Lofthouse Cookie Recipe
- Nina Rocha
- Feb 17
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 18
As a kid, I loved those pillowy soft Lofthouse cookies from the grocery store bakery—the ones with the bright pink frosting on a round, airy cookie. They melted in your mouth like no other. Now, as an adult, a mother of two, and someone committed to a cleaner, healthier lifestyle, I just can’t bring myself to buy them with all the artificial flavors and colors. Instead, I love making these for my girls (and husband) on Valentine's Day. It’s a special treat I don’t make often, and the pink frosting just screams Valentine's Day!
I couldn’t find cornstarch at the store that wasn’t made from a bioengineered product (I usually use Bob’s Red Mill, but they were sold out). While my cookies still turned out great without it, cornstarch is what really makes them pillowy soft—I highly recommend keeping it in the recipe.
This recipe also calls for both vanilla and almond extracts. While you can omit the almond extract if you don’t have it on hand, it truly enhances the vanilla and adds depth of flavor. The key to fluffy cookies is properly creaming your butter and sugars together. This process, known as the "creaming method," involves mixing fat and sugar until smooth before adding eggs and vanilla.
Start by beating your softened butter until light, fluffy, and pale in color—this takes about two minutes. Next, add the sugar and beat again until the sugar granules almost "melt" into the butter. It should still be light, fluffy, and pale. Then, add the egg and extracts, followed by the dry ingredients in small increments, mixing until just incorporated. Avoid overmixing! Sifting the dry ingredients beforehand further ensures a light and fluffy texture. If you have access to duck eggs, they’re fantastic for baking due to their larger yolks and higher fat content.
Refrigerating the dough is crucial—the butter needs to harden again after mixing. If you skip this step, your cookies will spread too much and lose their shape.
This year, I decided to jazz things up by adding two tablespoons of Fabbri Amarena cherry juice. If you haven’t tried these cherries, you must! They’re a bit of a splurge, but the beautiful jar can be repurposed, and the cherries are divine in desserts or even an Old Fashioned. The scent alone is out of this world! This addition is optional, but I highly recommend it—it's the perfect pick-me-up for that in-between season when winter is almost over but spring isn't quite here yet.
To achieve the characteristic pink hue, I used Watkins Assorted Food Coloring—a natural option made from vegetable juices and spices like turmeric, spirulina, and beet juice. While not as pigmented as gel food coloring, it offers peace of mind knowing my girls aren’t consuming artificial dyes like Red 40 or Yellow 5. Of course, you can skip the food coloring entirely; the cookies will taste just as amazing!
Keep reading to see a list of my favorite kitchen tools I used for this recipe down below.
Lofthouse Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
For the buttercream:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1-2 tablespoons Fabbri Amarena cherry juice (optional)
Food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)
Directions:
Prepare the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light, fluffy, and pale—about two minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Incorporate wet ingredients: Add the egg and extracts, then beat until combined.
Mix in dry ingredients: Add the sifted dry ingredients in two parts, mixing until just incorporated. Do not overmix! The dough will be soft and sticky.
Chill the dough: Transfer dough onto plastic wrap, smooth it into a round disc, and refrigerate until well chilled (at least one hour).
Preheat oven & prep baking sheets: Preheat oven to 350ºF and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
Roll & cut cookies: Lightly flour your work surface and the top of your dough. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Use a 3” round cookie cutter to cut cookies and place them on prepared baking sheets about 2” apart. Gather scraps and re-roll as needed.
Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are just set but centers are still slightly underdone. The cookies should not gain color on top. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Make the frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth, creamy, and pale (about two minutes). Add powdered sugar in parts, beating until light and fluffy. It may look sandy initially but will come together when you add the heavy cream, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Add 1-2 tablespoons of Fabbri Amarena cherry juice if using. Add food coloring as desired.
Frost & decorate: Use an offset spatula to frost the tops of the cooled cookies with a thick layer of buttercream. Add sprinkles if desired.
These cookies are the perfect homemade alternative to the classic Lofthouse cookies, without artificial flavors or colors. They make for a delightful Valentine's Day treat, or any time you're craving something soft, sweet, and nostalgic. Enjoy!
My favorite kitchen tools I used for this recipe. Disclaimer: some of the links we share are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. We’re grateful for your support—it helps keep Hoagland House running and allows us to keep sharing the things we love.
👉 Some of my favorite kitchen tools
Disclaimer: some of the links we share are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. We’re grateful for your support—it helps keep Hoagland House running and allows us to keep sharing the things we love.
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