These might be the most unusual sugar cookie you’ll ever experience! Kind of like a sweet, soft biscuit, these cookies are super addictive and have been a family favorite for over 100 years.
1cupsour milk (1 cup milk + 2 Tbs. cider vinegar)may substitute buttermilk, if desired
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, sugar, and nutmeg together very, very, well , until the mixture is very soft and pliable to the touch. **My Grandma Lucille always did this step by hand with a large spoon, but it can also be done in a stand mixer using the paddle, not the wire whisk. The shortening/sugar mixture should be very, very soft to the touch and once you believe it's creamed together very well, cream it a bit longer - this step is critical to these cookies. **Note: f you make these cookies and the texture of the baked cookies isn’t soft and tender, it either means you didn’t cream the shortening, sugar, and nutmeg good enough, or you’ve added too much flour to your dough.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the salt, flour, baking powder and soda together.
Next, alternately add the flour mixture and the sour milk to the creamed shortening mixture, approx. one-third at a time, stirring between each addition.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly flour a work surface, then place about a third the dough out onto the prepared work surface; lightly flour the top of the dough, then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. If you prefer a very thick cookie, roll the dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Use a floured cookie cutter to cut out the dough, placing the cookies onto a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes, doing a finger-test at 8 minutes, then again at 10 minutes. When the cookies are done, they will spring back after being gently touched with your finger at the center. **If you test-touch the cookies at the center and the indention remains, the cookies aren't quite done yet; bake just a minute or two longer, then test again.
Remove the baked cookies to a cooling rack to cool. When the cookies are fully cooled, store them in an air-tight container. Cookies may be frosted with butter cream frosting, if desired, though the original cookies that my Grandma Lucille made were never frosted.