Esther’s Sugar Cookies
Decorating holiday cookies is a wonderful tradition! Esther’s Sugar Cookies are tender and soft, and the dough can be rerolled as many times as you need. Happy baking…and decorating!
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I never knew Esther. Esther was a local legend in the White City, Kansas area. You see, my friend Debbie Lyons-Blythe is a farmer, rancher and blogger out in White City. A couple months back, we got to chatting about family recipes and how these recipes make their way into our collective recipe boxes. Debbie told me that when she got married, her friends threw her a shower where everyone wrote down a recipe and gave it to her. The key here: each recipe was hand-written by the giver. What a cool idea! And Debbie noted that many of these recipes are still in her regular rotation today.
But back to Esther and her sugar cookies. Esther was well known in town. She was a short lady with a feisty attitude…and she always had cookies. In fact, her nickname around town was “Cookie Grandma.” As I was chatting with Debbie about Esther, I could totally picture what she must have been like. In fact, she reminds me of my grandma in many ways. When Esther was in her late 80’s and early 90’s, she’d go around town picking up the mail for the “old people” in town. Each year, Esther would ride through town on the Halloween parade float. Oh, and did I mention that Esther was famous for her cookies?
Esther’s Sugar Cookies
Debbie passed the recipe for Esther’s Sugar Cookies along to me recently, and the first thing I noticed was that it called for margarine. Not only did the recipe call for margarine, but Esther very specifically noted “do NOT use butter” for these cookies.
I feel like margarine is one of those ingredients that has largely fallen by the wayside. It was a household staple several generations ago, but now I had to seriously hunt for a package of margarine in the store. Maybe it’s because upstate NY is a big dairy state, but butter by far dominated margarine in the dairy section. However, I wasn’t about to question Esther – and her sugar cookie recipe with margarine turned out great!
Esther’s Sugar Cookies are soft sugar cookies in the very best way possible. And as Esther notes in her recipe, this cookie dough can be rolled out again and again without getting tough. That makes it a good one for Christmas sugar cookies. I decided to make a batch of these easy sugar cookies because, well, cookies. And because I feel like it would make Esther proud to share her recipe out here on the world wide web. This one’s for you, Esther!
In addition to the traditional Christmas cookies, I decided to go one step further and make some farm-themed cookies, too. (I found this set of farm cookie cutters on Amazon.) I’ve been to Morris County, Kansas. It’s not a big place. There are far more cows than people in that part of Kansas. According to the last official census, there were 6,000 people in the county….and 77,000 cows. In fact, when Debbie and I were chatting back in the summer about Esther’s cookies, she sent me a snapshot of what she was doing at that very moment. She was making hay. Literally. Now I’ve never been a farmer, but I must admit that this view is really nice!
Truth be told, I also cut out some cow-shaped cookies, but I ended up not decorating them. I didn’t have any brown food coloring on hand – imagine that! I googled how to use other colors to make brown, but it ended up looking like a camouflage green. If I wanted cookies that looked like US Army cows, then that would have been fine. But I wanted brown cows! Of course, I could’ve used black to represent the Black Angus cows on Debbie’s farm, but I didn’t think about that until it was too late. Next time, Debbie, next time!
How to Store Sugar Cookies
Leftovers sugar cookies should be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. (Good luck making this batch last a whole week, though!) Undecorated cookies can be placed in a freezer bag between layers of wax paper and frozen for up to 3 months. Just let cookies thaw at room temperature before decorating.
As we head into the holiday season, make sure to schedule an afternoon to make Esther’s Sugar Cookies. If you’ve got little hands around, ask them to help out! Decorating Christmas cookies is a wonderful tradition, and no holiday season should pass without a round (or three) of cookies. From the Spiced house (and Esther) to your family, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season full of tasty sugar cookies!
Did you make this easy sugar cookies recipe at home? Leave a comment. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Happy baking!
Esther’s Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Esther’s Sugar Cookies
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup margarine Note: Do not use butter for this recipe
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Sugar Cookie Frosting
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar
- 3-4 Tbsp milk
- 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- food coloring optional
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Using a stand mixer, add sugar and margarine; cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla; beat on medium speed until well combined.
- In a separate large bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Add flour mixture to the mixing bowl in several additions, beating after each addition. (Tip: Make sure to scrape down sides of the bowl to ensure dough is well mixed.)
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll dough to about 1/8” thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut cookies into desired shapes. (Note: This dough can be rolled out again and again without getting tough.)
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place cookies on pans and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn light brown.
