Tasty Tuesday: Sour Cream Cookies

This is the last post for our Christmas baking recipes. Here's a recap of the past 3 weeks: no bake cookies, chocolate fudge, and spritz cookies. We'll finish up the series with sour cream cookies.

If you've never had sour cream cookies, you're missing out. This recipe has been in the family for . . . I don't even know how long! My brother's grandma, who very well might be the Queen of Cookies, is the one who has passed the recipe along. I'm sure she makes them better than I do, but that's ok. If there's a table full of goodies, you want the ones Grandma B made. Always.

But alas, she lives too far away, so we made these on our own. Still delicious. Still totally worth it.

Sift your dry ingredients. Sometimes I don't take the time to pull out my big turn-handle sifter, and instead opt for stirring it around with a whisk. (Shh, don't tell.)

 Dump your sugar, shortening, and egg in a big bowl.

 Beat, beat, beat . . . and beat some more.

Once you think you've beat the mixture until you can't beat any more, beat it a few seconds longer. That's the secret to the light airiness of these cookies.

 Then, alternate mixing in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk.

 Add the sour cream and vanilla and stir to just blend.

 Plop some dough on a cookie sheet and top with your desired garnish.

When just the edges start to brown, the cookies are done. Do not over-bake. These are not crispy cookies by any means. They're super soft, light, and airy. They're almost cake-like.  They have a delicious vanilla-y flavor. You can change them up a bit by altering the extract flavor or the additional garnish on top. You could even add nuts or raisins to the cookies themselves, but really, why would you want to ruin their yummyness??? I think they're perfect just the way they are, and so does Jake. These are one of his favorites.

If you want a cakey cookie that whips up in no time, give these a try and let us know what you think. I'll even be sure to let Grandma B know that her recipe is being passed along for others to love.

Sour Cream Cookies

Ingredients:

2 c flour                                                              1/2 c buttermilk

1/2 tsp baking soda                                            1 egg

1/2 tsp salt                                                          1/2 c sour cream

1/2 c shortening                                                 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c sugar

Directions:

1. In medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In large bowl, beat shortening, sugar, and egg until very light and fluffy. Mix in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in sour cream and vanilla.

3. Drop by rounded tablespoons, 3 inches apart, onto cookie sheet. If desired, sprinkle with sugar mixed with chopped nuts, raisins, of grated lemon rind. Bake 18-20 minutes at 375°F or until edges start to brown.