Chewy Sugar Cookies

Happy Tuesday everyone!  How was your nice long weekend?

We made cookies yesterday and I couldn't wait to share them.  I'm a chewy cookie fanatic, and these were perfect for me. The edges were crispy but the middle was that chewy deliciousness that I crave. The flavor is the perfect vanilla that you expect from a sugar cookie, and the sugar that you roll the dough in before baking makes it have a lovely little sugar crunch with each bite.

Of course, if you wanted to stop up the sugar crunch you could always take a page out of my daughters decorating style (see picture below).

I have to put this in the "my favorite" cookie category.  It was everything I love in a cookie!

Oh, and if you do have any left after a couple of days - pop them in the microwave for a couple of seconds to get that fresh baked texture back. Enjoy!

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Recipe from A Feast for the Eyes

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups + 1/3 cup sugar, divided
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350º and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add 1 1/2 cups of sugar and the cream cheese and the melted butter, mix well.
4. Add the vegetable oil and mix. Add the egg, milk and vanilla and mix well.
5. Slowly add the flour mixture little by little until incorporated.
6. In a shallow dish add the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar.
7. Use a cookie scoop or two Tbsp to form a ball about the size of a golf ball.
8. Roll each ball around in the sugar until coated.
9. Place the sugar coated dough balls to the prepared cookie sheets and use the bottom of a drinking glass to press them down slightly until flat, but not squished thin. About 1/2 inch thick.
10. Bake one tray at a time using the middle rack in the oven for 10-13 minutes. Oven temperatures vary so you're looking for the cookie to remain pale on top (no golden brown tops here). The bottoms will be very slightly golden. Mine took 13 minutes. 
11. Let cool on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

My daughter's cookies.  She had so much fun with the sprinkles.