Weekend cookie bakeoff__Sugar Saucers

As the name suggests, I bake these cookies as big as saucers. Its a variation on traditional sugar cookies, very crisp on the outside and super tender on the inside. As other cookies its not very sweet. You decide how big you want these cookies to be. Just remember, bigger they are, longer they bake. For variation you can add almond paste and pure almond extract and top off with a blanched almonds. Other variation would be to make them with lemon zest and juice in place of vanilla.

Along with them I also made Oatmeal chocolate cookies. We all know that oatmeal is good for health, right? It also makes me less guilty of eating so much chocolate.

For my chocolate craving I decorated my sugar cookies with morsels.

Yields: 1 dozen 4-inch cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature

1/2 cup good canola oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 large egg at room temp

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

a pinch of kosher salt

1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter for 1 minute until light yellow in color.
2. One ingredient at a time , add oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla, beating on medium speed after each addition.
3. Stir in flour , baking soda, ans salt all at once and mix with spatula on low speed. Besting too much will develop the gluten in flour and it will make the cookies heavy instead of light and fluffy.
4. Refrigerate the dough about 1 hr or freeze for 15 minutes to make it easier to handle.
5. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with cooking spray.
6. Using ice cream scoop drop the dough into the prepared baking sheet. Each cookie should be at least 2 inches apart. Press the dough evenly by gently pressing with your fingers or palm to flatten it.
7. Bake for 10-14 minutes until the edges turn golden.
8. Let them rest on sheet for at least 10 minutes and then transfer them to the cooling rack .
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar . The cookies can be kept fresh for 4 days at room temperature. It can also be freezon for upto to 1 month.