Swig Sugar Cookies

These homemade Swig Sugar Cookies are a delightful twist on traditional sugar cookies. With a unique combination of baking soda and cream of tartar, these cookies have a soft, chewy, thick texture. Plus, they’re topped with a generous layer of frosting, making them the best treat!

What Are Swig Sugar Cookies?

Swig® is a Utah-based drink and snack restaurant, and their sugar cookies are legendary! These treats are so popular that Swig locations are now popping up outside of Utah. What sets Swig sugar cookies apart from other sugar cookies is their unique texture, with a slight tang that helps them rise and puff up while baking. This yields a thick and chewy cookie.

Swig sugar cookies also typically have a signature “Swig” mark on top, which is made by pressing the bottom of a glass into the cookie dough before baking. This creates a slightly flattened top with a raised edge, perfect for holding a thick layer of frosting!

How To Make Swig Sugar Cookies

Here are some tips to help you make the best Swig Sugar Cookies:

• Use room temperature ingredients: Room temperature ingredients make a difference, especially the butter. This helps it cream better with the sugar and results in a smoother texture.
• Don’t over-mix the dough: When mixing the dry ingredients with the wet, be careful not to over-mix. Too much mixing means you’ll end up with a tough cookie.
• Use high-quality ingredients: When it comes to the butter and vanilla extract, quality matters. They can make a big difference in the flavor and texture of the cookies.
• Let the cookies cool before frosting: It’s important to let the cookies cool completely before adding the frosting. If the cookies are warm at all, the frosting will melt and become too runny.

Swig Sugar Cookies Tips, Continued

• Don’t over-bake: Swig Sugar Cookies are meant to be soft and chewy, so be careful not to over-bake them. Take them out of the oven when the edges start to turn slightly golden, but the centers still look slightly under-baked.
• Roll the right cookie size. The sweet spot for this recipe is a packed 2 tablespoons (40 grams) of dough. Big, I know, but totally perfect! If you make them smaller the texture won’t be the same.
• Bake on a dark-colored sheet pan. We tested these cookies on both light and dark sheet pans and found that the darker pan produced more consistent results. That’s because shiny surfaces reflect heat, and darker colors absorb it.  The cookies baked faster and more evenly on the dark-colored pan, while the light-colored pan resulted in longer baking times and less consistent results. Using a dark-colored sheet pan can help ensure that your cookies are evenly baked with the perfect texture every time.

Top Tip: Use A Kitchen Scale

Measuring flour can vary from person to person because of the different measurement methods used; this leads to inconsistencies in the amount of flour used. Some people scoop the flour directly from the container, while others spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level it off. However, even spooning and leveling methods can result in variations in the amount of flour used depending on how tightly packed the flour is in the cup.

Using too much or too little flour greatly affects the final texture of the cookies.

• Too much flour can result in dry and crumbly cookies.
• Too little flour can cause the cookies to spread too much and become thin and greasy.

Use a kitchen scale to accurately measure flour. It’s one of the best ways to ensure consistent results in baking, especially for recipes like Swig Sugar Cookies, where texture and consistency are key.

Using a kitchen food scale is an invaluable tool that can ensure precise measurements. If you have a food scale, I recommend using it instead of measuring cups for the most accurate measurements. Toggle over to the “Metric” measurement on the recipe card and use the grams listed.

By measuring your ingredients accurately, you can ensure that your cookies turn out perfectly every time!

QUICK TIP

Also, the food scale keeps your cookie dough balls the same size, and that means evenly baked cookies. Eyeballing portions can lead to inconsistencies in size and some over-baked cookies and others that are not fully baked through.

Frosting These Swig Sugar Cookies

Here are some frosting tips:

• Soften the butter properly: Butter should be at room temperature, not melted. If it’s too cold, the frosting will be lumpy and difficult to mix. If it’s too warm, the frosting will be runny.
• Sift the powdered sugar: If the powdered sugar is lumpy, it can make your frosting gritty. Sift the sugar before adding it to the butter for a smooth texture. (True confession: I usually don’t bother to sift unless it is fairly lumpy.)
• Add the cream gradually: Adding the cream slowly helps to incorporate it into the frosting evenly. If you add it all at once, the frosting can become too thin and runny.
• Use pure vanilla extract: High-quality pure vanilla extract will give your frosting a rich, natural flavor. Avoid using imitation vanilla extract, which can taste artificial–because it is!
• Adjust the consistency as needed: If the frosting is too thick, add more cream or milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved. If the frosting is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it thickens.
• Chill the frosting: Chill it for 20-30 minutes before spreading it on the cookies. This helps it hold its shape better.

