I don't think I've ever eaten an actual Lofthouse cookie. But I am familiar with the concept. They are soft sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles -- the type of cookie that can generally be found packaged in a clear plastic box in the bakery section at the grocery store. Generally, I'm not a fan of soft or cake-like cookies. But I am a fan of Stella Parks and her recipes -- so I was willing to try her recipe for "Homemade Lofthouse-Style Cookies" in BraveTart. The recipe headnote says the cookies are "like muffin tops made from vanilla cupcakes: buttery, soft, and sweet with a light and creamy frosting."
The recipe is quite easy. You beat butter with sugar and baking powder until creamy; gradually add a mixture of egg whites, cream, and vanilla; and mix in cake flour. The recipe in the cookbook tells you to put the batter in a pastry bag and pipe it out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I decided to use a #30 scoop instead to ensure that all of my cookies were nicely shaped and the same size (I had not looked at the online version of the recipe available on Serious Eats before I made these cookies, but it directs you to use a cookie scoop and not a pasty bag). I got exactly the promised yield of two dozen cookies.
I baked the cookies until they were puffed and golden around the edges. They were domed and looked just like vanilla cupcake tops. I waited until they were completely cool before adding the frosting, which is a mixture of powdered sugar, salt, heavy cream, and vanilla. I spread the frosting on the cookies with an offset spatula (again, I happened to use the method outlined in the online version of the recipe; the cookbook version tells you to apply the frosting with a makeshift pastry bag made from a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off). After a shower of rainbow sprinkles, I left the cookies out on a rack overnight to allow the frosting to set. The following morning, the frosting had crusted over but was not completely firm, so I avoided stacking the cookies to keep the frosting intact.
These cookies taste exactly how you would expect from the way they look -- they are sweet, cakey, and vanilla-y. I enjoyed them, but I don't see myself making them again -- I just prefer chewy or crispy cookies (and heck, if I want a vanilla cupcake, I'll just make a cupcake so that I can enjoy both the bottom and the top!). But my tasters really liked these cookies and I understand their appeal. One of my colleagues told me that they had ruined her for supermarket sugar cookies. I'll give it to Stella that these cookies are precisely as she described: "pillowy and tender, [and] perfect for serving for tea coffee, or a tall glass of milk."
Recipe: "Homemade Lofthouse-Style Cookies" from BraveTart by Stella Parks, recipe available here at Serious Eats.
The recipe is quite easy. You beat butter with sugar and baking powder until creamy; gradually add a mixture of egg whites, cream, and vanilla; and mix in cake flour. The recipe in the cookbook tells you to put the batter in a pastry bag and pipe it out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I decided to use a #30 scoop instead to ensure that all of my cookies were nicely shaped and the same size (I had not looked at the online version of the recipe available on Serious Eats before I made these cookies, but it directs you to use a cookie scoop and not a pasty bag). I got exactly the promised yield of two dozen cookies.
These cookies taste exactly how you would expect from the way they look -- they are sweet, cakey, and vanilla-y. I enjoyed them, but I don't see myself making them again -- I just prefer chewy or crispy cookies (and heck, if I want a vanilla cupcake, I'll just make a cupcake so that I can enjoy both the bottom and the top!). But my tasters really liked these cookies and I understand their appeal. One of my colleagues told me that they had ruined her for supermarket sugar cookies. I'll give it to Stella that these cookies are precisely as she described: "pillowy and tender, [and] perfect for serving for tea coffee, or a tall glass of milk."
Recipe: "Homemade Lofthouse-Style Cookies" from BraveTart by Stella Parks, recipe available here at Serious Eats.
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