Tennessee Sugar Cookies

We are now well into the “holiday season”.  Yay!  I know Thanksgiving has barely come and gone, yet Christmas is barely three weeks away.  And my main celebration comes even sooner since I celebrate with my family the weekend prior.  Yikes!  I started my baking ramp up last week.  This week I’m trying to get into production mode.

This recipe is one I always make early in my holiday baking.  It comes together easily and makes a pretty big batch of cookies which makes it an easy win and gets me motivated to do more.  I have no idea why these are “Tennessee” Sugar Cookies but that’s what they’re called.  A million or so years ago one of my cousins brought these to a summertime family gathering.  I fell in love with them immediately and when she gave me the recipe card – because in the olden days that’s how we shared recipes! – that was the name on the card.  The original version was rolled in granulated sugar.  For my Christmas version I roll them in a mixture of granulated sugar and various colored topping sugars, aka sprinkles.  At one point I tried using all sprinkles but found that was a little bit of overkill.

 
 

Give these cookies a try – they melt in your mouth and are perfect with coffee, tea or a big class of cold milk.

Tennessee Sugar Cookies

• ¾ cup butter
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups flour

Cream margarine, vegetable oil and sugars until light.  Add vanilla and eggs.

Sift together all dry ingredients and then add a little at a time to mixture until entirely incorporated.

Refrigerate at least three hours.

Shape into 1” balls, roll in sugar (or a mixture of sugar and colored sprinkles), place on baking sheets and then press down lightly with a fork.

Bake at 375° for 10 – 12 minutes.

Makes 6 – 7 dozen.