My Grandma Harris (my younger cousins nicknamed her “Nanny”) was my Dad’s mother. Not quite 5 feet tall (“no bigger than a minute” was one of her “Nanny-isms”), she was a powerhouse of energy. I never saw her sit down. She worked a full-time job at Sears in the girls and boys clothing department and came home in the evening to cook a meal for her family.
This classic sugar cookie recipe is hers. I treasure it, and I hope you will, too.
I like to make the dough a day before I bake these. Once it is all mixed together, I leave it in the mixing bowl and put a piece of plastic wrap or foil directly on top. Nanny wasn’t a fancy person, so I doubt she actually used pricey butter in this recipe. But I do, which doesn’t mean you have to. She most likely used “Oleo.”
You can color or decorate these any way you want. Add any food coloring after the eggs and before the flour.
Nanny’s Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine (2 sticks — let this sit out a bit to soften)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white granulated sugar (Nanny always preferred Imperial.)
1 cup confectioner’s (or powdered) sugar
In a large mixing bowl blend these four together, scraping down the bowl periodically. A heavy-duty stand mixer works best, but you can make these cookies with a decent handheld mixer, too.
Add:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Food coloring, if desired.
Continue mixing until light and fluffy.
Add:
4 1/2 cups flour (do this in two batches)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Continue mixing until well-combined and dough begins to form a ball and pull away from sides of bowl.
This is where I cover and place in the refrigerator.
Grease your baking pans with butter (not cooking spray). Using a melon-baller or just a spoon, scoop out and roll dough into walnut-sized balls, roll in granulated sugar and place on baking sheet. I used the bottom of a shot class dipped in sugar to make these “wreaths.” Any glass will do. Sprinkle with decorator’s sugar or more granulated sugar. Bake in a 350 oven for 10 minutes. Watch carefully, because you don’t want the tops of the cookies to brown, only the bottoms. Remove immediately to parchment paper or wax paper and let cool. Before loading up your next sheets, butter the pans again. Makes 60.
Heidi's Hotplate 