Irresistible Chewy Sugar Cookies
WARNING: Do not make these if you are lacking in willpower!! There are no chocolate chips, candy bars, caramel, pretzels or nuts to tempt, and yet...if you are anything like me (and let's hope for your sake that you are not) these will be your undoing. Simple, buttery, sweet with just the right balance of chewiness and crunch, one bite will remind you why sugar cookies are a classic and always will be! If all of your life, you've been looking for that one perfect sugar cookie recipe, this is the one!!
I must be masochistic because I've made these twice in the last few weeks--always to give away and yet there's a half-full tin of them on my dining room table that I have to forcibly ignore every time I walk in the general vicinity. What was I thinking?!!
Alas, these are not the roll-out sugar cookie types--I promise to share my favorite recipe for that soon--but as far as I'm concerned a cute little shape doesn't matter when the flavor and texture of these cookies is so perfect!! Plus they are easy to make and require no special ingredients--between your pantry and fridge you probably have everything you need to whip these up right now. Therein lies the danger factor, because you can basically make these any time you like!!!! And if you do, invite me over, but check my pockets before I leave--they may be jam filled with these beauties and I need someone to protect me from myself!!
Irresistible Chewy Sugar Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies
Prep Time: 12 minutes; Bake Time: 15-17 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil (I use canola)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Demerara or sanding sugar for sprinkling on top of cookies (optional)
The Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
3. Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and oil on medium high speed for about 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula and add the sugar, mixing until well combined. One at a time, add the eggs, beating just a bit after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and beat again to combine, then scrape down the bowl.
4. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing until fully combined. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the flour. The dough should be very light and sort of spongy.
5. Use a well-rounded tablespoonful to drop portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheets keeping them at least 1 1/2-inches apart. Use your hand to press down on the balls slightly to flatten them out. If using, sprinkle each cookie with a bit of the demerara sugar.
6. Bake for 14-16 minutes, reversing the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the time. Cookies are done when they look lightly golden around the edges and cracked in the center. Don't overbake because you want these to be slightly chewy and they will cook a bit more once you remove them from the oven.
7. Let cookies cool on the sheets on wire racks for a few minutes, then transfer them to the rack to finish cooling completely. Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Butter Baked Goods by Rosie Daykin.
