Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Several months ago I had the most gorgeous moment:





I realized that I loved my face. 


For the first time in my life, it felt like my physical appearance was finally matching up with the person I felt I was inside. 


And I felt beautiful. 


Not pretty. Not cute. 


Beautiful. 


It was kind of astonishing. 


And it was so funny, because I turned to my roommate and shouted "I'M BEAUTIFUL!"
And she looked at me with this funny expression, and said "Yeah!"and nodded, as if it had been obvious all along. 


But it wasn't. At least not to me. 





Let me tell you something. Growing up ain't no picnic. But sometimes the rewards are really sweet. 
Maybe I am learning to love/accept myself/my perceived flaws. I don't know. Maybe in that moment I just decided to believe in whatever modicum of loveliness maybe I do or don't have. I don't know. Maybe being beautiful is ultimately about not giving a fuck. 
And lately, I have gotten increasingly better at not giving a fuck.


What does this have to do with Sugar Cookies?


Here is my sugar cookie story: Sugar cookies have always seemed like the most pointless cookie. I mean, what is a cookie without chocolate?And for most of my life I have avoided sugar cookies because they seemed so plain-- they lack pizzazz and bravado. And then I had a life-changing sugar cookie that was just beyond delicious. And since then I've loved them. 
I don't know if this new-found love is due to my evolving tastebuds (did you know that your tastebuds allegedly have preferences which change every 7 years?) or if I had epiphany or call from the heavens or what. But sugar cookies are beyond delicious. 





And I am beautiful. 


And so are you. 


xoxo

Vanilla Sugar Cookies

from JoytheBaker.com who got it from The Pastry Queen 

These are kind of seriously scrumptious. But really. Go for it. xoxo

makes 1 dozen 4-inch cookies or 2 dozen 2-inch cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola or sunflower oil or almond oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus additional for sugaring tops

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or foil, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter in a large bowl on medium speed for about 1 minute.  Add the vegetable oil.  It may not fully incorporate with the butter, but that’s ok.  Add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla, beating on medium speed until each ingredient is completely incorporated.

Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt all at once using a wooden spoon or the mixer set on low.

The dough will be soft.

Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or freeze for 15 minutes just so it’s easier to handle.

For large cookies, dollop 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  For smaller cookies use 1 Tablespoon for each cookie.  Press the dough evenly with your fingers or palm to 1/4-inch thickness.  Generously sprinkle sugar on top of the cookie dough.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for larger cookies or 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely.  The cookies will keep for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.