Rose’s Sugar Cookies

Do you have a signature recipe? One that everybody asks for? My friend and neighbor Rose was famous for her sugar cookies.

And I mean famous.

Around these parts, those sugar cookies of hers were the first to disappear at potlucks.

She had a way of making them so thin that one bite and the cookies would crumble in your hand. Talk about melt in your mouth delicious!

The uninitiated would lose most of their cookie – but those of us who knew what to expect had our hands underneath to catch the crumbs. Trust me – you didn’t want to lose even one bite!

Her secret? She didn’t roll the dough. She scooped them out and flattened them with a water glass. I can still see her standing at her counter smashing cookies lightening fast.

At her recent funeral, her 4 daughters got together to bake these famous sugar cookies to share with those of us who came to remember the wonderful lady and good friend that she was.

Everyone said the cookies were delicious – but the girls said they just didn’t taste the same.

Maybe it was because they didn’t milk the cow, skin the cream and churn the butter for the cookies themselves.

Or maybe it was because they rolled the dough instead of smashing it.

Or maybe – in their hearts – it was because nobody can make a sugar cookie quite like their mama.

Rose’s Sugar Cookies

1 cup white sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoon vanilla
4 cup flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream sugars, butter and vegetable oil. Add vanilla, beaten eggs and mix well. Add dry ingredients. Can be chilled 2 or 3 hours or overnight.

Drop by teaspoons on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 12- 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Cut-Outs

It’s hard to believe that Matt’s high school graduation and party are in less than 2 weeks!

Although if you were hanging around our kitchen lately – you might guess that something is in the works!

The girls and I have been baking up a storm and filling the freezer with cookies for his big day.

We are making our staple cookie – oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip, our family’s favorite gingersnaps, and these cream cheese cut-outs.

We love these sugar cookies! The recipe originally came from my sister-in-law, who got it from her husband’s grandma. (I guess that means I got the recipe from my husband’s sister’s husband’s grandma!)

They are so moist and easy to roll out and the cream cheese adds a great flavor. We did a sprinkle of just white sugar on these – but have used colored sugars in the past and even frosted them.

Cream Cheese Cut-Outs

1 cup butter
2 cup sugar
2 – 3 ounce packages cream cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the cream cheese, eggs and vanilla.

Add the flour and baking powder. Mix well.

Chill for at least 2 hours. Roll and cut out.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Makes about 3 dozen 2-1/2 inch cookies.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Mingle Monday at Add a Pinch, Tasty Tuesdays at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff and Tempt my Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

I’m a chronic recipe clipper.

I have notebooks full of recipes that I cut from magazines and newspapers just waiting to be tried!

Recipes like this one.

I ran across it the other day and thought it looked really yummy – they only problem was that the recipe started with “To the basic sugar cookie dough (recipe on page 196) add…”

Oops. I didn’t save page 196.

So I substituted my favorite sugar cookie recipe – a sour cream version that is rich and soft. The shortbread turned out great – and looked really fancy!

If I was short on time, I’m sure a refrigerated sugar cookie dough would work just as well – just throw in the chocolate chips, press it into the pan and bake.

The round springform pan and the chocolate/raspberry glaze will make it look like I spent hours!

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 – 3 ounce package cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Cream together the margarine, and sugar. Add the cream cheese, egg, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine the flour and baking powder. Add it to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Press into a 9 inch round springform pan. Score into 16 pie shaped wedges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 27-30 minutes. Let cool. Remove the sides of the pan and drizzle with chocolate sauce and/or melted raspberry jam. (I did both!)

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday on Blessed with Grace and Tasty Tuesday over at Beauty and Bedlam.