![Southern Living Smashed Sugar Cookies ready to serve](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.southernliving.com/thmb/G8y5On5Xo3UIWZED-gaNzkx4_6c=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/IMG_0017_1-cf63e2760c2345d1b135089e6f2e66c8.jpg)
Jessica Furniss
Smashed sugar cookies with sour cream icing are the perfect combination of sweet and tangy. Sour cream may seem like an unconventional icing ingredient, but trust us. It’s creamy, tangy, and full of delicious flavor!
From bake shops to social media, these trendy smashed sugar cookies are popping up everywhere. But you can save the special trip to the store and make these right at home. We'll show you how.
Tips for the Best Smashed Sugar Cookies
Even occasional bakers can make these cookies, but a few tips will make the process even easier:
- Roll in sugar for the right texture: By rolling the cookies in sugar and chilling them before baking, the final cookie maintains its soft, chewy center and crispy edges that make for a perfect sugar cookie.
- Chill the dough at the right time: In many cookie recipes you chill your dough before scooping and shaping the cookies, but for these thick, fluffy smashed sugar cookies it’s best to scoop out the dough, form the ball, smash it, then chill. The 15-minute chill will keep the cookies in the ideal smashed shape throughout cooking.
- Don't skip the chill either: When cookies lose their shape and spread out in the oven, they can become crumbly and dry. Keep their soft center by not skipping the chill!
![Southern Living Smashed Sugar Cookies ready to serve with glasses of milk](https://www.southernliving.com/thmb/5r2RfJAbfZzJ1lRhaYyT-mX3JZ0=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/IMG_0025-36d8ebeb82d8409396c91b4bf8069a37.jpg)
Jessica Furniss
How To Store Smashed Sugar Cookies
Once the icing sets and hardens, you can stack these on top of one another in an airtight container.
These are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week.
Can You Freeze Baked Sugar Cookies?
Yes! They will stay fresh in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Ingredients
Cookies:
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5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
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1/2 tsp. baking soda
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1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
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1/2 tsp. kosher salt
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1 cup (8 oz.) butter, softened
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3/4 cup vegetable oil
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1 1/3 cups plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
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2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
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2 large eggs
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2 Tbsp. water
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1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
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1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)
Icing:
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1/2 cup (4 oz.) butter, softened
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3/4 cup sour cream
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4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
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Dash salt
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1-2 Tbsp. milk or water (if needed)
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Sprinkles (optional)
Directions
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Prepare oven and baking sheets:
Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Combine dry ingredients:
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and flour until combined.
Jessica Furniss
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Make cookie dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, eggs and water on low for 2 minutes until smooth.
Jessica Furniss
Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on low until just combined.
Jessica Furniss
Then add the remaining half of the dry mixture and beat again until just combined.
Jessica Furniss
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Scoop out dough:
Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough balls. Roll them a bit in your hand to create a more uniformly round ball.
Jessica Furniss
Roll them in remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar until coated.
Jessica Furniss
Place the balls onto cookie sheets about 1 inch apart (these won’t spread much in the oven).
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Smash the cookies:
Use a glass with a small, flat base to gently smash down the center of the dough balls. Be sure to dip the glass into the small bowl of sugar between each smash to prevent the dough from sticking to the glass.
Jessica Furniss
Chill cookies 15 minutes, until firm.
When choosing the glass to smash your dough balls, you want one with a flat base that is small enough to create the signature dip in the center with some spillover. This creates the beautifully imperfect edges.
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Bake cookies:
Bake in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, until centers are set. Allow cookies to cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating.
The center of the cookies will be risen when they first come out of the oven, but don’t worry. As they cool, the center will settle and create an indentation to hold the icing.
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Make the icing:
While cookies cool, prepare icing. Beat together the butter and sour cream for about 2 minutes until smooth. Then add in the powdered sugar and salt and beat on low until fully combined. The icing should be creamy and a little thick, but flow easily. If it’s too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water.
Jessica Furniss
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Fill the wells with icing:
Spoon the icing into the center of the cooled cookies and spread it around to cover the center fully.
Jessica Furniss
Top with sprinkles, if using.
Jessica Furniss