I love old family recipes. They mean so much to me, because not only are they the foods that I grew up with, but my family grew up with them as well. It’s that connection to past generations which makes them all-the-more special. Growing up, we made sugar cookies for just about every holiday. I remember picking out the cookie cutters to match the holiday or season, rolling out the dough, cutting out the cookies, and then decorating them after they cooled. I have such fond memories of decorating the cookies with my mom and sister!
I love making these recipes over and over, and I hope to pass them on to my children as well!
Sugar cookies are so versatile. You can make them any time of year in any shape or just even roll the dough into balls, and press them down with the bottom of a glass coated in sugar. Cutouts decorated to match the current season or holiday make great gifts for friends and family!
Cream together butter, shortening, and sugars. Make sure that your butter is room temperature so that you won’t end up with large chunks of butter in the dough.
Add the vanilla, lemon, egg, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
Last, add the flour and mix until blended.
In order to roll out the dough, you will need to refrigerate it until firm. Usually about an hour is good, but you can definitely go longer. Wrap it up in plastic wrap or use an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Roll out dough 1/4-inch thick on a floured surface and cut out shapes to go with the holiday or season. I had to grab my ABC* heart-shaped cookie cutter, because it’s just too fun to not use! (*already been chewed). Although I couldn’t find the exact set I have, this set looks like it might be fun to use with my Gingerbread Friends recipe!
Place at least 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. The cookies do puff up a little bit when they bake, as you can see in the pictures below.
Cool on wire racks before decorating. Alternatively, you can sprinkle colored sugars on top of the cookies before baking. It’s a great tip when you’re running short on time, and they still look great!
Sugar Cookies
A recipe from my great-grandmother Sara
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups flour
Cream together butter, shortening, and sugars. Add vanilla, lemon, egg, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Add flour and mix until blended. Refrigerate until firm. Roll out dough on a floured surface to 1/4-inch thick, and cut out shapes. Place at least 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Decorate as desired, and store in airtight containers.
Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies, depending on cookie cutters used.