Classic Sour Cream Sugar Twists (A Holiday Favorite)
Old Fashioned Sour Cream Sugar Twists Recipe
Classic Sour Cream Sugar Twists (Holiday Favorite)
This recipe goes way back for me. Whenever my mom asked for Christmas treat requests, I always chose these sour cream sugar twists. Now I can make them myself—but honestly, they still tasted best when she made them. 😉 Now that she is no longer with me, I make these to feel that close memory of her at Christmas!
If you enjoy classic holiday pastries like this, you’ll also love our Christmas recipes collection, filled with timeless treats and family favorites.
While we’ve always made these during the holidays, they don’t have to be just a Christmas treat. They’re lovely any time of year and would even make a sweet addition to an Easter spread.
What Are Sour Cream Sugar Twists?
These twists are similar to a flaky pastry, thanks to the folding process that creates delicate layers. They’re lightly sweet—not overpowering—and dangerously easy to snack on throughout the day.
Even though these were a staple holiday cookie in my house growing up, I don’t see them made very often. If you’ve had them before, let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear if they were part of your traditions too!
Tips for Making Sour Cream Sugar Twists
The folding and rolling process may seem intimidating at first, but it’s much easier than it looks—and it doesn’t need to be perfect to turn out great. The hardest part is waiting while the dough chills!
I always use a pizza cutter to quickly slice the dough into even strips—it makes the process much faster.
Because the sugar filling melts and caramelizes as it bakes, be sure to line your pan with a silicone baking mat or similar liner to prevent sticking. Silicone mats work especially well for this recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can sour cream sugar twists be made ahead of time?
Yes. You can prepare the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before shaping and baking. This makes them great for holiday prep.
How should sour cream sugar twists be stored?
Once baked and cooled, store sour cream sugar twists in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can sour cream sugar twists be frozen?
Yes. Baked sugar twists can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Why does sour cream make pastry dough tender?
Sour cream adds fat and acidity, which helps tenderize the dough and create flaky, delicate layers when baked.
Final Thoughts
I love how simple yet delicious these sour cream sugar twists are. If you’ve never tried them before, this is your sign—they might just become a new holiday tradition in your home.
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Sour Cream Sugar Twists Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup shortening or butter
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Sugar Filling
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Soften yeast in the warm water. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Use a pastry blender or electric mixer on low speed to mix in the butter and shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Beat in eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and yeast mixture, until well combined. Divide dough in half, cover and chill for 2 hours, or until firm enough to roll.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Line two cookie sheets with silicone baking mats. In a small bowl, combine the sugar filling ingredients.
- Sprinkle some of the sugar filling on your surface and roll out one half of the dough to about 16 inches x 8 inches. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup sugar filling on top. Fold one end of the dough over to the center, fold other end over to make 3 layers (like folding a letter). Roll out again. Repeat the sugar filling and folding process, roll out to 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch x 1-inch strips. Twist and place on cookie sheet, at least an inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake for 15-17 minutes.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container, for up to 1 week. To refresh twists, if needed, place on cookie sheet and reheat at 350°F/175°C 5 minutes. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
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OMG! My grandma used to make these! These are famous in our family! we call them starlight sugar crisps but i’ve never seen anyone else make them! YAY! they’re so delish nuked in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
I haven’t seen anyone else make them either! That’s one of the reasons why I thought I definitely needed to share this recipe. It is fun to hear that other families love them too!
Hey Amanda thanks for your comment and that is awesome that your family loves these also! It is interesting the starlight name! Thank you for the tip on warming them up — we will add that to the recipe.
Hey, me too. We call them Vanilla Sugar Twists. I was so surprised to see them in the picture. Delish!! I love these guys
They have been made in our house for my entire 65 years and never seen anyone else make them
<3 I don't see many people make them either, but I intend to keep the tradition alive because I love them! Thanks for commenting, Joan. :)
My grandma Shirley made these. Unbelievably delish. My sister and I have tried unsuccessfully for years to duplicate. Tips needed
I love them too! I hope the tips in this post are helpful and that they turn out perfectly for you next time!
