Every holiday, my grandma would start baking batches of her sugar cookies months in advance just so she would have enough for us all and whatever guests might stop by.
If you are part of, related to, or even been to one of our family gatherings then you have probably had or at least heard about my Grandma Eva's Sugar Cookies. They are THE BEST sugar cookies EVER! Now, to give you an idea of just how good these cookies are, my grandma passed away in 2000 and we are STILL talking about and missing her sugar cookies!
Prior to every holiday, my grandma would start baking batches of her sugar cookies months in advance just so she would have enough for us all and whatever guests might stop by. Now, as a grown-up, I often wonder just how many batches of sugar cookies she mixed, baked, frosted, and then froze for the upcoming holiday! I believe that her recipe makes about three dozen sugar cookies depending on the size and I think I alone ate at least two dozen per day of any holiday gathering so multiplying that times, UGH whatever, she made a lot!
I knew how much my family missed my grandma's cookies and how we were only telling my niece and nephew about them so again in that can-do attitude I set off to master her sugar cookie recipe and also beginning to share her other recipes.
I would also like it noted that I was not the only one who ate that many, ALL of us did, well except my grandma. She maybe would have one or two sugar cookies, but I think after making that many cookies, the last thing she wanted to do was eat a sugar cookie.
This Sugar Cookie recipe is one of the reasons that Eva's Recipe Box is part of the blog and also part of my recipe box. I spent a lot of time with my Grandma Eva growing up, watching her in her kitchen, her garden and learning ALL the things from her. I knew how much my family missed my grandma's cookies and how we were only telling my niece and nephew about them so again in that can-do attitude I set off to master her sugar cookie recipe and also beginning to share her other recipes.
I think we all know that grandmas have tweaks in their recipes that they do not always share. How long to mix something, a little extra of this or that, and let me tell you. That was my grandma, in fact, so much of hers was feel that her recipes for her sugar cookies and her pie crust are pretty much just a guidebook. The pie crust is for another day and I mean MANY days away, but the cookies are here!
After mixing up probably 6 batches of cookies and mailing them to my parents and my sister for taste testing, I think I have it! Surprisingly, the cookie was the easy part, it was the frosting that was a whole other story. Now, without further ado, scroll on down and mix up a batch of Grandma Eva's Sugar Cookies!
Grandma Eva's Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Mixer
- Bowl
- Rooling pin
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup Crisco or shortening Just fyi, my GMA used Crisco!
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cup flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream together shortening and sugar. Make sure you allow these to cream for at least a couple of minutes.
- Add Vanilla, egg, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Mix Well!
- Add flour to just combine.
- Place dough in fridge and allow the dough to rest for a least a couple of hours.
- Flour surface and place either a section of dough or the entire ball of dough and roll a little over a quarter inch thick. Use a cookie cutter or glass and cut cookies. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove cookies from cookie sheet and place on a cooling rack. Enjoy on their own or frost with your favorite frosting.
