The secret’s out: adding sour cream to your sugar cookies gives you the best batch ever! It’s true. Sour cream isn’t just a topping for your nachos or the base of your favorite dip. This secret ingredient produces moist, melt-in-your-mouth cookies every time.
Why Does Sour Cream Work?
Sour cream is made from adding lactic acid-producing bacteria to dairy cream, which results in a slightly tart, thick substance. When you add sour cream to your cookie dough, the acid tenderizes it by breaking down the gluten molecules into smaller pieces. This leads to a softer, cake-like cookie, just like how Grandma used to make. She probably used these secret ingredients in her baking, too!
The acid also helps activate the baking soda, which gives the cookies a fluffy texture. Plus, the slightly tangy sour cream helps keep the cookies from being overly sweet, which means they pair perfectly with your favorite buttercream frosting.
Not only can sour cream help make soft sugar cookies, but adding a spoonful of it to pancakes, biscuits, cakes and muffins can help improve the flavor and texture as well.
How to Get Super-Soft Sugar Cookies
When following a sour cream sugar cookie recipe, you’ll typically find that you need to stir the sour cream in at the same time as the vanilla and egg. Don’t worry about tasting the sour cream in your final cookies—sour cream’s signature tang isn’t detectable when combined with sugar, vanilla and your favorite icing.
When you make a sour cream sugar cookie dough, don’t be surprised if the dough is thick and cake-like. It means you’ll get the moist, fluffy texture in the end!
Now that you know the secret ingredient, give it a whirl with this popular recipe for sugar cookies.
Find More Recipes with a Secret Ingredient
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Sour Cream Drops
MY MOTHER is an excellent baker, and this is her recipe. Whether Mom makes these cookies or I do, they always disappear quickly. Friends rave about them and often ask me to bring them to get-togethers. My young children enjoy all kinds of cookies, but these are their favorites. -Tracy Betzler, Reston, Virginia
Frosted Malted Milk Cookies
My family loves anything made with malt or chocolate malted milk balls, so these cookies are one of their favorites!—Nancy Foust, Stoneboro, Pennsylvania
Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
With the perfect hint of rosemary and a classic buttery texture, these delicate cookies look and taste elegant. The fact that they’re very easy to prepare can be our little secret.
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
These soft banana cookies have a cakelike texture and lots of flavor that everyone seem to love. It's one of the best banana cookie recipes I've found. —Vicki Raatz, Waterloo, Wisconsin
Swedish Almond Rusks
Not too sweet, these nutty, crunchy cookies go well with a cup of hot coffee...and travel well in care packages, too!
Butterscotch Toffee Cookies
With its big butterscotch and chocolate flavor, my cookie stands out. I like to enjoy it with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee. It’s my fallback recipe when I’m short on time and need something delicious fast. —Allie Blinder, Norcross, Georgia
Air-Fryer Lemon Slice Sugar Cookies
Here's a refreshing variation of my grandmother's sugar cookie recipe. Lemon pudding mix and icing add a subtle tartness that tingles your taste buds. —Melissa Turkington, Camano Island, Washington
S'mookies
S'mores are one of my favorite desserts. I wanted to create a cookie to replace the graham cracker—that's when my s'mookie was born. Just as delicious as the classic.—Maria Davis, Hermosa Beach, California
Orange Shortbread with Spicy Dark Chocolate
Of all the cookies I've made over the years, shortbread is the one that won't last 24 hours in our house. My 11-year-old daughter is wild for dark chocolate and the cayenne pepper is hardly noticeable, but adds a sophisticated kick.—Holly Campbell, Palouse, Washington
Potato Chip Banana Bread Cookies
My 5-year-old wanted to bake a cake with potato chips and bananas. I couldn't quite manage that, but I did combine two cookie recipes to create these. They are stunningly delicious, and everyone tells me they are addictive! —Rebecca Emmons, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Hawaiian Dream Cookies
