Name: Swig Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 36
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter; 3/4 cup vegetable oil; 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 cup powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons water; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar; 1/4 cup unsalted butter; 6 tablespoons sour cream; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; 4 cups powdered sugar; 2-3 tablespoons milk; 1-2 drops red food colouring (optional)

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These copycat Swig sugar cookies are fast and easy to make and the cookies stay super soft. They’re the BEST sugar cookies!

I’m not a huge fan of sugar cookies. But these copycat swig sugar cookies have changed my mind on that. This is the kind of sugar cookie I can get on board with.

They’re so easy to make. No chilling time, no rolling and cutting out the dough, no detailed frosting work required. In short, they’re pretty much the easiest sugar cookies ever.

Plus, they taste amazing. They stay super soft, the frosting is delicious, and you can make so many different flavours of them. If you haven’t tried swig sugar cookies, you definitely need to!

Swig Sugar Cookies Recipe - The best sugar cookies I’ve ever made – or eaten! This copycat Swig sugar cookie recipe is fast and easy and the cookies stay super soft. They're amazing!

Are baking soda and cream of tartar the same thing?

Baking soda and cream of tartar are not the same thing, and you do need both of them in this recipe, so don’t skip one of them.

They react with each other to produce carbon dioxide bubbles, and this reaction provides the leavening in these cookies. They’re both important ingredients in this recipe so add them both for good results!

Swig Sugar Cookie Recipe - The best sugar cookies I’ve ever made – or eaten! This copycat Swig sugar cookie recipe is fast and easy and the cookies stay super soft. They're amazing!

What should I use to press the swig cookies down?

Swig cookies have a distinctive ruffled edge, which is produced by rolling the cookie dough into balls, and then pressing them down before baking. In order to get that ruffled edge, you need to use a flat bottomed glass or mason jar that is smaller than the finished cookie.

For this recipe, use 2 tablespoon sized cookie dough balls, and press them down to about a half inch thickness with a 2.5″ wide glass. I find a 250mL mason jar works perfectly here. Make sure to dip it in granulated sugar in between cookies so it doesn’t stick to the cookie dough!

How to make Swig Sugar Cookies:

You will need a 2 1/2 inch wide glass to press the cookies down and end up with that rough edge – I find a 250mL (8oz) mason jar works perfectly for this.
These cookies are quite large, I’ve also made them small enough that I get 48 cookies (instead of 36). For that size of cookie the bake time was 7-8 minutes rather then 8-10, and the cup I used to press them down was about 2” wide. Roll the dough into balls that are about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough instead of about 2 tablespoons each.
I store these cookies in the fridge as there is sour cream in the frosting. We like them best cold anyways, and they are still super soft straight out of the fridge.

Here are some more great sugar cookies for you:

Yield: 36 cookies

Swig Sugar Cookies

These copycat Swig sugar cookies are fast and easy to make and the cookies stay super soft. They're the BEST sugar cookies!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the frosting:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
6 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
1-2 drops red food colouring (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream together the butter, oil, sugar, powdered sugar, water, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition, until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the dough.
Roll the dough into golf ball sized balls (about 2 tablespoons) and place them 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Dip the bottom of a glass (about 2 1/2 inches wide) in some granulated sugar and then press down on one of the cookie dough balls until it is 1/2” thick. This will leave a flat middle section with the signature rough edge.
Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough balls.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the bottom is lightly browned. They stay soft, so make sure not to over bake them.
Let them cool for 5-10 minutes on the cookie sheet then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, cream together the butter, sour cream, and vanilla until well combined.
Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of milk to thin the frosting to your desired consistency.
Add the food colouring, if using, and whip the frosting for one minute.
Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting on each cookie, allow to set, and then store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, or freeze them for up to 3 months.

Notes

These cookies are quite large, I’ve also made them small enough that I get 48 cookies (instead of 36). For that size of cookie the bake time was 7-8 minutes rather then 8-10, and the cup I used to press them down was about 2” wide. Roll the dough into balls that are about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough instead of about 2 tablespoons each.

I store these cookies in the fridge as there is sour cream in the frosting. We like them best cold anyways, and they are still super soft straight out of the fridge.

Source: Adapted from Vintage Revivals.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 259Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 83mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 2g

Nutrition Information is estimated based on ingredients used and may not be exact.

I’ve also shared this Swig Sugar Cookies Recipe over on Food Fanatic.

Steph

Monday 15th of January 2018

Could you roll these out, cut them with a cookie cutter and bake them like traditional sugar cookies?

Melanie Bentz

Monday 15th of October 2018

I rolled them out and cut our halloween cookie shapes and it worked just fine. You do have to be careful picking them up and moving them to the pan. It is crumbly and they can break. So just be careful and use a spatula.

Stacey

Tuesday 16th of January 2018

I haven't ever tried it but I think it would work okay. They do spread a bit when you bake them though so they may not hold the shape perfectly. I would roll the dough fairly thick if you want them to stay soft - these are almost 1/2" thick - so I don't know if you would want cut out cookies that thick or not? If you make them thinner you would need to decrease the baking time by a couple of minutes if you want them to stay soft. I also have this sugar cookie recipe that I know rolls out nicely and holds it's shape when baked, if you prefer! If you try it with this recipe, let me know how it turns out!

Andi

Saturday 16th of December 2017

I have been meaning to try these cookies for ages and FINALLY made them this morning, yes, started at 6am! OMG these are delish! Hubby gave them a thumbs up since his mouth was full with cookie.

So glad you liked them!

Holly

Wednesday 12th of April 2017

I made these cookies with my 13 yr old son and they turned out amazing! One of the best sugar cookies I've ever had. Soft and delicious. I did add a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract along with the vanilla. Couldn't have been better!

stacey

Aren't they SO good?! I'm so glad you liked them. And almond extract is a fantastic idea and I am definitely doing that next time I make them! :)

greentopiaries

Friday 2nd of December 2016

I've now made this recipe twice. They make really great sugar cookies, but I never get the pretty rough edge for some reason. :( I weigh all of my dry ingredients - do you think that could be the problem? Maybe not enough flour doing it that way?

Paula barlow

Sunday 12th of February 2017

When you press your balls, does any spill out? The part that pushes out from under your press or cup comes out with the jagged edges.

I'm not sure - I get 5oz per cup of flour so maybe if you use 4.5oz per cup that could be the problem. Or if you're using a larger cup to press down the dough? When I press down with the glass dipped in sugar, it gives the flat middle and the rough edge where the dough presses out around the glass. Is your glass covering the entire cookie when you press it down? If so that could be the problem, and you would just need to use something smaller to press them. Hope that helps!

lisa

Monday 21st of November 2016

Do you have to refrigerate them after they're already made?

Okay great! I'm traveling to see my family so I'll just frost once I'm there. Thanks Again!

They do stay soft even in the refrigerator. The original "Swig" cookies are served cold which is why the recipe says to keep them in the refrigerator. I frosted all of mine immediately, and there's sour cream in the frosting, so I think that you would want to keep them in the fridge if they're frosted. If you're not going to frost them until you serve them then they would be fine at room temperature.