Sugar Cookies

First off, I owe this whole post to my friend Cherona who shared this recipe with me a few years back when we used to have the best Maple Leaf Parade Parties. I ruined the tradition of course when we moved off parade route and it hasn't been the same since. A few of the 10 years we lived there, she made the cutest maple leaf shaped frosted sugar cookies and shared her recipe with me. I swear this is the best sugar cookie recipe I have found to date (sorry mom - yours are 2nd). These can be rolled and cut out of cute shapes or simply rolled in a ball, tossed around in a bit of sugar, flattened down, and baked.

This year I found that I have a shortage of time to do all of my normal Christmas cooking so I decided to go the non-cookie cutter, non-decorated route. My friend Martha shared a tip to brush them with a bit of water after you sugar them and they will come out shinier and a bit crisp. I even added a touch of coarse decorators Sparkling Sugar (Wilton). The best part for me this year is that I don't need to frost them so that will save me lots of time (but I do say they are even better and cuter with a bit piped on top).

oil makes it real runny

used the mini scoop instead of rolling, then rolled in sugar and flattened

sprinkled on after flattening, then brushed with little bit of water

Sugar Cookies:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup butter (softened)

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:
Cream butter, oil, and sugar in the mixer on low speed. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until combined. Combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, soda, cream of tarter) in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients 1/2 cup at a time. I added between 1/4 and 1/2 cup extra flour to get the dough to come together and not be runny (all the oil causes the dough to be very runny but adds to the crispiness when cooked). Refrigerate the dough overnight. Roll out dough with a rolling pin to 1/4 in in depth and cut out using your favorite cookie cutter or roll into 1 inch balls, roll the balls in sugar, place on a cookie sheet and flatten using a spatula or bottom of glass. If rolling in sugar and flattening, brush tops with a little water and sprinkle with decorators course sugar. Bake at 300 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. Cool and remove from cookie sheet. When completely cool decorate with frosting.

finished product