Sugar Cookies

I was so jazzed when I won America's Test Kitchen Cooking Through the Decades challenge for Wacky Cake from 1945. One of the prizes I received was a copy of Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Desserts (the other was a really spiffy ATK apron), which I couldn't wait to crack open and get baking. Here's the first thing I made from it, completely perfect sugar cookies.

Sugar Cookies (From Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Desserts)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside

Place 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and cream cheese in a large bowl. Place the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a shallow baking dish or pie plate and set aside. Pour the melted butter over the sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (some small lumps of cream cheese will remain). Whisk in the oil until incorporated. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula until a soft, uniform dough forms.

Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls. Working in batches, roll the balls in the reserved sugar to coat and lay on the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart, 12 dough als per sheet. With the bottom of a measuring cup or a flat-bottomed glass, press te balls into 2-inch disks. Sprinkle the tops evenly with the remaining sugar, using 2 teaspoons per sheet. (Discard the remaining sugar)

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

this recipe can also be found at some of my favorite food blog hops

my new & adorable cookie spatula

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