Light Crisp Sugar Cookies
These airy light and crisp sugar cookies can be made with just butter, a combination of butter and shortening or a combination of butter and lard. When made with 100% butter, they don't spread quite as evenly and the centers are a tad bit denser, but they are still great.
Servings 32
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup cold salted European style butter cool room temperature (75 grams)
- ⅓ cup vegetable shortening 65 grams or good quality leaf lard (75 grams)
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar 260 grams
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon salt it doesn't seem like a lot, but the cream of tartar adds some saltiness
- 1 teaspoon good vanilla
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour 170 grams, weigh or spoon and scoop
- ¾ scant teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ scant teaspoon cream of tartar
- Coarse or sparkly sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Have ready two foil lined or ungreased baking sheet.
- Cut the cold butter into thin slices and put it in a large mixing bowl with the shortening or lard. Beat cold butter with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl often. Add the egg yolks and continue beating for another 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl. Beat in the salt and vanilla and beat for another minute.
- Mix the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar together in a separate bowl, then gradually stir into the whipped egg mixture until a soft dough forms. Shape the dough into 30 or 32 one inch balls. Chill the dough balls or bake immediately.
- Dip tops of dough balls in sugar and place on a foil lined baking sheet spacing about 2 ½ inches apart. Bake at 300 for about 20 minutes or until the cookies appear set and just slightly brown around the edges. Sprinkle a little more sugar on top as soon as they come out of the oven.
- Let cool on baking sheet for a minute or two, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool and crisp.