My grandmother always made these during the holidays! I have a similar recipe that I just took out of her recipe box and can’t wait to bake a batch:). Happy Holidays!
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Kim. Have a wonderful holiday!
My Italian grandmother with a gift for anything that came out of the kitchen found a very similar recipe in the local newspaper probably 60 years ago and gave them a whirl. They have been a family standard ever since with minor changes and one addition: one cup sour cream, four cups flour and a teaspoon of cinnamon (no vanilla) in one cup sugar for rolling. I will echo what so many have said – I haven’t seen anyone else make them! For us they are not so much a holiday cookie as a celebration cookie – birthdays, baptisms, family reunions, or “just because.”
Love it! Thank you for sharing, Cathy. Celebration, holiday, and “just because” cookie all sound good to me. 😉 Just thinking about them is making me want some!
30 years ago a friend of mine used to make these for our synagogue. I thought this was a traditional Jewish recipe! She passed away many years ago and was famous for her baking. I have searched everywhere for this recipe which reminds me of her. I can’t wait to try this! Thank you!!!
I’m glad you found this sour cream sugar twist recipe! I hope you enjoy making them and remembering your friend. <3 Thank you for commenting, Marilyn.
My mom called them sour cream twists. For the holidays, she would often use colored sugar for the last sprinkle before cutting them. She made them weeks before Christmas and froze them, hoping they would be a cookie to bring out for unexpected company. She soon realized that we kids enjoyed them frozen just as much and the top layers were often quickly eaten.
I love this! I would totally be sneaking them out of the freezer too.
My Swedish Grandmother and Aunt who worked for the former Hough Bakery in Cleveland kept us grandkids well fed and this twist on a cookie was always so good! My grandmother was the secretary to the Pyle brothers and Aunt was one of the head pastry chefs. Great memories and this is the closest to what they made. One of my biggest regrets growing up was not learning more from these very talented cooks! The other grandmother was Pennsylvania Dutch and her cooking was just as good. Sweet and savory memories!
Such great family memories! I bet the food was always delicious with them. Yum! Thank you for sharing, Gus.
I look forward to making these! But, is the yeast dry active or cake? I assume cake. I searched other recipes and they call for dry active. Thank you!
Great question! I actually use an instant yeast, so I suppose the softening isn’t necessary. But I still follow the recipe as written and just use the instant yeast that I have on hand. It works well! Active dry yeast will work as well.
My grandmother always made these for holidays and now I make them for my family and give them out to neighbors during Christmas time. I think my grandma still has the Pillsbury book the recipe came from. They are delicious and hard to stop eating. No wonder it was a winning recipe!
So glad you love them as much as Cathy! Thanks for the rating 🙂
I’m having trouble with many of the twists coming untwisted during baking. What an I doing wrong?
I haven’t made this recipe, but it is an old family favorite. We always called them Sugar Crisp’s. My only advice is to use parchment paper, that’s the only difference between Great and GREAT!!
Thanks for the tip!
We make these every x-mas except we use cinnamon and sugar that we roll them in. We called them cinnamon twist cookies. Been in my families recipe book for at least 50+years.
3TBSP cinnamon to 1 cup sugar ratio. Happy to see others make them as well! God bless and Merry Christmas to all.
Excellent tips, Christian!
We call them sugar crisp. Its been a family treat all of my 68 years. One thing I think is worth mentioning, use parchment paper, the sugar won’t stick!
My mother-in-law started making these over 65 years ago. Her recipe is exactly the same as this one Well, how about that . Today I made these and chilled the dough for two hours .When it came out it was so sticky. It was very difficult to even roll out . We live in southwest Florida, and I’m not sure if it’s because we’re in a warm climate . Any suggestions you could give me that would help would be much appreciated.