If you've been following me either by blog or Twitter you might already realize I've not been home for almost two weeks now. I'm staying with a family member out of state and helping out for a bit.
Monday, I whipped up some sugar cookie dough since I already had the mixer out for something else and decided to make up dough and chill for later this week. The next day while the 16 month old was napping, the 3-year-old and I made cookies together.
This recipe is perhaps the closest one I've found to a "memory" I have.
When I was ten years old I was allowed to go 'up town' by myself or with friends in our small town. My friend Bridget and I would put on our tennis shoe skates (blue with the yellow stripes) and skate up town and head to the little bakery on the corner where we could get a sugar cookie for $.10 each. They were hard to describe taste wise. Perfectly circle and a bit crisp without being too crisp. Tender but not at all soft. The flavor was vanilla yet had a tang. The bakery closed down a couple years later and was long gone by the time I was 18 and on my own and starting on a quest to make my own versions of, well, everything I loved.
I've probably made about, oh, 60 or so different sugar cookie recipes through the past 30 years and this recipe is probably the closest one so far. Not exact... but close when they rolled out thin, cut to circles and baked til the edges are just golden brown, they are close.
Sugar Cookies
2 c sugar
1/2 c shortening
1/2 c butter
3 eggs
5 T sour cream
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t lemon extract
1/8 t almond extract
4 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and sour cream. Beat in the flavors. Add the flour, soda and salt. Bring to a dough, wrap in plastic wrap and chill 1 day or overnight. Roll out with plenty of flour. Cut to shape. Decorate the tops with sprinkles or sugar if you wish. If you want to frost them, do not sprinkle with anything, just bake plain. Bake on ungreased baking pan at 350 until the edges are golden brown. Remove from pan to cool complete.
I couldn't find any cookie-cutters in my host's kitchen, so I simply grabbed a glass from the cupboard and used that as a cookie cutter.
Oh so beautiful!
If you are going to frost them later, don't bother topping with anything. Just bake plain.
If you have an awesome little 3 year old helper like I do, then you will end up topping them with LOTS of cookie decorations!
3 year olds make the BEST cookies!
This is a legit photo I was taking of JUST the cookies when a quick-little toddler hand swooped in to snatch a fresh cookie! Ha ha.
