Happy Election Day from Blog Tartare!

Nana's Sugar Cookies

Several years ago my mom gave me a great Christmas present: a recipe book with some of our most beloved family recipes. She included the recipe for my nana's sugar cookies. I have no idea where this recipe came from, if it was something passed down through the generations, if Nana made it up (doubtful - she's never struck me as much of a from-scratch baker), or if it came out of a 1950-something issue of Good Housekeeping. No matter. They are amazing sugar cookies. Somehow, though, I'd never gotten around to making them. There they were, the second card in my recipe book (after my mom's don't-call-it-Derby-Pie® recipe), but for some reason I never felt compelled to bake them.

Along came the holiday season, though, and sugar cookies sounded just right. So this evening I decided to get to baking. A mountain of delicious cookies was the result.

Nana's Sugar Cookies

1 cup softened butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups unsifted flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream sugar and butter together. Add the eggs, vanilla, oil, and salt. Mix until well blended. Sift the flour with the baking soda and cream of tartar. Add to butter mixture with wooden spoon. Mix well. Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts. Place on cookie sheet and gently press with bottom of glass dipped in sugar. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cook on wire rack. Makes 4-5 dozen.