Gail’s Mom, Linda Weins

This is a recipe that our whole family loves. Mom makes sure there’s a batch in the freezer when we all go to her home in Minnesota, where we will be for the week of Mother’s Day. It’s an annual thing we do.

Even the family cat loved Mom’s cookies. About 14 years ago, my three siblings and I purchased a Himalayan kitten for Mom’s 80th birthday. Mom named her Angel. She was adorable and very smart and loved to mimic my mom. One day Mom took a package of these sugar cookies out of the freezer and put the open bag on the kitchen counter to thaw. Later Mom made herself a cup of coffee and took a cookie and sat to rest on her recliner in the family room. A few minutes later, Angel walked in with a big white sugar cookie in her mouth and sat at Mom’s feet to have her afternoon snack, just like Mom.

- Gail Vanderberg, classified department

Ingredients:

5 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cups shortening

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375-400 F. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Cream sugar and shortening, add eggs, and beat well. Add vanilla and blend. Add sifted dry ingredients to creamed ingredients, alternating with buttermilk. Chill dough 1 1/2 hours or overnight.

Roll out dough on floured board to approximately ¼-inch thickness and cut into circles with a drinking glass dipped into flour. Place on cookie sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 10-12 minutes.