The Only Sugar Cookie Recipe You Need

Shortening.  I virtually never use it.  The last time I did was about two years ago.  But in the past week, I’ve used it twice.

Sugar Cookies.  I virtually never eat them.  They just don’t do anything for me.  I’m much more of a salty girl myself, with barely a sweet tooth to begin with, so perhaps they are just too, well, plain.

Until now.

When we made the Cowardly Lion Cookies on Sunday night, the original recipe called for using store-bought peanut butter cookie dough.  Because I was sending in a tray of them to Madeline‘s class, although it’s not a peanut-free school, I know there are a few kids with allergies there, so thought it better to swap it out.  Instead of going the store-bought peanut butter cookie dough route, I searched online for a simple sugar cookie dough recipe.  One that doesn’t need lots of chilling.  Or fiddling.  Or crazy ingredients.  Just something simple.

I found just what I needed on AllRecipes and Nick went to work.  Once he had all the Cowardly Lion Cookies made, there was a little bit of dough leftover, so I grabbed some sparkly pink sprinkles and just made some basic cookies at the end.  When they came out and cooled off, I couldn’t resist a bite.  Quality control and all that.

Slightly thin, slightly crispy, slightly sweet and more than slightly good.  This is the sugar cookie recipe to stop your search.  Easy to make, using basic ingredients you have on hand, quick with no chilling time and it makes a nice quantity.  What more do you need in a sugar cookie recipe?  Given it’s nearly sugar cookie season, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

For those that asked about the Cowardly Lion Cookies via email and here, they’re super simple to make.  I used the below sugar cookie recipe for the actual cookie.  The mane?  You’ll never guess.  Chow Mein noodles.  You can easily find a bag of them at your local grocery store for two or three bucks.  And since the bag is way more than you need for the cookies, they’re perfect for a 20-month-old whirling dervish to snack on while racing in and out of the kitchen.  Madeline loved munching on them.  The eyes and nose are Mini M&Ms that I swiped from Nick’s trick-or-treating stash.  Super simple.  My kind of recipe.

Sugar Cookies
Recipe courtesy of Helen Wallis on AllRecipes

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
additional sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Shape into 1-in. balls. Roll in sugar. Place on greased baking sheet; flatten with a glass. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. 

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