Recipe: Grandma Eslinger Sugar Cookies

These cookies are inspired by a recipe from my husband’s Grandma Eslinger. Before she passed, she gave me her clipping of a Better Homes and Gardens sugar cookie recipe from May 1968. I’ve adapted the recipe to include more details in the ingredients and instructions so the cookies come out more consistently and successfully. These cookies freeze beautifully without icing. Makes about 48 cookies.

Cookie Ingredients

• 170g (~ 12 tbsp or ¾ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 130g (~⅔ cup) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg (~50 g, ¼ cup), room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp table salt
• 250g (~1 ¾ to 2 cups) all-purpose flour, sifted, divided in half

• 1 recipe Easy Cookie Icing

Directions - Baking the Cookies

1. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-low speed to cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 1-3 minutes. 
2. Add the egg, vanilla, and salt to the bowl. Blend well. 
3. Gradually add and stir in the sifted flour into the butter/egg mixture and mix until just combined. The dough will be soft.
4. Divide the dough in half and shape into 2 logs, each about 6 inches long (about 1 ½ inches in diameter). Wrap the logs in plastic wrap. As needed, use your hands to shape your dough, so the cylinder is the same width for the full length of the log. 
5. Chill for 30 minutes. Make sure the log is cool before you start cutting it.
6. Adjust baking racks in your oven to be in the middle position (so you can use the top and bottom baking racks). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Remove the cookie dough log from the fridge. While the log is still in the plastic wrap, roll the log on the counter as needed to ensure a more cylindrical shape and smooth out any flat spots from resting in the fridge. 
8. Remove the plastic wrap and cut the log into about ¼” slices. Place the cookies on the baking sheets (note: if the cookies begin to warm to room temperature, cover the cookies with plastic wrap and put the cookie sheets in the fridge for about 10 minutes before baking. Remove plastic wrap before baking). 
9. Bake for about 12-17 minutes, rotating about halfway through. Cookies are done when the bottoms are lightly browned and edges just start to look golden.
10. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the pans for about 5 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks and allow cookies to cool to room temperature.

Directions - Icing the Cookies

1. Once the cookies are cool, make one recipe of the Easy Cookie Icing.
2. Decorate to your heart’s delight!

You can enjoy these cookies right after they’ve been decorated, though the icing will not be completely set. Wait 24 hours if you want the icing to be completely set. Cookies can be stored for up to 5 days at room temperature, up to a week in the refrigerator, or undecorated in the freezer for 3 months.