Recipe for the "Worth the Journey" Sugar Cookies

I made these cookies for a recent Homeschool Parent Social and Panel Discussion. I thought I would let the recipe live here so all can enjoy! I'm calling them "Worth the Journey" Sugar Cookies for two reasons. First, I made them for the panel discussion so anyone who showed up, regardless of what they got out of what was said, would feel the trip was worth it!

These cookies deliver the deliciousness of sugar cookies without the exhausting rolling, cutting, and baking and frosting of multiple batches traditional sugar cookies require. THAT is the other reason they are the "Worth the Journey" Sugar Cookies, and a bit like homeschooling! Like sugar cookies, we can mostly agree an education is a terrific thing. But the traditional way of going about getting an education (or a sugar cookie) is incredibly time and labor intensive. (I've discussed some of the "cost" of traditional public education here.) What if we could enjoy the same delicious fruits of our labor, without the hours and hours away from the people we love most? Homeschooling is the answer for education, and THESE cookies are the answer for sugar cookie lovers like myself. They may taste a little different, but they are as good or better, and all the time and labor they save makes the journey getting to that delicious bite SO MUCH MORE WORTH IT!

Without further ado, here's MY take on the recipe I got by standing up in a church meeting and announcing I needed to speak with the persons who brought the cookies in the pan because I needed the recipe in my life. Hey, "ask and ye shall receive," right? Enjoy!

Cream together:

1 C. butter (room temperature)

3/4 C. coconut oil (warmed slightly to pour - can use vegetable oil, I just don't have any)

1 1/4 C. sugar

3/4 C. powdered sugar

2 TBS water

2 eggs

Mix, then add to wet ingredients:

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp salt

5 C. flour

Mix 'til dry ingredients incorporated fully in butter mixture. Then spread dough into large, greased-with-butter jelly roll pan, and bake at 350 degrees for maybe 16 minutes. (This time is really a guess. The dough doubles in size, and I count them done when the middle is rising, the sides are barely turning a golden color, when the dough loses it's shiny, "wet" appearance, and when I can begin to smell the cookies.... 

so whenever that is...)

As the cookies are cooling completely...

Cream together:

1/2 C room temperate butter

3/4 C. sour cream

dash of salt

Add:

powdered sugar until frosting reaches semi-stiff consistency

Add:

a splash of milk, mixing 'til frosting is a bit too runny

and finally add:

more sugar and a drop or two of almond extract and food coloring, bringing it to the perfect spread-ability and color. Then frost the cookies.

Decorate and DEVOUR!

Our 5 year Anniversary of Culture Club "Cookie Cake." The club placed toothpicks with all the places we'd learned about together before we sang Happy Birthday. (See in previous post, "For Worthy Friends.")