Southerners, Midwesterners, New Englanders, and the Pennsylvania Dutch have all claimed to be the originators of these cookies. I’m going to give the credit for these old-fashioned cookies to Melissa Carlin’s Ohio grandmother. Melissa, a friend of my daughter’s, shared her family recipe for these simple vanilla cookies coated with cinnamon sugar. The leavening for the cookies is a combination of cream of tartar and baking soda, which was an early version of baking powder, and it signals the tried-and-true status of this recipe.
makes 18 cookies • cookie making 15 minutes • cookie baking 350 degrees, two baking sheets for about 18 minutes each
2¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1¾ cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup (8 tablespoons) vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together ¼ cup of the sugar and the cinnamon; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, vegetable shortening, and the remaining 1½ cups sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and mix until blended, about 1 minute. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. The dough will be soft and smooth.
Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup with a ¼-cup capacity, scoop out portions of dough. Roll each one between the palms of your hands into a smooth ball, roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat it evenly, and place the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time just until the bottoms and edges are golden, about 18 minutes. The centers of the cookies should feel firm on top and soft underneath—this indicates that the cookies will have the desired soft, slightly chewy center. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.
The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days.