A tried-and-true recipe that has been perfected through the years, these legendary Sugar Cookies with a buttery flavor and crisp edges will melt in your mouth.
This was my very first “Dish and Tell” post, where I visit the kitchens of other home cooks to make their cherished or “world famous” recipes alongside them. In September of 2019, I visited a dear family friend Annette to learn her techniques for making her legendary cookies.
I’ve never met a cookie I don’t like, but Annette’s World Famous Sugar Cookies are truly special for their perfect texture, buttery flavor and the fact that Annette adorns each one with a symbol of the season or something personal to the recipient she is giving them to.
Knowing the amount of love that she puts into each and every batch, it’s no wonder these cookies are beloved by so many.
Where did the recipe come from?
In 1973, Annette’s friend made sugar cookies for her when she was recovering from life-threatening ulcers and had to eat a very bland diet. The cookies were one of the few things Annette enjoyed eating at the time so she asked for the recipe. The rest is history!
Over the years, Annette has tweaked the recipe to identify particular brands of ingredients and hone her own specific techniques to make her signature version of the cookies. Also, while the original recipe called for simply shaping the dough into balls before baking, Annette adds her special touch to each cookie with her vast collection of Rycraft cookie stamps
A Cookie for Every Occasion
With nearly 100 cookie stamps, including more than 50 for Christmas alone, Annette has stamps for each season as well as for every occasion for which she shares cookies—and there are many! For instance, she uses a birthday cake or balloons for birthdays (although depending on which birthday, she may use her “uffda” stamp!), little baby feet for families of new babies, a scroll and mortar board for graduations, hearts or a double bell tied with ribbon for weddings. She also uses her butterfly and dragonfly stamps for the cookies she regularly shares for funeral luncheons at her church.
Even though Annette gives away a lot of cookies, she always has some on hand in her freezer at the ready for lucky visitors who stop by and have come to expect cookies.
She makes at least one batch of cookies per month (about 6-7 dozen) and as many as 10 batches during December for the holidays. That’s a lot of cookies—about 1,500 a year if you are counting. All said, Annette knows a thing or two about making sugar cookies!
Baking with Annette: One Smart Cookie
I always learn so much when I cook or bake alongside others and absolutely love seeing other home cooks in their working environments.
Annette has the most adorable, lemon-themed kitchen where everything is color coordinated in citrus colors of yellow and greens. I was particularly smitten with her Lazy Susan where she keeps vintage Tupperware containers (swoon!) to store her bulk flour and sugar. Then, she stations her KitchenAid® mixer right above it so she can just give the Lazy Susan a whirl to easily access sugar and flour right below her as she bakes without having to lug the containers in and out. Brilliant!
Other things I learned by baking with Annette:
- When a cookie recipe like this one calls for butter, using a combination of butter and margarine can help prevent the cookies from spreading during baking.
- Every oven has a hot spot. When cookies are in the oven, turn the cookie sheet around after 5 minutes.
- Cool your cookie sheets in between baking cycles so the cookies don’t spread before baking.
- Specific brands can make a big difference in texture and taste in your baked goods. Some of the brands Annette prefers include: Land O’ Lakes Butter, C&H Sugar that comes in a carton (a finer texture) and King Arthur Flour.
- You can make your own vanilla. Who knew?! And it includes vodka. Why am I not doing this?
It was a real treat to spend the afternoon with Annette to get a better understanding of all the time, effort and LOVE that goes into a cherished family recipe! Thank you, Annette!!!
P.S. Some folks have asked how I know Annette. Well, the short story is Annette and her husband, David, have known my in-laws (Craig and Mary Lou) since the late 60s. David and Craig, who were teachers together back in those days, have actually been mistaken for brothers more than once! Annette and David have become those kind of friends that you forget if you are related to them or not because they just feel like part of the family. I feel so lucky to have them in my life.
