This cut-out sugar cookie recipe was sent to me by my baking buddy, Linda. Linda's used it for years, and now I can say that I have too! The recipe's from an old publication called “Everyone Likes Cookies” put out by New York's Rochester Gas and Electric Home Service Department in (we suspect) the early '60s. The cookies are not too sweet, very light, very brown, and the perfect vehicle for holding lots of frosting.
This recipe is perfect for any holiday requiring cut-out sugar cookies. The ones in the first photo are heart shaped cut-outs with red royal icing which I made for one of Fuzzy's old school parties. Below are a couple of stars. As you can see, the cookies hold their shape pretty well so the stars have nice and sharp points.
Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe with Shortening
Update: I still really like this recipe. The cookies don't have a buttery flavor, but the shortening (I use the non-hydrogenated type these days) gives them a crisp, snappy texture. Since the shortening doesn't have much flavor, I often add a little more vanilla than the recipe calls for along with a dash of almond extract.
Recipe
An Old Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup shortening
- 4 cups all purpose flour (460 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams)
- ¼ cup whole milk or reduced fat milk with a teaspoon of cream mixed in
- 1 teaspoon vanilla plus a little almond extract if desired
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Have ready two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cut the shortening into the flour. I did this by hand, but you could probably use a food processor. Add the salt and stir well.
- Combine the eggs and sugar in a second bowl and beat well – I did this with a hand-held mixer.
- Combine the milk, vanilla and baking soda in a small cup.
- Add the egg mixture and the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until it’s all blended and you have a dough. At this point I chilled mine for about half an hour, but the recipe doesn’t say you have to.
- On a floured surface, roll a half or a quarter (I never roll it all at once) into a ¼ inch thick slab and cut out shapes. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until your cookies are golden brown (these get quite brown) and appear set. Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely.
- Ice with royal frosting or butter cream.
Anna says
Hi Judy,
I did a quick Google search and it came up on eBay for $9.99.
Judy Smearing says
I would love to have
the whole cookbook of Everyone likes Cookies. I got one when in Home Ev in school over 50 years ago and it is starting to show its age. If you know where I can find one please let me know.
Thank you.
Anna says
No, unfortunately you won't get the same great texture. This recipe relies pretty heavily on shortening, but the good news is there are tons of others that don't :).
CowQueen2000 says
hi! can these be made with regular salted butter?
Anna says
I'm so happy to hear that! Your mom has good taste in cookies. The texture of these is the best.
Marilyn says
Thank you for posting this recipe from RG&E's cookbook. My now 80-year-old mother lost the recipe when the regional cookbook started falling apart and the pages were misplaced. She tried many recipes over the last few years but none compared to her tried-and-true version she used for decades. You saved her cookie Christmas spirit!
Marilyn, Rochester NY
Anna says
Thanks Linda! I'm so happy to hear that. Stay warm.
Linda says
Hi Anna, thanks for including this recipe in your "last minute food gifts"! Also glad to see that brings back good memories for other Rochestarians. Happy holidays to you and your family! Thanks for all your good work, I use your website and cook book so much.
Anna says
Linda, how funny! We should just name these "Linda" cookies since it's the recipe you use AND I got it from another Linda. I think I'll make a batch this year with half butter and half shortening.
Linda says
This is the recipe I have used, I got it from RGE when I was in high school! Every year, I make these. When my children were growing up it was a tradition to decorate these- what a mess we made! Fond memories!! I substitute butter for part of the shortening, but you have to watch closely as they brown quickly. Thank you for posting this!!
phoebe alexander says
In the early 70s They gave these cook books out free.......for years I made this recipe from my lil cook book.......I moved and some how my lil book got lost,for the past few years,I've tried other cutout recipes.just not the same !....By chance I typed the gas company cookie cutouts.........thank you for posting.....One happy Gramma !
Anna says
Hi Debbie,
Wow! That's a testament to how special the recipe is. Thanks.
debbie k says
My father worked at the RG&E for thirty-one years, and the recepie book came out every year for this
cookie recepie. (and still does) This is my favorite cut-out cookie recepie, and it's not just for the holidays anymore. Many friends, family and collegues have asked for the recepie over the years, and I am always happy to share.
nancy baggett says
Your cookies are cute--I'm sure they were a hit. If you'd had a red bird or bell cutter, you could have been "holidayish." too. If you are in the mood for some more seasonal sugar cookies, do take a look at my latest post. I've got some really eye-catching ones (including a bell and red bird and reindeer) that are actually rather easy. Hope you have a wonderful holiday!
Cookie Sleuth says
Perfect recipe for the holidays!
[email protected] says
And here I thought I'd be the only one in the blogosphere to be posting heart-shaped sugar cookies in December! What are we going to post when Valentine's Day rolls around? 🙂
Katrina says
Hearts have a lot to do with Christmas, ask Santa. 😉
Anna says
Jen, I just used a basic royal frosting. There are so many recipes out there it's probably best to just Google one that has a lot of good reviews. I don't really measure when I make royal frosting.
Jen says
These look great. I, took am thinking of doing cut-out cookies this year. What frosting did you use?
Sue says
Great icing job! They look so pretty!
Linda says
Anna, these look beautiful! I hope Emma and her school mates liked them, and hope the Cookie Madness readers like them, too!
Adam says
They look terrific. Amusingly up until last Christmas all I had were heart shaped cookie cutters for some reason :). I typically don't do many cut out cookies, but this year I really wanted to do some traditional sugar cookies (Secret Ingredient still reigns supreme) and some Gingerbread :). Though, I doubt I could ever pull the icing off on these :).