Soft Sour Cream Cookies

This was Brian's favorite Christmas cookie. I always had to make a double batch. We always gave cookies away and he wanted to make sure he got enough!

This Pennsylvania Dutch soft sugar cookie recipe yields the greatest and most flavorful treat. As they bake, your kitchen is filled with the most wonderful aroma of sour cream blended with butter, accentuated by vanilla extract and lemon zest. The local folks call them sugar cakes.

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon rind, grated
1 tsp. nutmeg (if you grate your own, make sure you add a full teaspoon - I would use
1 1/2 tsp. if grated)
3 1/4 cups flour (original recipe 3 cups - cookies are flatter)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder [use 1 tsp.]
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sour cream

Topping:
Sugar, for sprinking top
Raisins (dried blueberries or currants are also good)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Be sure the oven heats at 375 for 10 or 15 minutes.

Lightly grease cookie sheets with a paper towel. The cookies tend to spread if they are greased too much. Note: I tried using parchment paper but it does not allow the cookies to brown a tiny bit on the bottom, so I don't use that.

Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, lemon rind and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream. Dough will be sticky. For easy handling and less spreading of the cookies while baking, chill the dough for at least 3 hours or until firm.

Note: I found letting the dough sit on the counter will also allow the dough to stiffen up a bit. Allowing the dough to sit, seems to be the key to having the cookies puff up rather than spreading while baking. I always noticed that the second sheets of cookies that I baked were puffier than the first. I probably always skipped the chilling step because around the holidays there is never any room in the frig. The last time I made them, I allowed the dough to sit on the counter about 1/2 hour and the first sheets of cookies puffed up very nicely. I found this to be true the next year I made them. Maybe it allows time for the flour to absorb some of the liquid in the recipe, and I think the baking soda starts to work because the dough is always fluffier after it sits.

Using a teaspoon or cookie scoop, drop on lightly greased cookie sheets. Leave plenty of room between the cookies as they puff up and spread out. Sprinkle with sugar and place a raisin in the center of each.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes or until edges are lightly brown and the center is barely firm to touch. Do not overbake - the bottoms should be just lightly browned. I found baking them for 4 minutes, then switching shelves and flipping the sheets front to back for 4 - 5 more minutes works for my oven.

Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for a couple of minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Be sure to cool the sheets before using again.

Store in air tight containers.

Makes 3 1/2 - 4 dozen cookies (I get almost 4 dozen with my cookie scoop, leveling dough to top of scoop)