Sugar Cookies on Crack Recipe

I don’t know how I eventually won her over, maybe my quick wit or the fact that I was willing to do the grunt work which freed her up to do more important things like yell at Garcia, the dishwasher-chef (his title not mine) or attend to the ten or so lemon meringue pies that had to be made everyday.

Some of my all-time favorite desserts have come from Brigid, these cookies being a prime example. We’ve named them Sugar Cookies on Crack because they are so whacked out good and because they are very, very addictive. Also because they have this perfect craggy top which cracks when you bite into it giving way to the soft, fluffy interior.

These cookies stay so nice and soft even a couple days after they are made due to the cream of tartar and baking soda combo used as a leavening agent. Cream of tartar is a powder that is made from tartaric acid, a residue scraped from wine barrels after fermentation. When a cookie cools after being baked the sugars in the cookie crystalize or harden, the tartaric acid prevents the crystallization of cooked sugar giving them a soft texture even after they have cooled off.

You could certainly make these all patriotic for the Fourth by using blue and red sanding sugar. Oh and here’s a tip, if you forget to take your butter out of the fridge to soften it, just take a couple whacks at it with a rolling pin.

Recipe Update 7/22/18

You can substitute equal parts extra-virgin coconut oil for the butter (1 cup) to make these dairy free. When they are made with coconut oil they won’t spread out in the oven on their own but stay in round little balls (pictured above). If you’d like them to be a flatter cookie push them down with the bottom of a glass halfway through baking.

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Sugar Cookies on Crack

Yield: 50 Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

The BEST sugar cookies recipe you'll ever make. Recipe courtesy of Brigid Callinan

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Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup sanding or granulated sugar for rolling cookies

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F and arrange rack in the middle. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Creaming the butter and sugar together like this causes the sugar crystals to cut into the butter, creating pockets full of air which will give the cookies a light texture after baking, so don't skimp on this step.
2. Add yolks, vanilla, and salt and beat until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar and mix on low until flour is fully incorporated. Scoop dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Roll dough in sugar to coat and place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bottoms are just beginning to brown, but cookies are still soft in the center. Immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 365Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 187mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 5g

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