This is a well-loved cookbook as you can see. It’s splattered and held together with old masking tape and paper clips. It belonged to my beloved Great Aunt Margie who used it often. She made the world’s best sugar cookies, but unfortunately it’s not the ones pictured here. That recipe was never written down as far as I know; it was only in her head. I had to try for second best and decided a good place to start was with her old 1949 church cookbook. There were many sugar cookies from which to choose and since I grew up with great Iowa cooks, I knew any one that I selected would be good. I also decided to go into the Culinary Cellar and find Aunt Margie’s Willow Ware that I haven’t used in a while.
While looking for the Willow Ware I also came across something wrapped in a kitchen towel. I had forgotten about Aunt Margie’s old ceramic measuring spoons. I can still see these hanging next to the sink in her tiny, happy kitchen. She must have dropped them numerous times but always glued them back together. I wish I knew where she got them or who gave them to her, because they obviously were very special.
The sugar cookies turned out great and my cookie monster husband was very happy.
These are not rolled cookies and cut into shapes but formed into balls and the tops pressed down with a sugared glass bottom, or the recipe said they could also be crisscrossed with a fork. I did both, but prefer the glass method.
It wasn’t until after I made the cookies that I looked at the name and town of the person who submitted the recipe. The cookbook had recipes from Wyoming, Iowa but also those living in surrounding communities and all from Jones County. The submitter, Mrs. J.G. Mardorf was from Monticello, 19 miles away. It occurred to me that Monticello and Jones County had been in the news in the last week but I couldn’t remember what it was so I Googled it. Of course… it was the Iowa town and county where Hillary Clinton decided to begin her presidential campaign. I then recalled back in 1992 when Family Circle magazine initiated its “Presidential First Lady Cookie Contest,” which they were inspired to start when Hillary once remarked that she “didn’t want to stay home and bake cookies.” So in the 1992 election, Family Circle asked their readers to choose between a favorite cookie from Hillary Clinton and Barbara Bush. Hillary’s cookie won and the magazine has continued the tradition of this cookie war. And apparently all but one winner went on to live in the White House. Does this mean that Bill Clinton must submit a cookie recipe this time? Anyone see Bill as a cookie baker? Well, if you do need a cookie recipe Mr. President, I suggest you use Mrs. Mardorf’s sugar cookies.
Soft Sugar Cookies
Author:Mrs. J.G. Mardorf of Monticello, Iowa
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup shortening *
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon baking soda dissolved in ½ teaspoon hot water
- 3 cups (all-purpose) flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Note: Use Crisco sticks for the shortening, but I wonder if Mrs. Mardorf used lard as many cooks did back then. Also, if you want a crispier cookie, use ½ cup softened unsalted butter and ½ cup solid Crisco instead of all Crisco.
Instructions
- Mix in order given. Roll into small balls and press down with a glass dipped in sugar or press with a sugared fork. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until cookies are golden around the edges.
- This is how the instructions are written in the book. I lined cookie sheets with parchment paper and used a Kitchen Aid mixer!
I found this old photo of Aunt Margie’s Pontiac. I don’t think she drove it much except to and from church, the store, the library in town where she was the only librarian, or to visit her friends out on the farms. That’s me on the front left with my brother and cousins. I loved washing that old car until it sparkled, but not as much as I enjoyed making cookies with Aunt Margie.
FAQs
McRaven describes the experience of Navy SEAL trainees who are subject — often randomly — to a punishment where they are directed to get wet and sandy on the beaches. By the time they are finished the trainees, covered in sand, look like “sugar cookies.”
What is the meaning of sugar cookie? ›
A sugar cookie, or sugar biscuit, is a cookie with the main ingredients being sugar, flour, butter, eggs, vanilla, and either baking powder or baking soda. Sugar cookies may be formed by hand, dropped, or rolled and cut into shapes.
