Fluffy Sugar Cookies

Don't lie to me, now, who here hasn't devoured those sugary-soft fluffy cookies they sell at the grocery store? I know I have and my kids love them and ask for them every time I have to take them into the store. And, though I'll admit to totally eating my weight in them, I knew there had to be some way to make these at home with ingredients I could pronounce and make enough that I didn't feel as though I was losing money, or my fair share of cookies, every time they disappeared the same day I brought them home from the store. Having a large family often means cage matches to see who reigns supreme and gets the last cookie!

So, I set about trying 11ty billion "soft sugar cookie" recipes and, in some way or another, they all seemed to fall short of the mark, at least in my opinion. In all that research, one thing became very clear... A "sugar cookie" can be many things, but it is not consistently defined around this country. A lot of the recipes I found used shortening. I have a large issue cooking with that stuff, I really much prefer using butter and other fats.

So, in efforts to make a lightly textured cookie with an irresistible flavor, I put my smarts to work and came up with a recipe that beats out any pre-packaged cookie, hands down! And the best part? The recipe makes a LOT of cookies, so cage matches aren't required and I always have enough to share with anyone who drops by to visit.

Here is my method:

For the cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
1 cup canola oil
2 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour


In your mixer, beat the butter on high until it's lightened in color and fluffy. Add in the powdered and granulated sugars, baking soda, cream of tartar and the salt and beat again until it's lightened in color and fluffy. Stream in the canola oil as the mixer is going. Then add in the eggs and the almond extract. Take a moment to scrape down the sides to make sure it's all one cohesive batter. Then gradually add in the flour a cup at a time until it's all combined. The dough will be pretty stiff. Cover and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

When it's chilled, preheat your oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment, scoop out dough balls in 2 tbs portions and roll them to make smooth. Press them flat with your fingers or a glass. I aim for about 1/3 inch thick and bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow them to sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before transferring them to a rack to cool. Keep the unused dough in the fridge in between baking.

For the frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt

Beat the butter and extracts together and gradually beat in the powdered sugar until it's light and fluffy. Spread on cooled cookies and decorate however you wish.

Note: When making these for a bake sale, I double the frosting recipe.