Craving a soft and cozy treat? My Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups are soft cookies brimming with vanilla flavor. They're the perfect treat to enjoy with a cozy cup of coffee or to share during New England holidays.
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This is about to be your new favorite cookie—I just know it! Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups are soft, cakey cookies that celebrate the sweet, nostalgic flavor of vanilla!
A type of sour cream drop sugar cookies, Vanilla Cozy-ups are a cinch to prepare, including the 3-ingredient icing that frosts the domed tops. They're cozy and delicious!
You can even add sprinkles of any theme or color to the iced tops, to make these sweet, soft cookies for any occasion or holiday.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: Iced Vanilla cozy-Ups are pillowy-soft sour cream sugar cookies infused with a double dose of vanilla. They're the most cozy and snuggly treat!
- You'll love this part: You'll love how the addition of sour cream and Greek yogurt creates a dreamy, melt-in-your mouth texture that stays soft for days. It's an easy cookie recipe, with a flavor and texture that feel like a big, squashy hug.
- How it's made: Cream the butter and sugar, then fold in eggs and dairy. Add the dry ingredients, then scoop the cookie dough and bake. Dip the cooled tops into a 3-ingredient icing.
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What are Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups?
Think about all those times when you really want to cozy up. Like with a hot cup of cocoa at the kitchen table on a wintry New England weekend. Or, perhaps you like to cozy up with your sweetie in front of the toasty fireplace. It's nice to cozy up with your kitty or pup on the couch, with a fuzzy blanket pulled across, and your favorite movie on TV!
I created these cookies for all of these cozy moments and others I haven't even thought of yet! The cookies are pillowy soft, very tender, sweet, and loaded with vanilla from the satiny tops to the lightly-browned bottoms.
That's why I named them Cozy-Ups—Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups.
Whether you have cocoa or coffee, fireplace or steamy radiator, snuggly human or snuggly pet... a batch of my homemade Vanilla Cozy-Ups is a homey treat for any cozy occasion.
Why you'll love Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups Cookies
It wouldn't be a very cozy cookie if it were complicated, which is why this recipe for Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups is so straightforward. Just blend wet and dry ingredients into a cookie dough, then scoop and bake.
The cooled vanilla cookies are topped with a 3-ingredient icing. (Spoiler alert: vanilla is one of the ingredients!) And this part is easy too: just dunk the cookies or drizzle the icing over them. Once set, the vanilla icing gives the cookies a lovely sheen.
Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups are a type of an easy sour cream sugar cookie. And while at first blush it may not seem like sour cream belongs in a sweet cookie, here's why it absolutely does! Sour cream does not make the cookies taste sour; it does give the cookies a wonderfully soft and cakey texture. The moisture from sour cream, as well as from vanilla yogurt in my recipe, also helps these cookies stay soft for a week or more.
The ease of this recipe means you can whip up a batch anytime. The simple, yet irresistible vanilla flavor is so versatile: make them as Christmas cookies for the cookie exchange, make some for a friend's birthday, bring some to share at a potluck gathering or backyard party. Or, just keep some on the counter for a cozy afternoon dessert.
You can even add sprinkles to the tops of Vanilla Cozy-Ups so that they match the occasion: autumn colors in the fall, pink, white, and red sprinkles for Valentine's Day, and pastels for spring parties or showers.
Now be honest: don't you feel like cozying up to a plateful of these dreamy, creamy, soft vanilla cookies? Yeah, me too!
Enjoy them with this hot drink!
Maple Cream Irish Coffee
Made with Irish whiskey and Vermont maple cream liqueur.
🔪 How to make Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups Cookies
Ingredients:
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in my baking. I like Kate's, Cabot, and Kerrygold brands because they have the best flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla is the star flavor of these cookies, so it's worth using a quality brand, such as Nielsen-Massey or Penzey's.
- Eggs: Use large eggs for this recipe. It's worth letting them come to room temperature for better mixing and more consistent results.
- Vanilla Greek yogurt: Choose a yogurt with a really good vanilla flavor to amp up the vanilla of the cookies. My favorite one is Cabot's Triple Cream Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt—you can see the flecks of vanilla in it!
- Sugar: Granulated sugar brings a clean sweetness to the cookies.
