Tastes Like Lofthouse Cookies

I found this on Noshings (http://noshings.blogspot.com), a food blog that I read. It purports to be very similar to the Lofthouse cookies you can buy at the grocery store - you know, the soft sugar cookies with the wickedly delicious frosting. I haven't tried it yet, but believe me, I will be doing so. The yield is a total guess - the original source didn't specify. Cooking time is for one pan.

• Ready In: 33 mins
• Yields: 48 cookies

Ingredients

• Cookies

• 1  French vanilla cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe brand)
• 1⁄2 cup  plus 3 t. flour (mix well into the cake mix)
• 3  large eggs
• 1⁄3 cup  oil (I used soybean)

• Icing

• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1⁄3 cup shortening
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 3  tablespoons milk (this varies somewhat depending on how thick you want your icing.)
• 4  cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. For the cookies:
2. Mix well with a handmixer or Kitchen Aid. The dough will be stiff, enough to roll into 1" balls.
3. I placed them on a Silpat type baking sheet, these are lovely to keep your cookies from getting too brown.
4. Flatten the balls with the heel of your hand to about 1/2" thick.
5. Bake these at 325 degrees for about 12-14 minutes. You will know they are done when they feel somewhat firm in the center.
6. Take them out of the oven and let them sit for at least 5 minutes to finish baking and let set up.
7. Transfer to a sheet of foil to cool completely. While they cool, start the icing.
8. For the icing:
9. Mix well with a hand mixer and either pipe on with a pastry bag or schmear on with a spatula.
10. At this point, you MUST use sprinkles -- if you don't, the sugar cookie faeries will come and take your cookies away, because you don't deserve them.
11. Store the cookies in a tupperware type container right after the icing has set. (This is supposed to be the secret to getting the texture right.) The cookies will get that dense, cakey texture after being stored in the air tight container overnight or for a few hours.