- Sprinkle cookies generously with sugar or decorate as desired. (Note: If decorating with frosting, let cookies cool completely on a wire rack first.)
For the Frosting
- Using a medium mixing bowl, add powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup and vanilla extract; stir until well combined.
- If coloring the frosting, divide frosting into bowls and color at this point.
- Transfer frosting into piping bags fitted with a piping tip or ziptop bags with the corners snipped off.
- Pipe frosting onto cookies and decorate with sprinkles (optional).
- Let cookies stand at room temperature for several hours, or until frosting has hardened.
‘Do not use butter for this recipe’, lol. That’s some serious words! Ester must know her stuff! These look super cute, David, and I’d have just as much fun decorating them as eating them 🙂 Also, love the idea of hand written family recipes. So sweet. All my Friday needs now is a big stack of these and a tall glass of milk….and maybe a coffee…after all, it is early 😉 Happy weekend, my friend!
Hah! Tell me about it, Dawn. I use butter like it’s going out of style in this house…but margarine? I had to seriously hunt for it! But Esther was right. This dough is soft and rollable, and you can just keep rolling up the scraps without them getting tough. Perfect Christmas cookie material right there! 🙂
Interesting thought, David. My mom as many other bakers used to use only margarine for baking all the time (It was hard to buy butter in Russia 30+ years ago, so it was a precious ingredient), and I believe many people all over the world would use it too…And I am fine. I think margarine (as some other ingredients) has been unfairly ostracized lately. It doesn’t mean you need to start using margarine in every single recipe (I am still sceptical about its benefits. Besides, good butter is just so much more delicious!), but I don’t think using it once in a while will hurt.
Also, these cookies are beautiful. Love the farm-themed once – it’s like if Santa lived on a farm 🙂 You should have decorated the cows with red & green and pretend they’re Santa’s reindeers living on a farm, too 🙂
Yeah, margarine really has been pushed to the wayside. I’m guilty of it myself. We only use butter around here. In fact, I had to hunt down on the bottom shelf at the grocery store to find the margarine for these cookies. (I had to use margarine…I’m not about to argue with ‘Cookie Grandma’!)
Oooo…man, I missed my opportunity with the red and green cow-reindeers! I’ll have to do that on the next batch. 🙂
I still use margarine in quite a few of my recipes. Especially the ones handed down from my mother to me. I think its because her recipes were from her mum and after WW2 when butter was in short supply still so margarine was the substitute. But yes it has become less obvious on the supermarket shelves. Although I do notice a lot of vegan spreads that are suitable for baking now. Your cookies look really cute. I’m sure Robbie enjoyed eating them too! Have a good weekend!
I think you’re totally right about WW2 and butter vs. margarine, Neil. I know older recipes use margarine all the time. I rarely use margarine now. In fact, I’ve gone through and updated old recipes to use butter instead. However, I wasn’t about to argue with Cookie Grandma on this one! Her cookies turned out mighty tasty, too…so margarine it is for this recipe. 🙂
they look very pretty david. what a fab old lady, picking up the mail for the oldies. tee hee…
Hey now, she wasn’t an old lady! She was the one picking up the mail for the “old” folks in White City! 🙂
What a lovely story about these cookies! And they’re so gorgeous – I bet they taste just as good as they look!
Oh man, these cookies were delicious, Alex! Cookie Grandma certainly earned that title for a reason. 🙂
What do you suppose margarine does for these cookies that makes it preferable to butter? I think this calls for a blind taste test. Nonetheless, what charming cookies.
I would be interested in trying a blind taste test. I know you have to adjust the water (liquid) content of recipes when you use margarine. I think the result is cookies with margarine are softer. Butter tends to make things crispy. Either way, I still think a test is in order. Drop by around 6pm tonight? 🙂
I love, love, love these cookies! There’s nothing better than an old recipe handed down. And then these decorations! You’ve got a real talent with decorating cookies! Nicely done, David!
I totally agree with you about recipes that have been handed down through the generations. There’s a reason they are ‘tried and true!’ Cookie Grandma certainly knew her stuff, and it was a real honor to make and share her recipe here. 🙂 Thanks, Kathy!
These cookies definitely deserve their own scheduled afternoon. They’re so much fun! They’re decorated perfectly — so impressive! 🙂 ~Valentina
Oh man, I had so much fun decorating these cookies that afternoon, Valentina! And then I had so much fun eating them, too. 🙂 Thank you so much, my friend!
Well, Mr. David, that’s some fine cookie decorating, by the way, I’d like to of seen the camo cows. Old aunt Ester did know here stuff as that’s a fine cookie recipe.
