Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

I found this recipe on the "Miss in the Kitchen" blog. Her comment that this is a delicate sugar cookie is very accurate. It has a very light crispness to it. I added another vanilla bean, some vanilla extract and sprinkled the top with sparkling white sugar before I baked them, but besides that, I followed her recipe. I had never made sugar cookies with oil in them and I was not sure what to expect but I was pleased with the results. There is enough butter in the recipe to add wonderful flavor. No rolling pin is needed, just shape into balls and flatten with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar. I used my cookie scooper but it makes a somewhat nice ball.

These sugar cookies are tasty but if you are looking to package them and send them, I would go for another recipe. These are so light and crispy that they would break easily during transport. These are not for folks who like their cookies soft & chewy. These have a crispness all the way through, even in the middle of the cookie but you have to make sure you bake them long enough to make sure the middle is thoroughly done. Light golden brown to medium golden brown edges are what you are looking for. You might need to lower the oven temp to 330 degrees so they can bake more evenly. I tried that on the last couple of batches and I think I preferred those. Oh, one last comment. After I added all the ingredients and finished the dough, it seemed very very soft. Almost the consistency of peanut butter. Uh oh, I thought. There was no way I'd be rolling this into balls. I placed the entire mixing bowl in the refrigerator overnight and it was absolutely the perfect consistency in the morning. Very easy to handle after refrigeration.

Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 tablespoon cream

1 vanilla bean (I added an additional vanilla bean & a teaspoon of vanilla extract)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cooking Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut vanilla bean in half and scrape out insides and stir into cream in a small bowl; set aside. In a bowl or saucer combine 1/4 cup of sugar and vanilla bean pods and stir around; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, oil, and sugars. Stir in egg and then cream and vanilla mixture. Add in dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scoop cookie dough or shape into about 1 1/2″ balls onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Dip a glass into the sugar and vanilla bean mixture and gently smash each cookie. (I sprinkled with sparkling sugar before placing in the oven) Bake for 14-16 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet for about 2 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.