Classic Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Handed down from my great-grandmother Ferdig, this classic sugar cookie recipe is rich in flavor and can be cut thick for softer cookies or rolled paper-thin for crispy cookies. They freeze very well and I've never found a recipe I like better ... but then I am a little biased. Prep time does not include time to chill cookie dough.

• Ready In: 18 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 2  teaspoons cream of tartar
• 3  cups flour
• 1  cup butter, softened at room temperature
• 1  cup sugar
• 2  eggs
• 2  teaspoons vanilla

Directions

1. Combine baking soda, cream of tartar and flour mixing well. With your hands, knead in softened butter.
2. In a small bowl, beat eggs and mix well with sugar and vanilla.
3. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and again using your hands, mix this really well.
4. Chill dough. It will be quite hard when it is completely chilled. Using a table knife, cut off chunks to roll out on a well-flour surface to desired thickness - thin cookies will get crispy when baked, thicker cookies will puff and stay soft. Cut into desired shapes.
5. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the edges begin to brown; be careful not to overcook if you want them to stay soft after cooling!
6. After completely cooled, decorate the cookies. These will freeze really well!