Sugar Cookies

Today I'm baking sugar cookies in memory of my mom. Vince, my younger son, requests these regularly, and I don't always have the time to make them. Since school is out and my show is done, les voila!

These cookies are a tradition in our family. My mom, Alice, told stories of her grandma's cookies. Her mom, Amy, made what is considered the gold standard of sugar cookies in my extended family. Unfortunately Amy's recipe was never shared in enough detail to replicate exactly. Alice spent much of her life perfecting her own sugar cookies and was fairly pleased with her results. She passed down her recipe and was happy to share all the little hints of how to make them like she did. Here is a a photo of my well-loved and well-used recipe in her handwriting with a note on the back side:

Mine never taste as good to me as those I remember my mom and grandma making, but my kids think they are the best! Here are a few more photos of the process...