Who was the first person to make sugar cookies? ›
Origin. The long history of manufacturing sugar cookies dates back to the 7th century in Persia. However, sugar cookies as known today were first made by Protestan settlers in the Nazareth colony in Pennsylvania in the 17th century. They were baked in the shape of the state symbol, a keystone.
What does cornstarch do in sugar cookies? ›
1. Cookies. Cornstarch does kind of incredible things to cookies. I mean not only does it give them soft centers, prevents them from spreading, and makes them somewhat thick (in a good way), but it also contributes to the chewiness factor, which, in my opinion, is the most important cookie attribute.
What is a sugar cookie Navy SEAL? ›
For failing the uniform inspection, the student had to run, fully clothed into the surfzone and then, wet from head to toe, roll around on the beach until every part of your body was covered with sand. The effect was known as a “sugar cookie.” You stayed in that uniform the rest of the day—cold, wet and sandy.
What is the Navy slang for ice cream? ›
During World War II, newspapers began noting the emergence of odd Navy terms, including gedunk for ice cream and “pogie bait” for candy (the origin of pogie bait, which has survived in the vernacular of some Marines, has a decidedly less innocent story than that of gedunk).
What is the sugar cookie slang? ›
Where one is to roll in the sand or dirt while PT-ing, then continue PT-ing to look like a sugar cookie themselves. There's also a sand hill named after this term in 29 Palms, for this same reason.
What does sugar cookie mean in make your bed? ›
In SEAL training, one of the most painful punishments is being a sugar cookie. Instructors would punish trainees at whim, and they would have to get wet and then roll around in the sand. As many trainees strived for excellence, being punished was tough to accept, especially with no specific reason.
What does the cookie symbolize? ›
For so many around the world, cookies symbolize that spirit of giving. In all shapes and flavors, they're a bite-size emblem for generosity, solidarity, and seasonal joy.
What is a fun fact about sugar cookies? ›
The modern sugar cookie was originally called the Nazareth Sugar Cookie, after German Protestants who settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and improved the recipe. When forming the dough, they made the cookies resemble the state's keystone emblem.
On this day in 1912, Oreo cookies were first developed and produced by Nabisco in New York City. It's time to celebrate the iconic crunchy chocolate sandwich cookie with the sweet vanilla cream filling that Americans have enjoyed for over one hundred years.
Why do we eat sugar cookies on Christmas? ›
At a time when most families were not that well off, people started making cookies and sweets as a way to share gifts during the medieval Christmas season. Christmas in many cultures was a time of visiting friends and family.
What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›
Cornstarch Is The Secret To Soft And Chewy Cookies.
What does cream of tartar do in sugar cookies? ›
Cream of tartar makes cookies chewy, as it precludes the sugar in the dough from crystalizing, which would lead to crispiness (ie: the opposite of chewiness).
What happens when you add too much flour to sugar cookies? ›
If your cookies come out looking more like biscuits, you've likely added too much flour. Our cookies didn't expand much from the rolled-up balls we put on the baking sheet. They also didn't brown as well as the other cookies. It doesn't take much—in this case, my mom and I added just 3/4 cup extra flour to the dough.
What are military cookies? ›
A Ranger cookie is a type of confection originating from the United States. It refers to two mostly distinct improvised confections: a drop cookie for camping, and a dulce de leche-like confection for the military. The camping-style Ranger cookie is made with rolled oats, corn flakes, shredded coconut, and brown sugar.
What is the military slang for candy? ›
"Pogey bait" is a reference to sweets or candy, which was in usage in the military as early as 1918. The term alludes to food (and other luxuries) rarely afforded to grunts in the field.
What does it mean to be a sugar cookie in Make Your Bed? ›
In SEAL training, one of the most painful punishments is being a sugar cookie. Instructors would punish trainees at whim, and they would have to get wet and then roll around in the sand. As many trainees strived for excellence, being punished was tough to accept, especially with no specific reason.
