the freezer for up to three months.
    Let the cookies thaw still in the bag in the refrigerator. They can now be glazed and served.

    What kind of maple syrup should I use?

    Use pure maple syrup for these cookies! Vermont Maple Syrup is the absolute best, in my opinion, but if you have local sugarmakers in your state, by all means, support them. The flavor of real maple syrup gets to shine on these cookies, so don't use the fake stuff!
    The grade of maple syrup you use is up to you: I like the intense maple flavor of Grade A Very Dark, but lighter grades will also be delicious in the glaze.

    Apron with images of old recipe cards printed on it.
    An apron printed with our family recipes that my mother made for me, and there's the recipe card for these cookies!

    You will really love old-fashioned, sour cream cookies from my family recipe box.

    Stacks of puffy, iced cookies with nutmeg next to them.

    (Other family recipe favorites include Chocolate Wacky Cake and Walnut Coconut Cookies.) They'll become a fave for your family and friends, too!

    Oval tray with five iced cookies on sheets of paper.

    The recipe for Aunt Clara's Glazed Sour Cream Sugar Cookies is below. Here are more cookie recipes you should try as well:

    • cookies lined up on a rectangle plate
      Cranberry Nutella Sandwich Cookies
    • Round ginger cookies on a black plate
      Soft Ginger Cookies (With Candied Ginger)
    • Browned fried Oreo cookies piled on a white plate.
      Fried Oreos Recipe | Fair Food at Home
    • Gray plate of sugar coated cookie balls
      Pretty Coffee Snowball Cookies (With Cardamom)

    💬 Have you tried this recipe? Leave a comment!

    Stacks of cookies with brown icing on a tray.

    Aunt Clara’s Glazed Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

    Nancy Mock
    These cookies are unique thanks to their soft texture and sweet topping. Aunt Clara's Glazed Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are a tasty, old-fashioned treat.
    5 from 5 votes. Tap stars to vote
    Print it! Pin This Recipe
    Prep Time 35 mins
    Cook Time 18 mins
    Setting Time for Glaze 30 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 23 mins
    Course Christmas, Cookies, Dessert
    Servings 38 cookies

    Ingredients
     
     

    For the cookies:

    • 1 cup butter, softened
    • 1½ cup granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs, lightly whisked
    • 1 tablespoon orange juice
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • 4⅓ cups all-purpose flour unbleached
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    For the glaze:

    • ½ cup Vermont maple syrup
    • 1⅔ cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
    • Optional: grated nutmeg and orange zest for tops

    Instructions
     

    Make the cookies:

    • Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • Beat together the softened butter and sugar for 5 minutes until they are light and fluffy. With the mixer running add in the whisked eggs and mix to combine them. Mix in the orange juice and then the sour cream, until the batter is smooth.
    • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Add this dry mixture to the batter in two or three additions, mixing after each addition to incorporate it. The batter will be thick and sticky.
    • Use a 1½ tablespoon sized scoop to drop mounds of the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, about two inches apart. If you don't have a scoop do rounded tablespoons of batter.
    • If you want the tops to be smooth, run a wet finger over the scoops of dough.
    • *Note: keep the rest of the batter waiting in the fridge between bakes. If the batter gets too warm the texture of the cookies will be affected. 
    • Bake the cookies for about 16-18 minutes until they are set and have a little color around the edges and on top. The cookies should only spread a little if at all.
    • Move them to a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool completely.

    Prepare the glaze:

    • Use a mixer or a whisk to combine the maple syrup and the confectioner's sugar in a medium bowl, until the mixture is smooth.

    Glaze the cookies:

    • Use a spoon or icing spatula to spread glaze over the tops, and then place them on a cooling rack or a sheet of waxed paper.
    • Allow the cookies to rest until the glaze has set: about 30 minutes.
    • Makes about 38 cookies. Store the cookies in a sealed container for up to 5 days.

    Notes

    • Unglazed cookies freeze very well: Once the baked cookies are completely cool, place them in a single layer in a freezer-proof Ziploc bag. Store the cookies in the freezer for up to three months. 
    • Let the cookies thaw still in the bag in the refrigerator. They can now be glazed and served.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookieCalories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 59mgPotassium: 60mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 202IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment, tell me what you think!

    Originally published November 2017.

    More Cookies/Bars

    • Muffin in holiday wrapper
      20 Days of Cookies And Treats for the Holidays
    • Round cookie balls covered in sugar
      Little Lime Cookies With Powdered Sugar
    • PIle of lightly browned cookies on a black plate
      Walnut Coconut Cookies
    • Frosted pumpkin flavored cookies on small cooling rack.
      Easy Iced Pumpkin Spice Cookies

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kristy Perry

      December 27, 2018 at 4:46 pm

      5 stars
      I made these to go on cookie platters for Christmas gatherings, and they were a big hit. I loved the fact that they were not cutouts like the other cookies. The light texture, hint of nutmeg, and maple glaze were a great combination. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Nancy!!

      Reply
      • Nancy Mock

        December 28, 2018 at 6:50 am

        Kristy I’m so glad you liked them and made them for your gathering! Thank you for sharing here, you made my day!

        Reply
    2. Heidi

      December 07, 2018 at 5:20 am

      5 stars
      These look so good, Nancy! I noticed the Underdog glass in one of the pictures and I used to love that show when I was really little.

      Reply
      • Nancy Mock

        December 28, 2018 at 6:47 am

        Same here! I have tons of character glasses, I should include more of them in my posts. Thanks Heidi!

        Reply

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