Grandma Weaver’s Cracked Sugar Cookies

1 cup of unsalted butter (if you use salted butter omit the salt asked for later)

2 cups sugar (plus more for rolling dough before baking and dusting cookies after baking)

3 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat Oven to 300°

Cream Butter and Sugar until smooth. I use a stand mixer but grandma used a spoon.  Add egg yolks one at a time incorporating each one before adding the next. Add vanilla and cream mixture again.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cream of tarter and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter/sugar/egg mixture.

This thick dough will be easy to shape into about 10” log which I find easier to divide for consistent portioning.

I use a knife and cut the log in half, then each half into quarters, keep dividing equally until you have 8 “discs”.  Cut each of these discs, like you would a pie, into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and roll each ball in sugar. I use a small plate with a layer of sugar that helps with moving them around.

Place the balls on a baking sheet, they spread out a little while baking, I leave about 3” between the dough balls. Bake at 300° for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and use a spatula turner to remove the cookies carefully onto a sheet of parchment or waxed paper to cool. Spoon a little sugar onto each hot cookie, dusting the excess off once they have cooled completely. Makes 64 cookies.

Howard handing out Grandma Weaver’s Cracked Sugar Cookies at the Petaluma Lighted Boat Parade, she was born in 1891 and would be delighted to know that people are still enjoying her cookies.