Sugar Cakes an Old Fashioned Drop Sugar Cookie

                                                                          


These are a very OLD recipe passed down in my family for generations. These were always called Mrs. Brimmers sugar cookies we have long forgotten who good old Mrs. Brimmer was. But she made a GREAT sugar cookie ! I hope you enjoy these as much as we do ! Yes, these do take lard, do not be scared off by that ingredient ! It is no worse for you than butter and a very natural choice for baking. You can find lard in most grocery stores in the bacon section. Just ask the meat department if you can not locate it in your store! Do not substitute shortening for lard in this recipe, you will miss out on great flavor and texture! Whip up a batch you will see! The recipe I am posting believe it or not is only a 1/2 batch of these unusual flavored cookies! You just might want to make a whole batch. I will give the amounts for the whole batch at the end of this recipe. These cookies have a nice tang to them from the lemon, buttermilk & nutmeg & taste very old fashion & are a fresh take on the traditional vanilla sugar cookie!


1/2 Batch Recipe

3 Cups  Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup Lard
8 Cups Flour
2 Cups Buttermilk
3 Eggs
1 TBS Baking Soda
2 TSP Salt
1 TBS Nutmeg
1/2 TBS Cream of Tartar
1/2 TBS Lemon Extract ( not juice it must be extract)

Topping , 1& 1/2 Cups Granulated sugar blended with 1 & 1/2  Cups light brown sugar, raisins

Cream the lard until whipped and light. It will turn snow white and glossy. Beat in brown sugar and beat again. Add eggs and beat again. Sift flour, salt, nutmeg & cream of tartar together & set aside. Stir buttermilk and lemon extract together. Now add baking soda to the buttermilk. It will foam up . Slowly add some of the flour mixture to the lard mixture & beat on low. Once mixed well slowly add some of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat back & forth until everything is mixed ending with the flour going in last. Beat well to blend. Chill dough at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.
Drop by heaped tablespoons on cookie sheets. You will only be able to fit nine cookies to a sheet for large sugar cakes. If you want regular sized sugar cookies drop by heaped teaspoons & fit 12 to a sheet.I did not grease my sheets but it might depend on your baking sheets. Try one sheet without greasing. If you grease your sheets these might spread out to much & get thin instead of nice & high. My recipe did not have instructions for greasing or not . I think they are higher without greasing the sheets. Sprinkle a heaping teaspoon of the sugar mixture on top of each cookie. Press a raisin in the center so the raisin is down in the dough but still visible. Bake 10 to 14 minutes until done to the touch & lightly browned around the edges. Remove from sheets & let cool. Store in an airtight container with wax paper between each layer of cookies, with a fresh piece of store bought bread on the top layer of cookies. Replace bread as it gets hard. Your cookies will stay nice and soft if you do this. This recipe makes 5 dozen large sugar cake cookie or about 9 dozen regular sized sugar cookies!

For a whole batch :
6 Cups Light Brown Sugar
2 Cups Lard
16 Cups Flour
1 Quart Buttermilk
6 Eggs
2 TBS Baking Soda

4 TSP Salt
1 TBS Cream Of Tartar
1 TBS Lemon Extract
Mix just like above directions but be prepared for a LOT OF SUGAR CAKES !

Topping : 2 & 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar, 2 & 1/2 Cups Light  Brown Sugar, Raisins