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Sugar Cookies (Amish)

american-amish-sugarcookiesThese easy to make, old-fashioned sugar cookies simply melt in your mouth. I've passed this recipe around to many friends.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

In a large bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugars. Beat in eggs until well blended. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Drop by small tsp. onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Makes 5 dozen.

Cook's Notes:

  • Salted butter and a splash of extract (try almond) make these extra flavourful.
  • If you like your treats on the sweeter end of the spectrum, add a pinch of coarse sugar to the tops of these light and airy cookies.
  • Why cream of tartar? Baking soda needs an acidic ingredient to create the gas bubbles that make baked goods rise and lighten. Cream of tartar (aka tartaric acid) provides that in this recipe. Yay, chemistry.

Nutritional Information:
1 cookie: 117 calories, 7g fat (2g saturated fat), 14mg cholesterol, 48mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.