Amish Sugar Cookies

Name: Amish Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: about 5 dozen.
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened; 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 cup sugar; 1 cup confectioners' sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

These easy-to-make, old-fashioned sugar cookies simply melt in your mouth! I've passed the recipe around to many friends. After I gave it to my sister, she entered the cookies in a local fair and won the best of show prize! —Sylvia Ford, Kennett, Missouri

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

In a large bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugars. Beat in eggs until well blended. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; gradually add to creamed mixture.
Drop by small teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° until lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Test Kitchen Tips

Salted butter and a splash of extract (try almond!) make these extra flavorful.

If you like your treats on the sweeter end of the spectrum, add a pinch of coarse sugar to the tops of these light and airy cookies.

Why cream of tartar? Baking soda needs an acidic ingredient to create the gas bubbles that make baked goods rise and lighten. Cream of tartar (aka tartaric acid) provides that in this recipe. Yay, chemistry!

Check out the 7 Secrets to Baking Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 117 calories, 7g fat (2g saturated fat), 14mg cholesterol, 48mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.

Originally published as Amish Sugar Cookies in Country Extra July 1990

Reviews

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Average Rating:

blueziggy

Feb 17, 2019

Love how these turned out. Very good flavor. I did use salted butter though, otherwise made as directed.
April

Feb 17, 2019

I'm in the middle of cooking this respie. ill post after to lyk how they came out.
kwrichhie

Feb 1, 2019

Loved the recipe. Made at least 5 dozen with my small scooper. Tried various fillings and my husband loved the ones with the pecans the best although all were very good. Used the almond frosting on some of them and also am trying the freezing idea., Definitely a keeper in my book.
Kathy

Jan 22, 2019

The basic recipe caught my attention; however, I believe salt essential to bring out the flavor. I used salted butter plus added 1/2 teaspoon salt for the quantity of dough. I also added zest of three (3) lemons to the dough for added flavor and baked for 10-1/2 minute - lightly golden, little "crunch" on top with the sprinkle of sugar and a great texture. Results for me, perfect and will be my first and likely only go-to cookie recipe. Maybe the next batch I'll try lime or orange citrus zest. I recommend as ingredients likely on-hand, quick dough to prepare, and easy to bake - my kind of recipe!
teryn69

Jan 20, 2019

To Linda....sprinkle the sugar on before you bake. Use granulated sugar, colored sugar, turbinado sugar....use your imagination! Hope this helps. These (or recipes in general) don't have to have salt added. I use unsalted butter. The recipe works as written. I always sprinkle sugar on mine, perfect every time!
Sue

Jan 15, 2019

My other half is the cookie eater and when I decided to make these I knew that approx. 5 dozen plain cookies would not end up getting eaten so the first dozen I made plain, the 2nd I added pecans, the 3rd I added chocolate chips and the 4th I added chocolate extract. He liked the ones with pecans best which I knew he would. I got 4 dozen cookies but I made them generous sized which is what he likes. The last dozen could have stretched a little further. I had a plain one and 1/2 of 1 with chocolate chips. Honestly I have a sour taste in my mouth so I am not enthused.
Beverly

Jan 15, 2019

This is an old recipe and one my favorite to create different cookies by just making this basic recipe a little different. Ie., different extracts or flavorings, adding lemon zest, chopped toasted nuts, cinnamon and a tiny bit of nutmeg, etc. You can make them fat and soft by adding a 1/4 cup extra flour and chilling the dough slightly before dropping them or rolling the dough into a log and freezing and then slicing, or my favorite is making them very thin and crispy by rolling the chilled dough into small balls and pressing them thin with the bottom of a sugar coated glass.
Linda

Jan 14, 2019

I have not yet made them, but they sound like a great cookie to take and share with my work. I do have a question it was mentioned that you can sprinkle with coarse sugar on top. Would this be before or after baking? Thinking of using colored sugar. Thanks !
kathleen

Jan 13, 2019

a nice easy spur of the moment cookie open to making it your own with all kinds of tweaks. ALso JUST A WORD TO PEOPLE THAT DON'T LIKE COOKIES LIKE THIS. YOUR INPUT IS VALUABLE BUT WISE CRACKS OR HATEFUL REMARKS DON'T HELP AT ALL. JUST SWEETLY COMMENT WHY YOU DON'T LIKE IT ACCORDING TO YOUR PERCEPTION AND PALLET. REMEMBER EACH ONE OF US IS MADE DIFFERENT WITH DIFFERENT LIKES AND DISLIKES. IT REALLY HELPS WHEN WE SEE A NEW WAY TO MAKE IT DIFFERENT OR BETTER AND IT ALSO HELPS TO BE MADE AWARE OF THINGS WE HADN'T NOTICED AS WITH THIS RECIPE (THEY FORGOT THE SALT). THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO COMMENT THIS IS WHAT WE ALL LIKE TO READ. SO BE NICE, TREAT OTHERS LIKE YOU WOULD WANT THEM TO TALK ABOUT YOURS. IF YOU CAN'T DO THAT IN A NICE WAY. (JUST DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL.).
wayteach

Jan 13, 2019

These are delicious! They taste like snickerdoodles without the cinnamon.