Amish Sugar Cookies is a recipe from John, who gave it to me during a period where I was trying to clone Lofthouse Cookies.
All in the Amish Sugar Cookies Family
In my attempts to make cookies like the beloved grocery store favorites, I tried a cake-y sour cream clone from Recipe Goldmine, a recipe from a scrapbookers' forum and many more with names like Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies and Sawdust Cookies. None of these were the same as Lofthouse, but John's Amish Sugar Cookies come close. I've since made a few changes that make them even more like Lofthouse. Here's a picture of the soft white dough.
And here's what the cookies look without any frosting. The ones in this photo are a little too large. These are best made with a scant tablespoon of dough.
Ingredient Updates
- Use bleached flour if possible. The first time I made John's cookies all I had was unbleached flour. The cookies were good, but a little browner. When I used bleached (White Lily), the cookies were a snowy white like Lofthouse.
- Instead of ½ cup of oil, use ¼ cup oil and ¼ cup shortening (Spectrum). This makes the dough softer and improves flavor. Use a very fresh ve
- getable oil or grapeseed oil for neutral flavor.
- I increased the vanilla from ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon and since I keep it around, I added ½ teaspoon butter flavoring.
- John used 1 stick of salted butter and didn't add salt. I use 1 stick unsalted butter and add ½ teaspoon (and sometimes an extra pinch) of salt.
Cookies in Cupcake Wrappers
The first time I made these the dough kept baking up a little flatter than I liked, so I baked the dough in paper lined cupcake tins. The wrappers gave the cookies a cute little ridged look and kept them from spreading too much so there was a better cookie to frosting ratio. If you use bleach flour, half oil and half shortening, there will be no need for cupcake wrappers.
Also, I put together another old list of recipes that people said reminded them of Lofthouse Cookies.
Recipe
John's Amish Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar (60 grams)
- ½ cup salted butter (see note about unsalted) (114 grams)
- ½ cup vegetable oil or ¼ oil and ¼ shortening
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon butter flavoring (optional)
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, bleached if you have some (240 grams)
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
Frosting
- 4 tablespoons butter (52 grams)
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla plus any other flavorings you like almond, orange
- 1-3 tablespoons whole milk
- Pinch salt if using unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cream the sugar, confectioners sugar, butter and oil (or oil and shortening combo). Reduce speed of mixer and beat in the egg and vanilla. If using butter flavoring, add that too.
- In a separate bowl, thoroughly stir together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and cream of tartar. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture. Batter should be too soft to roll, but thicker than actual batter. You can bake the cookies immediately or chill the dough until you’re ready. Chilled dough is easier to work with.
- When ready to bake, scoop up tablespoons of dough and shape into 1 inch (ish) balls. Place each ball in a cupcake wrapper lined muffin tin and bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies appear done. Let cool completely. The cookies are very tender, so I froze mine before icing. Ice the frozen cookies. Keep in a covered container.
- Makes about 2 ½ dozen cookies
Pearl Lee says
what unique sugar cookies!
KChap says
I am so trying these... I love Lofthouse cookies! These look different but equally as delicious!
cookienurse says
I wonder if using cake flour with cornstarch would make a difference in the texture?
Brenda says
I love that you baked these in the paper-lined cupcake tins. They look absolutely delicious!!
Anna says
Cat, they were definitely tasty.
Louise, if that's the case then it's a good thing you don't like them. Also, are you sure that's not used in the icing? I threw away my ingredient list.
Betty, thanks! That recipe looks kind of like another one I use and really like. Not quite the same as Lofthouse, though. Anyway, it's probably the titanium dioxide that makes them so delicious. I'll probably never clone them ;).
https://www.cookiemadness.net/2010/07/welcome-home-sugar-cookies/
Louise says
Lofthouse cookies have titanium dioxide -- that's what makes them white. 🙂
cat says
these look so adorable and delicious!
Betty says
I'm following this with interest- I love those lofthouse cookies! The ones you made in the cupcake cups are really cute.
If you're still interested in trying more, my sister gave me this recipe, which reminded me of the lofthouse cookies. When I made them I also added a bit of almond extract. They worked best I thought, when I chilled the dough thoroughly before baking. I wonder what these would be like subbing some cornstarch for flour...
Thanks!