These cookies are lovely as they are, but I'll sometimes use a light-colored sanding sugar for the top: First, lightly brush the top cookie with cream, then sprinkle with sanding sugar. This can be done before or after placing the cookie on top of the filling. —Lorraine Caland, Shuniah, Ontario
Easy Slice and Bake Cookies
These treats are larger than most slice-and-bake cookies, which I find to be quite nice. The great thing about these cookies is that you can slice however many you want at a time and enjoy them all warm from the oven. —Heather Chambers, Largo, Florida
Mango Fudge Refrigerator Ribbon Cookies
I’ve always thought that a ribbon cookie is especially nice. Although it’s a single cookie, it really seems like two or three different cookies because of its lovely layers of flavor. These refrigerated ribbon cookies have a rich chocolate layer balanced by a bright, orange-mango layer—a very special combination. —Jeanne Holt, Mendota Heights, Minnesota
Mocha Meringue Sandwich Cookies
These crisp, chewy cookies can be made any size you choose. They're also great with a variety of fillings—try making them with fruit preserves. —Marie Valdes, Brandon, FL
Ginger S'mores
I’ve spent a few years now perfecting this recipe to get a soft, flavorful cookie while balancing the marshmallow and chocolate so they don’t overpower the cookie. I think I finally got it! Recently I added orange zest—it really complements the other flavors. —Lynsay Benson, Minnetonka, Minnesota
Soft Cornmeal Cookies
Combining humble ingredients can sometimes result in a delicious treat. Use these versatile cookie as the base for ice cream sandwiches or crumble them over strawberries and ice cream. —Gina Martin, Spooner, Wisconsin
Salted Cashew & Caramel Chews
Nothing says "welcome home" like warm, gooey, chewy cookies right out of the oven with a cold glass of milk—mmm, heaven. You don't need a plate. Just grab and go. —Paula Marchesi, Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania
Confetti Cake Batter Cookies
Mom and I took up cake decorating. Funfetti was our favorite cake, so we used the mix to make cutout cookies. Plain or decorated, they’re a fave at parties. —Danielle DeMarco, Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Coffee-Glazed Molasses Cookies
I dreamed up these molasses cookies while sipping coffee and watching snow fall. The aroma while the cookies bake reaches all corners of the house. —Faith Ford, Big Lake, Minnesota
Coconut Banana Cookies
This is a springtime variation on my grandma's banana drop cookies and, with tons of coconut flavor, it's perfect for Easter. —Elyse Benner, Solon, Ohio
Mimosa Butter Cookies
You can add many different flavors to butter cookies to make them your own. Try an alternate type of citrus zest, or add an alternate liquid to change things up. —Sara Lark, Raton, New Mexico
Cinnamon Chip Chai-Spiced Snickerdoodles
I love cinnamon chips, and this is an intriguing way to use them. Make sure to stock up on them during the holiday season so you have plenty to last during the year. —Marietta Slater, Justin, Texas
Shortcut Coconut-Pecan Chocolate Tassies
You can garnish these cookies with pecan halves or a couple of chocolate chips before baking, or drizzle with a little melted chocolate after taking them out of the oven. —Deb Villenauve, Krakow, Wisconsin
Sea Salt Mint White Mocha Cookies
This recipe came from my mom's Grandma Alice, who taught her how to bake. Grandma Alice always had a fresh plate of warm cookies on her counter. I learned some of her recipes by heart as a child, and I've been making these since high school. They taste like Christmas.—Kristin Bowers, Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Coconut, Lime and Pistachio Cookies
Perfect for freezing, these cookies look like Christmas but taste like summer. —Barbara Crusan, Pass Christian, Mississippi
Crystallized Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is the best of twp worlds—gingerbread and chocolate chip cookies. Since they're combined, you don't have to choose between them. —Colleen Delawder, Herndon, Virginia
Chocolate Lebkuchen Cherry Balls
Here's my twist on the traditional German holiday lebkuchen—with a surprise inside. Maraschino cherries add a sweet and unexpected punch to the holiday spice of gingersnaps. —Arlene Erlbach, Morton Grove, Illinois
Jamaican Chocolate Cookies with Caramel Creme
