Grandma's Secret Sugar Cookie Recipe

Grandma's sugar cookies were always the perfect blend of crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle.  The only thing better than the smell of sweet baking filling the house was taking a bite of a giant cookie still warm from the oven.  Here I share with you the secrets of Grandma's epic sugar cookies, and hope you share them with your family too!

There are several key secrets to making the perfect sugar cookie.  One is the blend of fats - butter + oil - resulting in the perfect chewiness.  Another is the addition of both baking soda and baking powder, resulting in a rounded, crackly cookie.

2 1/4 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup for finishing
2 ounces cream cheese
6 tablespoons (85 g) butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

First, of course, preheat your oven to 350F (180C).   Line a baking sheet or two with foil or parchment.

Whisk or sift together flour, soda, powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Chop the cream cheese into small pieces and add to a bowl with 1 1/2 cups of sugar.

Melt the butter and pour it over the cream cheese/sugar mixture while it's still warm.  Mix together until creamy.

Stir in the oil and blend until well incorporated.

Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and blend until smooth.

Slowly stir in the flour mixture, bit by bit, with a rubber spatula until a soft dough comes together and all of the flour is incorporated.

Scoop the dough into balls that are about 2 tablespoons each (large!).  Essentially you want to get 24 cookies out of this batch. 

Roll each ball in the reserved 1/4 cup of sugar.

Place 12 cookie balls on a baking sheet and press flat with the bottom of a glass.

Bake for 10-11 minutes, rotating the sheet half way through baking time.

If using the same sheet to bake both batches, be sure to let the sheet cool in between!

Be sure to share these cookies while they're still warm, and reap the praise of your friends and family.  The size of the cookie really allows the subtle difference in texture and flavor from the crispy, slightly salty edges, to the chewy, sweet centers to shine through,  I guarantee you'll never look at sugar cookies the same way again.