Grandma's Sugar Cookies {12 Days of Christmas Treats}

This post would be easier to write if I'd turn off the TV but that would mean not getting to sing along to The Sound of Music.  I've never considered it a Christmas Movie but it's always on this time of year.  One of the best things about Christmas is all the music.  The Christmas carols start playing 24/7 on some radio stations as early as Thanksgiving! 

I have so many favorite Christmas carols. I can't sing to save my life but that doesn't stop me from singing at the top my lungs.  I also love hearing my Grandma play carols on the piano at church.  I can't play any instruments so I'm always envious of those who can, like my husband and my Grandma.  

My current favorite Christmas song is "Do You Hear What I Hear".  The one I am tired of hearing is Mariah Carey singing "All I Want for Christmas is You".  I can't believe how much they play that song when there are so many others!  I mean I haven't even heard my childhood favorite, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas".

Well instead of getting annoyed with the radio and their choice of carols, I'll eat some cookies.  After I bake some more.  My roommate devoured these.  Apparently sugar cookies are his favorite.  

These cookies get their lovely design via a drinking glass.  My Grandma taught me this trick.  Of course all her glasses have lovely designs on their bottoms.  I had to search high and low for this glass!

The trick is to dip the glass bottom into a little bit of water and then onto the sugar crystals.  Then press your sugar dipped glass on to the cookie dough ball.  My Grandma would dye sugar with a few drops of food dye to make her sprinkles.  I opted to use store bought sugar sprinkles in red and green.  Grandma's were always red and green for Christmas!

These cookies taste so good and bring back so many wonderful memories of Christmas spent with my Grandparents.  I loved how she would serve these with home canned peaches or apricots (when her tree was still alive).  There's nothing fancy about these cookies but that doesn't mean they're boring.  They're just right!

Ole' Fashioned Sugar Cookies

from my Grandma Mary's recipe box

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

4 cup flour

1 tsp. cream of tarter

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp lemon zest

Cream butter, oil, and sugar.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Sift together dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients.  Roll a teaspoon of dough into a ball, roll in sugar and press down with a drinking glass on parchment covered cookie sheet.  Bake in preheated 375 F oven for 10-12 minutes.