- Sour cream: It adds a little tang and also gives these sugar cookies a pillowy-soft texture.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour for these cookies. My go-to brand is Vermont's King Arthur Baking Company.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These leaveners are activated by the oven heat and acidic ingredients like yogurt and sour cream. They give the cookies a light and tender texture.
- Confectioners' sugar: This type of sugar is ideal for the icing because it dissolves quickly and smoothly.
- Milk: Whisk up the icing with whole milk.
- Salt: A little salt in the dough makes for a more flavorful cookie.
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Make the cookie dough
Cream the softened butter and sugar together. Add in the eggs, sour cream, vanilla yogurt, and vanilla extract. Combine the flour with the other dry ingredients, then fold this mixture into the wet mixture.
Scoop and bake
Scoop the cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet. Smooth the tops with a wet finger. Bake the cookies until they're just beginning to brown across the tops and at the edges. Move them to a wire rack to cool.
Ice the cookies
Whisk up the icing ingredients. Dip the tops of the cookies into the icing to coat them, then return them to the wire rack to set and cool.
More sour cream magic!
Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Sour cream makes the cake exceptionally tender and soft.
Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups Cookies FAQs
Cozy-Ups cookies are my creation, the name I've given to this take on a sour cream sugar cookie. The impossibly soft and cakey texture makes these cookies perfect for cozy moments and to enjoy with a cozy cup of cocoa, tea, or coffee.
While many sugar cookies are flat and either chewy or crispy, old fashioned sour cream sugar cookies are wonderfully soft and pillowy. The rich sour cream creates a tender crumb, and the acidity helps to activate the leaveners to give the cookies a lightened texture.
No, there's no need to refrigerate the Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups cookies. Once baked, sour cream sugar cookies like these are fine to store, covered tightly, at room temperature.
As long as the Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups soft sugar cookies are stored in a tightly sealed container or covered dish, they'll last for a week or more. Store them at room temperature away from light and heat sources.
Yes, the cookies freeze very well; I prefer to freeze them without the icing. 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 iced and served.
Tips:
- Smoothing the tops before baking gives Cozy-Ups Cookies an even surface that will look the nicest under the vanilla icing.
- Be careful not to overbake the cookies: they should have just a little color over the tops and at the edges when they're done baking.
The Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups cookies recipe is below. Here are more easy and cozy cookie recipes you can try!
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups (Soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookies)
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Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the vanilla icing:
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
Make the cookie dough:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 1 cup butter, softenedCream the 1 cup butter, softened with the 1½ cups granulated sugar using a stand or hand mixer; cream the ingredients for 5 minutes until they're light and fluffy.
- Mix in the 2 large eggs, whisked. Then, mix in the 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract. Add in the ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt and ½ cup sour cream. Mix until the ingredients are incorporated.
- Whisk together the 4⅓ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
- Add this dry mixture to the creamed mixture in two or three additions, mixing after each one, just until they're all incorporated.
Scoop and bake:
- Use a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough; place the scoops on the lined baking sheet, leaving space between them.
- (Hold the rest od the dough in the refrigerator between batches.)
- Smooth the tops with your fingertip dipped in cold water.
- Bake the cookies for 15 to 16 minutes: the cookies should be set, with a little light brown color on the top and light brown along the edges.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the icing:
- Sift the 3 cups confectioners' sugar to remove any lumps. (Use a sifting tool or a fine mesh strainer.) Use a hand mixer or whisk to combine the sugar with the 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract and the 4 tablespoons whole milk in a medium bowl.
Ice the cookies:
- Once the cookies are cool, dunk the top of a cookie in the icing, enough to coat the whole top. Let the excess drip off, then return the cookie to the wire rack.
- Note: the icing should be thick enough to coat the top of the cookie. If it seems too thin, whisk more confectioners' sugar a tablespoon at a time into the icing.
- Repeat with the rest of the cookies and icing.
Rest, then serve:
- Let the cookies rest for about an hour, until the iced tops are set.
- Transfer the cookies to covered containers that are deep enough to cover (with a lid or with food wrap) without mussing the iced tops.
- Serve the cookies now, or store them in a covered container at room temperature for up to five days.
- Makes approzimately 39 Iced Vanilla Cozy-Ups cookies.
Notes
- Smoothing the tops before baking gives the Vanilla Cozy-Ups Cookies an even surface that will look the nicest under the vanilla icing.
- Be careful not to overbake the cookies: they should have just a little color over the tops and at the edges when they're done baking.
Nutrition
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