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Make Swig’s famous sugar cookies from home with this copycat recipe! These Copycat Swig Cookies are THICK and delicious, topped with a creamy frosting.
Swig cookies are the ultimate side-kick to your drink of choice. If it’s not Diet Coke, you can always try Pineapple Pink Lemonade Soda or a Cherry Limeade! 😉
Just Like Swig!
Have you had Swig Cookies before? If you don’t live in Arizona or Utah, you may not even know what Swig is. It’s a soda shop, but they also sell the BEST cookies! My mom says the sugar cookies are her favorite.
We made our own version at home today, and they turned out just like the real thing! The cookies are super thick, and they’re even better with the pink frosting on top. We used a hint of almond extract in it, and the flavor was perfect.
When we make these close to Valentine’s Day, we like to add some festive sprinkles on top of the pink frosting. They’re the perfect treat to gift to friends and neighbors!
How to Make swig sugar cookies
DOUGH. Begin by creaming together butter, oil, sugars, water and eggs in your mixer. Mix for a few minutes until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture. Mix all ingredients until they are well combined. Dough should not be sticky.
ROLL. Roll dough into 1.5 inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.
PRESS. To give the cookies their cracked edges, place ¼ cup sugar and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl. Place the bottom of a glass into this mixture and then press it onto your ball of dough. Press cookies until they are a bit wider than the glass bottom diameter.
*Note: The diameter of the bottom of the glass I used was 2.5 inches. I pressed the cookies until they were about 3 inches in diameter.
BAKE. Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes. The cookies end up being about 3.5 inches in diameter after being baked. Let them cool and place them in the fridge.
FROSTING. For the frosting, mix butter, sour cream, powdered sugar, salt, 1 drop food coloring and almond extract. Mix well and add the desired amount of milk you want to get the thickness you want. (I only added a few tablespoons.) Spread frosting on cookies right before serving.
Make ’em Authentic!
At Swig, these cookies are actually kept in the freezer until ready to serve. Then they take one out and frost it for the customer. If you have never had it this way you definitely need to give it a try!
You can spread the frosting with a butter knife or a flat spatula (which is what they do at Swig). Swig cookies are known by their classic plain frosting, but you could pipe something fancy if you want to get creative!
Variations and Storing
You can change up the flavor of these cookies by trying the following:
- Lemon version: Add 1 tbsp of lemon zest to the dough. After frosting the cookies add a bit of lemon zest to the top.
- Chocolate version: Add in ¾ cup of cocoa powder to the dough.
- Coconut Cookie: Use 1.5 tsp of coconut extract instead of almond and add a splash of it to the frosting as well.
You don’t have to STORE Swig cookies in the fridge or freezer, but you can if you like them served cold. They can also be stored at room temperature. Just be sure they are in a ziplock bag or airtight container. They should last for 3 weeks.
These swig cookies are great for FREEZING! Especially because Swig themselves serve them straight from the freezer. Just make the cookies and let them cool. Then place them (unfrosted) on a cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Once frozen, place them in a freezer safe airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve pull them out of the freezer and frost them.
Leftover frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature before using.
For more delicious sugar cookie recipes, try:
- Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
- 3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies
- No Roll Sugar Cookies
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Valentine Sugar Cookies
Copycat Swig Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookie
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1¼ cup sugar
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 5½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar
Frosting
- 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 4 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 drops pink food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a cookie sheet. Set aside.
- In the stand of a mixer, cream together butter, oil, sugars, sour cream, and eggs. Mix until well combined and fluffy.
- In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Slowly add to your creamed mixture and mix until combined.
- Roll dough into 1½ inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.
- Place ¼ cup sugar in a separate bowl. Lightly grease the bottom of a glass with cooking spray. Dip the bottom of the glass into the sugar and then press down onto each dough ball to make it about 3 inches in diameter to give the cookies their cracked edges.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes and let sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cookie rack.
Frosting
- While the cookies are cooling, cream the butter, powdered sugar, 1 drop of food coloring, and vanilla extract. Mix well and add the desired amount of milk to get it the desired thickness. I add 3-4 tablespoons.
- Spread frosting on cookies right before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from Vintage Revivals.
How long can you freeze them? I need to make 800 FOr a weddong.
Wow, that’s a lot! They should be good up to a few months in the freezer 🙂 Good luck!
How many cookies does this make?
Makes close to 3 dozen. Just depends on how big you make them.
So amazing!!!❤️
Thank you so much!!
I’ve tried a couple of swig copycat recipes and this has by far been the closest! the cookie was perfect. I did add an extra 1-1.5 cups of powdered sugar to the frosting because it was too liquidy for my tastes. My kids aren’t a big fan of almond flavoring so I used vanilla instead. DELicious!
Perfect!! Thank you for sharing that 🙂
Looks like way too much flour and powdered sugar for the amt. of dry ingredients….not sure I want to risk it. Then all of that only making 3 dz cookies? Looks like a normal cookie recipe except for the amts. of flour and powdered sugar. Has anybody had a problem with that?
I haven’t..it was the perfect amount 🙂
What changes to the cookie recipe do you suggest for high altitude?
I haven’t baked these in higher altitude, but usually that means to cook it longer. Sorry I can’t give you more info:( I haven’t had much experience with cooking in high altitude.
Hey Lily I have been to Swigs before there is one by my house I have had the shaved ice chocolate chip cookies and I have tried the sugar cookies with pink frosting Happy Valentines Day Lily
Hi Lily – you look so pretty. I love your cookies and especially my favorite color “pink”. I’ll have to make them some day soon. Thanks Lily and have fun today.
Super delish Kristyn and Lily! And cute too! I’m printing this out to add to my new recipe binders as we speak. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe Lily! Can’t wait to try these! Happy Valentine’s Day!