For Marisa, with much love...

Here you are, my dear friend.  The world's best sugar cookie recipe that I've been jealously guarding, thinking that maybe if you knew how to make these at home on your own, that you wouldn't need our friendship anymore! 

I remembered, this morning, that you are now the mother of an infant and a toddler, and that these cookies were MY medication during naptimes, along with a large cup of thick French Roast coffee. 

Use it for good, and not evil...

Anyone who holds this recipe and perfects the making of it, surely holds great power and sway with others.

And now I pass the power on to you!

(And, it would seem, the other 70 readers of the Chronicles...)

Not-So-Secret Sugar Cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together until smooth:

1 cup REAL butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

Add and beat until light:

1 egg

1 teaspoon REAL vanilla extract

Gradually blend in well:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar, as you would for a gingersnap.

Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake until JUST done.

(THIS is the tricky part, and where I can't help you...you just have to figure it out.  The recipe says 8-10 minutes, and that's too long.  They have to be just barely done, crinkled on top, but not yet golden on the edges.  If you bake them until they have a hint of gold, they'll be too done.  These cookies are best when chewy, and that takes a while to figure out with your oven. As you know, I go by smell...when I can just smell the sugar cookie essence.  It's tricky.)

(Sadly, you may have to make recipe after recipe to figure this out...)

There now...wasn't that easy?

After a while, you can make them from memory, which is handy when you go to a friend's house and need to do an emergency sugar cookie intervention/infusion.

Makes 4 dozen / feeds 2 moms who get together for coffee and sanity.