Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies are the kind of holiday cookie that earns their place through simplicity: a tender rolled dough, cut into shapes and baked just until set. The source is emphatic about one thing—do not overbake—which is exactly what keeps a sugar cookie from turning dry and brittle.
This version also preserves a decorator-icing tradition right in the method, making it easy to imagine these cookies as part of a Christmas baking day. What makes the recipe especially interesting from an archive standpoint is that the printed ingredient list includes both “soda” and “baking soda” as separate entries, so both remain intact rather than being silently corrected.
Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 c. flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. soda
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 c. shortening
- 2 eggs
- ¼ c. milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Sift together flour, salt, soda, baking soda, and sugar. Cut in 1 cup shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in eggs, milk, and vanilla. Roll out on floured board to ⅛ inch thick. Cut with cookie cutter. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375° for about 5 minutes. Do not overbake!
- Decorate with Decorator Icing: 1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted; ½ c. Crisco; ¼ c. milk; ¼ tsp. vanilla.
Notes
Give Something Back
Help preserve the community behind the cookbook.
This recipe traces back to a Jersey County community cookbook created in the spirit of sharing, service and local connection. If you’d like to carry that spirit forward, consider supporting the Jersey County Historical Society and its work preserving local history for future generations.
Support Jersey County History →
Nostalgic Foodie is not affiliated with the Jersey County Historical Society and does not receive any portion of donations.
