This morning I decided today's post would be a recipe from the 200 I have in 'draft' mode over the years. Sometimes I don't recall why I saved that particular recipe and other times I know exactly why I saved it. This is one I remember, and although there isn't a long, drawn out, funny story behind it - there is a small story of why I wanted it.
Before we relocated to our current home due to a promotion my husband received, I worked at a beautiful historical museum in the Midwest. When you work in an arts and culture type business and it's non-profit to boot, you typically have a small staff and you wear a lot of hats. No matter the event, concert, class, etc. most of the staff had some part of it due to the small staff that ran the museum and gift shop. It was during an educational class we were giving to elementary school children that our Education Director decided to have one of the break out sessions make cookies as they might have made back in the 1930's. It was a basic sugar cookie of its day, with an egg sized addition of butter and dollop of this and pinch of that. The cookie was a simple 'drop' sugar cookie and of course it had just a hint of nutmeg. The cookies were so simple, yet so good. It was that week, in 2010, that I went on an 'old fashioned sugar cookie' kick and found a few to put in my files from old grandmotherly type recipes to make.
This one was a little different in that it wasn't the typical 'drop on a cookie sheet' cookie - but added a little more flour so you could roll and cut them into shapes. That is why it reads; up to 6 cups of flour. Depending on the temperature and humidity level, etc. you use just enough to make the dough workable in your home.
And now, without further adieu, a simple, rolled cookie... with the addition of nutmeg to give it that good old fashioned flavor of days gone by.
Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
up to 6 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 t ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt
2 1/2 c white sugar
1 1/2 c shortening
1 t baking soda
1 c sour milk
3 eggs, beaten
1 t vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, stir together 4 cups flour, baking powder, nutmeg, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in baking soda, sour milk, beaten eggs, and vanilla. Stir as little as possible, and add the remaining flour as necessary to make dough thick enough to roll out.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Cool on baking sheets.
You might be interested in some cute cutters;
