Drop Sugar Cookies (1 Viewer)

Drop Sugar Cookies Recipe

Utensils
Mixing can be done with either a stand or portable mixer with dough hook or by hand with a sturdy spoon.
A 6quart (5.6Liter) mixing bowl.
Measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixing spoons, spatulas.
Two or three large cookie sheets.

Preheat Oven to 350°
350°F 180°C Gas Mark 4-moderate.
Empty oven, and space cooking racks towards middle of oven, use oven mittens or gloves to protect hands.
The usual disclaimers apply concerning the difference's in ovens, and whether yours is convection.

Ingredients
2cups Brown Sugar
1cup Granulated Sugar
1tsp. Baking Soda
1/2tsp. Cream of Tartar
3/4cup Shortening
2eggs Large
1cup Sour/Thick Milk
5cups All purpose flour

Substitutions
If you do not have:

• Shortening | Use 1cup + 2tbsp or 10tbsp of butter or margarine.
• Sour/Thick Milk | Add 3tsps. of white vinegar to one cup of whole milk, stir gently and reserve in refrigerator until needed. You can use 2% milk, but you will notice the milk won't be as thick because of the lower amount of butterfat in the milk.
• It is not advised to use 1% or skim milk.

Sequence

• As in the layout of the ingredients I mix the first four dry ingredients first.
• Mix in the shortening until the mixture becomes pasty/crumbly.
• Here comes the messy part, if your not careful.
• When you add the eggs you can either beat the eggs or just break them into the bowl. You can also add the sour milk at this point, but mixing the two at the same time can be a sloppy affair, I wait to add the sour milk until the eggs are incorporated.
• Add the flour to stiffen.
• Place bowl into refrigerator to chill, and set. Approximately 15minutes.
• Place rounded teaspoons of the mixture 2inches (5cm) apart onto an un-greased cookie sheet.
• To keep hands from getting too messy I use two spoons, one to scoop and measure, the other to push off onto cookie sheet.
• Oven should have reached its operating temperature by this point. Depending on how your oven performs, and the type of sheet you're using, place completed sheet into oven and bake for 12 to 15minutes.
• Use as many sheets in your oven as to how you're accustom to baking, but add 5 to 10 minutes to baking time for each additional sheet, and if you include convection you will have to observe every few minutes to determine when they are done.
• Let cookies temper before removing from sheet. Cool completely and store in loose fitting container.

Variations

• Add 2tsps of Vanilla extract to the recipe.
• Sprinkles before baking. If too dry and they won't stick, brush with milk first.
• Add 1cup less flour for a thinner cookie.

I have been considering chilling the dough until really firm, forming it into 1 1/2inch (4cm) diameter log(s), and wrapping it in plastic wrap to sit overnight in the refrigerator, if it is not hard enough I may have to freeze the log.
Then cutting the log into 1/2inch (1.25cm) slices and baking.
Dough should remain viable up to two weeks (a fortnight) if frozen.

Yield
You can expect approximately 6dozen cookies from this recipe.

Preparation, and Cooking Time
15minutes to combine the ingredients and 1hour to bake.

History, and Credits
This recipe was handed down to my dear wife from her Mother about 40years ago, and her Mom had it for quite a while before that.

Enjoy!

 

[Angie]

Thank you for sharing this lovely family cookie recipe Steve.