Grandma’s Drop Sugar Cookies
Grandma’s Drop Sugar Cookies are a classic, buttery cookie that melts in your mouth. They’re tender, crisp on the bottom, and delicious both plain and frosted.
This classic recipe for Drop Sugar Cookies has an unusual combination of ingredients. Instead of just butter like most cookies, or just oil like chocolate crinkles, the recipe calls for both butter AND oil.
A handful of readers on Facebook wondered—did it really work? My grandma had written “Good!” next to the recipe in a church cookbook, so I had reason to believe it would. So I made them and I can confirm, the recipe not only works, but it’s a really tasty sugar cookie recipe. It produces a buttery cookie that’s a bit chewy yet still tender, crisp on the bottom, and melts in your mouth like a butter cookie.
I enjoyed them plain but they’re a great base for a simple vanilla frosting, too.
Jump to:
Ingredients
How to Make Drop Sugar Cookies
- Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Then, beat in the granulated sugar and oil.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined.
- Stir in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt).
- Roll into balls and place on a baking sheet. (I realize these are called a “drop” cookie, which you should technically be able to drop with two spoons, but the drop method creates a craggy top instead of a smooth top when they’re rolled into balls, so they’re not as attractive).
- Bake for 10–12 minutes at 350°F.
- Enjoy plain, or frost with vanilla frosting and decorate with sprinkles.
Decorating the Cookies
While these sugar cookies are delicious plain, sprinkles and/or frosting will jazz them up nicely. In the photo below, I rolled the cookie dough balls in red and green sanding sugar before baking.
You can also whip up a simple vanilla frosting for the tops of the baked sugar cookies. In the photo below, I used the frosting recipe in the recipe card, and decorated it with the red, green, and white non-pareil sprinkles from this jar of sprinkles. If you top the frosting with sprinkles, be sure to sprinkle them on right after frosting each cookie so the frosting doesn’t firm up.
📖 Recipe
Grandma’s Drop Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
- ½ cup butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk or heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- generous pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
- Sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cream together 1 cup butter and 1 cup powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a large bowl and a hand mixer) until light and fluffy.
- Stir in 1 cup vegetable oil and 1 cup granulated sugar.
- Stir in 2 eggs, one at a time, followed by 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture with the mixer on low, stirring until just combined.
- Roll into 1¼ inch balls. The dough will be soft but you should still be able to roll it into balls right away. If it’s too soft, put it in the refrigerator for an hour before rolling.
- Place the balls 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly browned. Let sit for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove and place on a wire rack to cool.
For the frosting:
- Place ½ cup butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup milk or heavy cream, and 2 teaspoons vanilla in a large bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add more milk to make it thinner, or more powdered sugar to make it thicker, as desired.
- Frost the cooled cookies with the frosting. Add sprinkles right after frosting each cookie so they stick.
Comments
No Comments