Crisp Sugar Cookies

Today I'm sharing our family recipe for the most delicious thin and crispy sugar cookies!

Before Christmas, I shared my little Christmas Cookie Baking Vignette that sat on my kitchen counter all through the month of December. It was a sweet reminder of our family tradition of baking our favorite rolled out sugar cookies on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.

I've had requests for the recipe, so here's a little recap of our cookie baking adventure, along with the recipe that I'm happy to share!

We have a Corian kitchen counter and roll the cookie dough directly on the well-floured counter top. Ryan is the dough rolling expect. He has a knack for getting it really thin.  

Ryan uses the tiny cookie cutters around the edges to use up every bit of cookie dough. Engineers always have a plan!

The tiny cookies go on a separate tray so that they bake evenly.

This year, we had a new little cookie helper in the kitchen. Uncle Ryan, Clare thought a little extra rolling was in order!

She also thought the dough was fun to play with ...

and to eat, although we snatched it away from her at the last second!

She finally got the hang of the shakers.

And Clare's cookies were very generously sprinkled!

 Everyone took a turn at cookie decorating, but with a baby on the loose, we didn't take quite as much time as usual for intricate decorating!

Clare got to sample her very first cookie, ever!

And in no time at all, we had a big batch of sugar cookies, all ready for Santa!

This recipe was handled down from my mother-in-law. She got it from a friend many years ago. If you like your sugar cookies thin and crispy, then this recipe is for you!

Crisp Sugar Cookies

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup Crisco shortening

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

Mix the eggs, sugar and shortening until blended. Add the vanilla and the dry ingredients. Chill dough overnight. Roll dough thin on a well-floured surface. Cut and bake at 375 degrees for about 6 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. 

*It helps to return any extra dough to the refrigerator while you are rolling and cutting to keep it well chilled. And we have never tried this recipe using butter as my mother-in-law says the Crisco is what makes the cookies nice and crispy.

 This is a great cookie recipe to have on hand for any occasion through out the year. We made these paw print cookies with blue and white sprinkles to cheer our favorite team on to victory in their bowl game!

And as much as we love these cookies, it's the memories of baking together that we will cherish forever!

Sharing with .....

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A Perfect Holiday and the Top 10 Posts of 2013!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! When I said it would be a little quiet around here over the holidays, I wasn't kidding. I think most bloggers probably share a record number of posts in the month of December. For me, it was the perfect time to take a step back and be totally present in my own life. Sometimes we just need to be still and savor the simple moments of life. The arrival of baby Clare just before Thanksgiving was a reminder that life happens right before our eyes and if we aren't paying attention, we just might miss out on the very sweetest moments. And I for one, just didn't want to miss a thing! From spending time with family and friends to kissing tiny little baby fingers and toes ... we had one very magical Christmas!

 

Christmas Eve ...

 

 

The only present I needed on Christmas morning, my arms wrapped around this little one ...

 

Tiny little fingers ...

A happy new family...

 

Holding the future in your hands ...

 

Oh the wonder of it all!

 

 

From the first moment we met her, this little one simply melted our hearts and took our breath away!

 

So now before we kick off a new year here at Elizabeth & Co., here's a look back at the top 10 most popular posts of 2013!

 

 In June, I shared An Evening With My Book Club, complete with yummy recipes and suggestions for starting a book club of your own. Our little group has been together for twelve years now and I can tell you that our time together is about so much more than books!

In April I made some homemade pink chalk paint for this sweet little nightstand and matching chair.

Then I raided the recycling bin and painted some mason jars with the leftover paint!

Creamy white homemade chalk paint transformed these curbside finds!

This darling vintage dresser was painted with milk paint, waxed and buffed to perfection. I was so excited when a mom-to-be purchased it for her nursery. A few months later, she told me that she decided to go with an all white nursery and was having trouble getting the white paint to adhere to the dresser.  ... Yes, she took it home and put white latex paint right on top of that flawless finish - yikes!

This awesome charcoal gray buffet was another lucky curbside find.

 

It even came with a matching piece that sold so fast I never even posted about it!

 

I loved the color of this curvy French dresser and matching desk!

 

And this pretty aqua corner cabinet in homemade chalk paint was definitely one of my favorite furniture projects of the year!

 

 

In October, I shared Megan's Vintage Inspired Garden Baby Shower. I think this was my all-time favorite party ever!

 

 

 

These coconut sugar cookies are a favorite too and I get asked for the recipe all the time. They really do just melt-in-your-mouth!

 

 

And much to my surprise, the most popular post of the year was my ruffled sheet music wreath tutorial.  I make a few of these for each tag sale and they are always a big hit. They are pretty, fluffy and easy to make, just be careful with the hot glue - ouch!

 

Hope you all have a Happy New Year!

Can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for all of us!

Sharing with ...
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