Simple & Sweet Sugar Cookies

DH and I have had the conversation recently about sugar cookies.  They're his favorite.  We've been together for over 13 years and this is the first I've heard of it.  You learn something new every day, right?  I've got to admit I love his classic style because I'm all about "doctoring" up everything to the max... you know like triple chocolate fudge and chocolate chips and Oreos AND almonds in my ice cream ;)  The man loves himself a simple sugar cookie with a sugary crust.  Ahh, I'm in love. In honor of his recent birthday, I decided I'd try to make him these.  I have never made homemade sugar cookies, thinking they'd be really hard to make.  We've been settling for the slice and bake variety.  Which albeit are good, but have some weird ingredients.  Yeah. These have sugar, butter, flour, eggs, vanilla, baking soda & the weirdest thing... cream of tartar ;)  I think he about died when he tasted the first one hot out of the oven.  Crunchy from being rolled in sugar and a sweet buttery vanilla flavor... Swoon.  Birthday score for me! This recipe makes A TON.  I got 46 medium sized cookies to be exact.  So... I made 20 and froze the rest for my very own homemade version of the slice and bake variety!  Disclaimer:  I don't have pictures of steps along the way in case these didn't turn out.  The original recipe calls for a stand mixer and mixing "just so" and I didn't have time last night to do all that.  Well, folks, I'm glad to say you don't have to!  These turn out FABULOUS with a little elbow grease!! YAY! Simple & Sweet Sugar Cookies - from this delectable site! Ingredients 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup sugar, for rolling cookies Directions ** See the original link for directions to use with a stand mixer - I'm going to post how I made these with just a whisk, a spoon, and some elbow grease. 1) Soften the butter in the microwave (I NEVER remember to set it out early enough).  The butter was partially soft and melty. 2) Add in sugar and beat until light and fluffy with a whisk.  This does take some elbow grease.  You will notice that it turns a light yellow color. 3) Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. 4) Add in vanilla and whisk well again. 5) In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.  Add to the butter, sugar, egg & vanilla mixture.  I added the dry ingredients in two batches and had to mix it together gently with a spoon.  My whisk kept getting caught.  Once all dry and wet ingredients are fully incorporated I whisked it a bit once more to make sure everything was good to go. * I started to take pictures after making one sheet tray full and realizing these cookies are AMAZING!! 6) In a small bowl or plate, place 1/4 cup of sugar for rolling.  Take a small ice cream scoop and scoop out a ball of dough (or form about 1 inch balls with your hands - this could get really sticky).  Place in the additional sugar and roll.  Shake off excess sugar and place on cookie sheet.  Do not press down on the ball of sugared dough - simply place as is on the cookie sheet covered in parchment paper if you choose (that's what I used).  And these bad boys SPREAD on their own.  As you can see below, on an averaged sized sheet pan, you can only fit 12 little dough balls. 7) Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until edges are slightly golden brown.  I cooked one of my trays 10 minutes and the other 11 minutes.  They could have gone a little longer, but I was afraid of burning. (psst.  Do you see the last couple I sprinkled with cinnamon? Yeah.  Made my own Snickerdoodle cookies.  I'm all about some sugar cookies with cinnamon.  Remember how I said earlier I'm obsessed with "doctoring up" things?  Can't let a good thing alone :))  8) Let them cool ON the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to let them cool completely. 9) DIG IN.  YUM. The Verdict I have found my holiday cookie recipe!! These will be on the table for years to come.  They'd be easy to decorate for little fingers.  Santa better get ready because there will be lots of sugar cookies in his future!! You could also nix the roll in sugar part and just roll out the hunk of dough with a little sugar or flour to make shapes with cookie cutters.  They were a little time consuming rolling in the sugar, but that extra crunch was divine! The original author makes sugar cookie ice cream sandwiches out of these... ahh, I died.  These would make the PERFECT ice cream sandwiches (although I'd skip the roll in sugar step again as I think they'd be too sweet for me with the addition of ice cream).  Follow the link to her site for specific directions. And, like I said, the options are endless as far as customization goes. Roll these bad boys in a cinnamon sugar mix and make your own snickerdoodles.  Ahhh.  Heaven.  Roll in sprinkles for a fun surprise.  Add chocolate chips, M&Ms... you get it :) into the mix. Here, I am preparing the rest of the batter to freeze.  Go ahead and scoop into dough balls, roll into sugar and shake off excess.  I put the finished dough balls on a plate covered in wax paper.  Then I flash freeze these (put them on the plate in the freezer for 30 minutes or more) before putting them in a freezer safe container.  That way they don't stick together and you can easily get a few out.  When you're ready to use, let the dough thaw - it shouldn't take that long.  Or you can always cook for a few minutes longer - either should work fine. Enjoy a sweet treat SOON!!