I made these for an office party cookie contest—and not a crumb was left on the platter! Sweet potatoes are the secret ingredient. Canned sweet potatoes will work, too, if you're short on time. —Noelle Myers, Grand Forks, North Dakota
Lemon Blueberry Whoopie Pies
These whoopie pies are soft, cakey cookies studded with tart, juicy blueberries and filled with tangy cream cheese frosting. I take them to family and school events and they are always the first thing gone! Be sure to continually scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula while making the batter and frosting. —Kathy Martino, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Air-Fryer Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
I am crazy about chocolate chips, and this chewy cookie has enough to satisfy me. My husband and kids love these cookies. This big batch is perfect for our family. —Diane Neth, Menno, South Dakota
Grandma Brubaker's Orange Cookies
At least two generations of my family have enjoyed the recipe for these delicate orange-flavored cookies. —Sheri DeBolt, Huntington, Indiana
Sacher Torte Cookies
This cookie recipe will be a hit whether you are making it for your family or for a potluck. Apricot is traditional but you can choose whichever fruit preserves you prefer.—Audrey Thibodeau, Gilbert, Arizona
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
I'm one of the cooking project leaders for my daughter's 4-H club, where these soft, delicious cookies were a great hit with the kids. —Marietta Slater, Augusta, Kansas
Chocolate Malted Cookies
These cookies are the next best thing to a good old-fashioned malted milk. With malted milk powder, chocolate syrup, plus chocolate chips and chunks, these are the best cookies I've ever tasted…and with six kids, I've made a lot of cookies over the years! —Teri Rasey, Cadillac, Michigan
Soft Zucchini Spice Cookies
These cookies are great! They don't last very long at my house. Why don't you see how long they last at yours? —Mili Seemar, Chatham, New Jersey
Butterfinger Cookies
These great cookies don't last long—make a double batch! —Carol Kitchens, Ridgeland, Mississippi
Lemon Zucchini Drops
When we lived on the East Coast, a nearby fruit and vegetable stand had a bakery featuring these soft, cakelike cookies. We missed every bite when we moved away, so I developed this recipe. —Barbara Franklin, Tucson, Arizona
Toffee Chip Thins
In an attempt to create the "ultimate" cookie, I took the best features from my favorite recipes to create this sweet, crisp cookie. My family can't get enough of them. —Lynae Lang, Wolf Point, Montana
Potato Chip Crunchies
When my family comes home, I like having treats ready for them. No matter what's on the cookie tray, these are always the first to vanish. —Dorothy Buiter, Worth, Illinois
Giant Spice Cookies
I heard this cookie recipe over the radio about 1950—shortly after my husband and I married. The big spicy treats are so nice and chewy, they remain my favorite to this day. —Sandy Pyeatt, Tacoma, Washington
Coffee Shortbread
You'll be remembered for these cookies when you serve them for a morning coffee or at a gathering. Melted chips drizzled on top make them look fancy, but they're so easy to make. —Dixie Terry, Goreville, Illinois
Orange Slice Cookies
Soft candy orange slices are a refreshing addition to these crispy vanilla chip cookies from Britt Strain, Idaho Falls, Idaho. To quickly cut the orange candy, use scissors, rinsing the blades with cold water occasionally to reduce sticking.
S'more Sandwich Cookies
Capture the taste of campfire s'mores in your kitchen. Graham cracker crumbs added to chocolate chip cookie dough bring out the flavor of the fireside favorite. Melting the cookies' marshmallow centers in the microwave makes them simple to assemble. —Abby Metzger, Larchwood, Iowa
Coffeehouse Caramel-Dark Chocolate-Latte Cookie
These taste like my favorite coffee house drink in cookie form. They're crispy outside, but soft in the middle. —Angela Spengler, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Ultimate Candy Bar Cookies
I created these after Halloween, when I had way too much candy left over. You can make them with any mini chocolate candy, but if you use peanut butter cups, throw them in the freezer just before unwrapping so the chocolate won’t stick to the paper. —Tara John, Plymouth, Minnesota
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Alexa Hackfort