Vegetarian

BEST No Roll Sugar Cookies

by:
March 30, 2010
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 4 dozen or so
Author Notes

The absolute BEST sugar cookie ever. I am a serious collector of cookie recipes and love the combination of flavors this one has. 2 kinds of fat, sugar and 3 kinds of extracts add to the complexity of flavor. Additionally, it's no roll, so no fuss! —MaMaZu

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup EACH confectioners' sugar, white sugar, butter and oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon EACH vanilla, lemon and almond extracts
  • 4 cups unbleached flour
Directions
  1. 1. Beat sugars, butter, oil and salt very well. Add eggs and dry ingredients. 2. Make into balls, roll in sugar and place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with bottom of greased cup also dipped in sugar. 3. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Daphne
    Daphne
  • Merrill Stubbs
    Merrill Stubbs
  • MaMaZu
    MaMaZu

6 Reviews

Daphne March 31, 2010
These cookies are luscious!
They are also a family favorite of ours...
I was surprised to find the recipe in the July 1991 Gourmet (after I'd been making them for years, previously). I still have the article, it's sitting in front of me this moment, stapled in the corner, original chapter, with beautiful color photos by Helen Gustafson. The recipe, Gustafson says, is from Cook's Cafe in Brooklings, South Dakota. It then reappears in the yellow Gourmet collection.
My mother -in- law gave me the recipe in the late 70's. She'd been making them for school teacher's gifts since the mid 50's.
She used to roll them into huge hearts, right onto the cookie sheet . It was my first Valentines Day with my husband, then boyfriend, and I thought his Mom was so great to send him a huge heart sugar cookie in the mail! I'm sure I ate most of it too! : )
I see your adaptions are the lemon and almond food coloring, and not dipping in the glass with sugar at the end.
 
MaMaZu March 31, 2010
These are no roll, super easy.
 
Daphne March 31, 2010
I see.... much easier than rolling.
This dough is too delicate to roll unless refrigerated. I divide the dough in half before I refrigerate it. I take out one piece at a time, working quickly before it loses it's chill, rolling out only once on powdered sugar. Any more repeated rolling and the dough gets tough. Your method seems much easier, I just like to make the cookies into shapes for all the holidays and ice them.
 
Merrill S. March 31, 2010
You call for butter in the ingredients list but margarine in the instructions -- can one use either? Also, do you recommend any specific type of oil?
 
Daphne March 31, 2010
My mother-in law always used oleo margarine. She passed on the recipe with margarine in the ingredient list.
Since I've been making the cookies, I always use butter. They taste great with either, I just happen to know, since I've tasted both : )
 
MaMaZu March 31, 2010
I use butter and canola oil.