Over here we use margarine for many a baking recipe. It comes in big 500 gram (just over a pound) blocks and almost every cookie recipe I’ve made here in Sweden used margarine. I recently tried making a caramel cookie using butter instead of the called out margarine and the were too rich. Bet you didn’t think you’d ever hear me say that.
I’m not a baker and haven’t a clue why margarine works better than butter in some recipes, but like Jeff, I would like to know why as well.
Oh, you didn’t want to see those camo cows, Ron. The real Army cows would’ve been so disappointed if I had shown that photo. 🙂
So I think margarine makes cookies softer. Margarine also has higher liquid content, so you have to add more liquid to a recipe when you switch from margarine to butter. (That could’ve been the problem with the caramel cookie?) I normally use butter for everything (I buy it in huge 4-pound packs!) but I wasn’t about to argue with Cookie Grandma here! Plus, these cookies turned out amazingly well. Thanks, Ron!
Awww Esther sounds adorable! I haven’t thought about margarine in years (I grew up eating it and vividly remember the first time I had real butter). While I’m not a margarine fan, if Esther says it’s necessary for her cookies then I’ll trust her; they look delicious!
I’m right there with ya, Kelsie! I use butter for everything, and I seriously had to hunt to even find margarine in the store. But I’m not about to argue with Cookie Grandma. She knew her stuff for sure as these cookies are amazing! 🙂
These cookies look so good, David. Love the tractors! Also love the idea of the handwritten recipes at the shower – such a personal gift!
I totally agree with you about the handwritten recipes! What a fun idea…and so cool that Debbie still uses many of those recipes today. Each one has a story behind it! 🙂
Esther sounds like a cool woman. Your cookies are adorable! I love the farm theme.
Esther sounds like she was a real spitfire! So happy that I’m able to keep her cookie recipe alive and well. 🙂 Thanks, Dawn!
This was such a fun read! Esther was my great aunt, her and my grandma were sisters.
And yes, Esther was indeed a spitfire!
Hey Lacie! Wow, that an honor that this post made it’s way to you. I never met Esther, but I’d heard all about her from Debbie. She reminds me of my own grandma in so many ways. 🙂 Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. It truly means the world to me that I was able to share Esther’s story and recipe here!!
I just made these and let it chill overnight. I don’t think I mixed it too much so is the dough supposed to puff up a little as it bakes? I just turned the cookie sheets and noticed they are all a little puffy
Hey Heather! These cookies will puff up just a little bit while baking, but it shouldn’t be a lot of puff. And they will “fall back” as they cool. I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we do here! 🙂
It is THAT time of year again, David!! Planning to roll out a double batch of Esther’s sugar cookies this weekend. Now to find the margarine…
Haha! I think the only time I buy margarine is to make these cookies. 🙂 Happy Holidays to you and your family – I miss seeing you at random events around the country!!
The dough seems really soft even after a night in the fridge. Should I add more flour?
Hey Jess! This is indeed a very soft dough – that’s what allows you to reroll the scraps again and again (and again) without the dough becoming tough. I agree that it seems a bit strange, but stick with it! Just make sure to use a generous amount of flour dusted on the countertop when you roll out the dough. Happy baking!
I think 2 eggs are too much. The mix was way too sticky and wet even with a generous amount of flour, and the addition of baking soda and baking powder caused them to rise unevenly, even with being chilled. Thank you for your feedback, but for me this recipe didn’t work at all.
I’m sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work for you, Jess. I’m not sure what went wrong! I make this recipe at least once (sometimes twice) every holiday season, and I’ve never had it fail. Best of luck in your future baking adventures, though!
I noticed that you are located in New Zealand, Jess. I wonder if margarine there is different from margarine here in the US. For us, margarine comes in 2 forms: a spreadable version and a stick version. The stick version is what is used for baking recipes like this one. I’m not sure if that’s the culprit here, but I suspect it might be. Either way, I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you.
This dough came out very very soft that its almost unrollable. How do I fix this? Thank you.
Hey Cat – I’m sorry this dough didn’t work for you. As noted in the post, this recipe was handed down to me from a family friend. I’ve made it probably 4-5x without any trouble. The dough is soft, but it is not unrollable. The only thing I can think is the margarine – what brand did you use?
This is my favorite sugar cookie dough to work with! So soft and actually a delicious cookie!
Thanks so much, Debbie!! I do love this recipe, and I’ve used it other times of the year for non-Christmas shaped cookies, too. Happy baking!