More “Famous” Utah Recipes:

• Utah Scones sweet fry bread
• Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe made in the slow cooker
• Strawberry Pretzel Salad with a cream cheese center layer
• Funeral Potatoes cheesy potatoes with a crunchy topping
• Crumbl Oreo Cookies home of Crumbl® cookies!

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Swig Sugar Cookies

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

These homemade Swig Sugar Cookies are a delightful twist on traditional sugar cookies. With a unique combination of baking soda and cream of tartar, these cookies have a soft, chewy, and thick texture. Plus, they're topped with a generous layer of frosting, making them the best treat!

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Swig Sugar Cookies

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

These homemade Swig Sugar Cookies are a delightful twist on traditional sugar cookies. With a unique combination of baking soda and cream of tartar, these cookies have a soft, chewy, and thick texture. Plus, they're topped with a generous layer of frosting, making them the best treat!

Course Dessert, treat

Cuisine American, Vegetarian

Keyword Swig Sugar Cookies

Prep Time 39 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 49 minutes minutes

Servings 22 large cookies

Chelsea Lords

Calories 371kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $7.43

Equipment

• Dark-colored sheet pan and silicone liners (or parchment paper)
• Stand mixer and paddle attachment (or large bowl and electric hand mixer)
• Highly recommended: a food scale (Note 1)

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 1¼ cup white granulated sugar, divided: ⅔ cup for the dough and the rest for rolling the dough balls
• ▢ ½ cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon almond or coconut extract, optional
• ▢ ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 3 cups white all-purpose flour

Frosting

• ▢ 1 cup (16 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 4½ cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste)
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream Plus extra to use as needed
• ▢ Optional: red food coloring

US - Metric

USMetric

Instructions

• PREP: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large dark-colored sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner. (If using a light-colored sheet pan, plan to add 2-4 minutes onto the baking time).
• WET INGREDIENTS: Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl and an electric hand mixer), cream the butter, 2/3 cup white sugar, and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, vanilla, almond or coconut extract (if using), and vegetable oil. Beat at medium speed, scraping down sides as needed, until very creamy and silky-smooth looking.
  
• DRY INGREDIENTS: Finally, add the baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and flour right on top. Beat on low until integrated and then increase the speed and beat until a smooth dough is formed. Don't over-beat/over-mix.
  
• ROLL BALLS: Roll even-sized dough balls (2 very tightly packed tablespoons or 40 grams each). Add the remaining ½ cup white sugar to a small bowl. Roll balls into the sugar and place generously spaced apart on lined baking sheet. (I only bake 6 at a time.) Dip the bottom of a glass into the sugar and then press into the cookie, until the edges crack a bit. (If dough is warm or feels overly soft/gooey, pop the tray of cookie dough in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking--insurance from spreading in case your kitchen is overly warm or butter was too softened!)
  
• BAKE: Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies won't brown and should look almost undercooked, but if you use a metal spatula to gently lift a cookie, the bottom should be slightly golden and not look wet at all. Right out of the oven, you may need to gently press the cup into the tops of the cookies again if they puffed up too much. (Don't press down too hard, though.) Let cookies stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting -- cookies are fragile! Repeat with the remaining dough until all the cookies are baked.
• FROSTING: While the cookies are cooling, prepare the frosting. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 4½ cups powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and mix on low speed to avoid a mess. Gradually pour in 1 tablespoon of cream at a time (start with just 4 tablespoons) and mix on medium-high speed until ingredients are integrated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Once integrated, add food coloring (if using) and beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Taste, and adjust as desired. (Add more cream if needed for consistency. If the frosting is too soft, add more powdered sugar.) If the frosting is soft, chill for 10-15 minutes before frosting cookies.
  
• FROST COOKIES: Gently frost completely cooled cookies using a table knife or off-set spatula. The frosting layer should be nice and thick! That said, you'll likely have about 1 cup of extra frosting. Chef's treat, right? 🙂 (Or...use leftover frosting on pancakes/waffles, a small batch of cupcakes, etc.) Cover cookies tightly and store them at room temperature. They're best eaten within 2-3 days. Freeze leftover cookie dough pucks instead of baked cookies! See the blog post section labeled "Storage" for more info.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Food scale: A food scale is an invaluable tool that can ensure precise measurements. If you have a food scale, use it instead of measuring cups for the most accurate measurements. Toggle over to the "Metric" measurement on the recipe card and use the grams listed. Accurately measuring flour with a kitchen scale is one of the best ways to ensure consistent results in baking. Plus it's helpful to measure cookie dough balls to ensure evenly sized cookies (which means evenly baked cookies!)

Note 2: Butter: For both the cookies and the frosting it's important to use room-temperature butter, as it will cream better with the sugar. This gives a smoother texture. Butter should be at room temperature, not melted or soft/greasy. If it's too cold, dough won't cream and too warm and cookies will be greasy/spread.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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