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Holiday Cooking | February 10, 2017

Sheet Pan Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Sheet Pan Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are a busy baker’s dream! All of the goodness of a traditional sugar cookie in one big sheet pan. One bowl, one pan, and you’re in business. Throw on a little buttercream frosting and you can feed a crowd everyone’s favorite holiday cookie without the rolling, cutting out, and individual frosting of each cookie!

Sheet Pan Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

This recipe is a simple solution for making sugar cookies without all of the steps involved in making traditional sugar cookies. I love this recipe because the cookies are soft and melt in your mouth delicious, the way a sugar cookie should taste. I first made this recipe when I wanted to make  Pan Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies, but didn’t have any cream cheese. I substituted sour cream and changed up a few of the ingredients and created Sheet Pan Sour Cream Sugar Cookies. It’s a toss up for me which recipe I like best!

Sheet Pan Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

The sour cream in the dough makes for the most tender sheet pan cookie. I love the simplicity of a pan cookie. The cookie can be mixed up in a matter of minutes in one mixing bowl ( I use a KitchenAid stand mixer) and spread into a jellyroll or sheet pan.  My favorite tool for spreading is this little mini rolling pin or a metal spatula.  If you coat the spatula with a little cooking spray, it will make spreading easier!

Sheet Pan Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Start to finish, this recipe is about 30 minutes for making dough and baking. The pan of cookies needs to cool for about 30-60 minutes, then frost and serve. If you have space in the fridge or freezer to cool the pan of cookies, you can cut down on the cooling time.

Sheet Pan Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Sheet Pan Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
4.75 from 4 votes
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Sheet Pan Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 30 bars
Author Si Foster, A Bountiful Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

  • ½ cup butter softened
  • 3- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • dash of salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk or half and half
  • food coloring if desired

Instructions

  1. Cream sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Add sour cream and beat until smooth.
  3. Add egg and vanilla and blend until smooth.
  4. Pour the flour into the bowl and place the baking soda, powder and salt on top of the flour.
  5. Mix in all of the dry ingredients just until the flour disappears. Do not over mix.
  6. Grease a (11×18) sheet pan with cooking spray.
  7. Spread the dough into the pan with a long knife or a small rolling pin.
  8. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cook just until golden brown.
  9. Let cool completely.
  10. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  11. Add the vanilla and salt. Add milk a little at a time, until the frosting is spreading consistency.
  12. Spread frosting on cookie bars when completely cooled. Decorate with sprinkles right after frosting.

Recipe Notes

-Sprinkling a little flour on the dough makes it easier to spread or roll out. If you are using a spreader spray it will a bit of cooking spray before spreading the dough. -Do not overtake the dough, check after 20 minutes with a toothpick, if a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, the cookies are done.

13 thoughts on “Sheet Pan Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

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Recipe Rating




  1. I made these & they went really flat. I am hoping you have some advice on maybe why. Thank you! I love your recipes!

    1. Valerie, I am not sure why? You could try adding another teaspoon of baking powder, or try a recipe that is very similar, my Pan Cream CheeseSugar Cookies. You may have better luck with that recipe. Thanks for reading ABK.
      xo
      Si

  2. I’ve been searching for a good pan sugar cookie recipe that doesn’t end up with a cake-like texture. Are these soft and chewy or cakey?

  3. 4 stars
    My oven only fits 9×13 pans, do you think I could 2/3 this recipe and watch it closely and that would be the right portion?

    1. Hi Emilie!
      Great Question! I would make the whole recipe, cut it in half and bake half at a time. You could use parchment paper in your pan so the baked cookie will be easy to remove. Or you could make on half now and freeze the dough (in a ball, or pressed out on parchment paper the size of the pan) and bake later. Check the thickness of the cookie before baking to see if it will work for you. Please let me know how this turns out. I love this recipe and think you will too!
      xo,
      Si

  4. 5 stars
    Made these for a family gathering — soooo good! Fast, easy, and makes enough for a large group! I added a little almond extract to the frosting because sugar cookies and almond frosting is a marriage that should not be set aside!

  5. 5 stars
    I love these sheet pan sugar cookies! Perfect for potlucks or large events, or if I’m just too lazy to cut out and frost shapes. I like the tang from the sour cream in this frosting. These never last long at our house!