Traditional, soft sugar cookie. Quick and easy to make – no rolling pins or cookie cutters, or refrigerating the dough. These are great to make for company – whether kids’ parties, or a nice accompaniment to tea. They also use relatively few ingredients, and inexpensive ones at that.

sugar_cookie

Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup margarine (or butter)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream shortening, margarine and sugar. Beat in egg. Stir in vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

Roll into balls about the size of walnuts or a little bigger. Roll in sugar or cinnamon sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Don’t flatten – they will flatten out on their own while baking.

Bake at 350*F for about 10 minutes or just until set (no more than a very little light brown beginning to show around the bottom).

Remove from oven and let set for a few minutes before removing from pan. (If you’ve left them in the oven a little longer than you meant to, and they’re already getting brown, remove from the pan immediately to cool.)

Store in sealed, plastic, tupperware-like container to keep soft longer.