Make Ahead

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies

by:
October 27, 2011
4.3
3 Ratings
Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies
Photo by Nicole Franzen
  • Makes six dozen
Author Notes

There is one story I always have been told about my great grandmother Minnie. Whenever my mom and my aunt would visit she would always make them cookies. Not just "hey lets have a snack cookies" or "here are some cookies for dessert" cookies. No, she made them cookies for breakfast. How awesome was she? Every visit she would make two types of cookies; her Chocolate Chip Cookies and her Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies.

I've been eating the chocolate chip cookies as long as I can remember but I had never had the sour cream ones before. I tried them and just had to share my great grandmother's recipe.
—Dabblings

Test Kitchen Notes

Supple and light, these cookies are every bit as demure as freshly baked drop scones—until they hit you with a sucker punch of sweet frosting. It's an addictive combination. To keep your sugar high in check, make sure to dust them generously with chopped walnuts, and add a very healthy pinch of salt to the frosting. —mitschlag

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Ingredients for cookies
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped very finely
  • Ingredients for frosting
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened
  • 2 heaping tablespoons sour cream
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped finely for sprinkling on top of the icing (optional)
Directions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Add the vanilla and mix until fluffy.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternating with the sour cream. Begin and end with the flour.
  5. Add in the walnuts and mix until combined.
  6. Drop by the teaspoonful onto a greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with Silpat. Space them well apart as they will spread (I did 9 cookies per sheet and they were spaced well).
  7. Bake for 10 minutes until they are a golden color.
  8. While the cookies are baking, mix all of the frosting ingredients in a bowl.
  9. While the cookies are still warm, spread a little frosting on each cookie and top with the chopped walnuts.
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  • chava
    chava
  • Blissful Baker
    Blissful Baker
  • Dabblings
    Dabblings
  • Yogicfioodie
    Yogicfioodie

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10 Reviews

Yogicfioodie
Yogicfioodie November 16, 2015
Hi, I made these lovelies last night and could not be happier with the result. I didn't have any walnut on hand, so used toasted pecan pieces instead... pulsed a few times in the processor. Hands down, these are the best cookies I made this year. Thank you for sharing.
 
Clatterbuck
Clatterbuck March 17, 2013
I took these to a Church potluck today. Everyone loved them. They are now my favorite cookies. Thank you for this recipe.
 
fortyniner
fortyniner December 29, 2011
First batch out of oven, amazing! Substituted chopped macadamias for walnuts, plus used wholemeal flour. Was a bit dubious at the texture as I was making them, as I am used to cookie dough being a lot firmer, but need not have worried they are absolutely delish! Thanks for great recipe.
 
Dabblings
Dabblings January 3, 2012
I'm so glad you liked them :) I'm sure my great grandmother is beaming right now.
 
maymay
maymay December 2, 2011
Made these cookies tonight. They have a very comforting flavor and texture. Would like to add orange zest to the frosting next time.
 
Dabblings
Dabblings December 14, 2011
That's a great idea!
 
chava
chava November 19, 2011
No way 2 tablespoons of walnuts, no matter how finely you chop them,are going to stretch to the tops of 6 dozen cookies!
chavany
 
Dabblings
Dabblings November 28, 2011
Hey I just wanted to make sure that you read the recipe right. It should say 1/2 a cup of chopped walnuts for the topping, not 2 tablespoons. Is it possible that you just got mixed up with the 2 tablespoons of sourcream for the frosting? I do that all the time.
 
jenniebgood
jenniebgood November 15, 2011
Ditto - I am not seeing the directions or frosting ingredients either.
 
Blissful B.
Blissful B. November 14, 2011
How strange. The recipe is showing the cookie ingredients twice, but no directions or frosting ingredients. I assume the recipe was posted in full originally, since Kukharka was able to test them?