Czech Sugar Cookies (12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Week 9)

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and while everyone else is talking turkey (have you defrosted yours yet?) I'm sharing some of my favorite cookies for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies. I'll be one the road for most of tomorrow and since many of you will be spending the day in the kitchen, I thought I'd give you a chance to get your holiday cookie fix before things start getting too crazy! Plus, if you start now, you can still serve these unique and tasty cookies at your Thanksgiving table!

A long time ago, when this blog was just in its infancy, I did a post about my culinary ancestry. I've mentioned my Czech heritage a few times since, but never have I been more proud to share an 'ethnic' recipe than I am to share these special cookies.

Warm with vanilla, rich with butter, and covered with a sweet sheen of buttery powdered sugar, these little morsels are like no other cookie I've ever tasted. They may look a little like Mexican Wedding Cakes - or Russian Teacakes, whichever name you prefer - but their texture and taste is entirely different (for one thing, they're nut-free). Dense like a shortbread, but soft and tender like a Snickerdoodle, these cookies have a smooth-as-ice-cream vanilla flavor. But that's not even the best part! A quick dip in powdered sugar prior to baking leaves them glistening with their own special 'icing' when they come out of the oven.

Like my family's favorite Colonial Williamsburg Gingerbread, these cookies take pride of place on our Christmas cookie platter each year, so it only makes sense that I would share them for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies. I wish I could say that the recipe was a family heirloom, handed down through generations and carried across the Atlantic Ocean by my immigrant ancestors, but the cookie is a relatively new addition to our family collection (and by relatively new, I mean we've been making them almost as long as I've been alive!). It comes from a great little book called The Czech Book, which shares cultural and historical details in addition to recipes. There are a lot of gems in that slim volume, but if you're making these cookies, you're making the best!

Czech Sugar Cookies
Disclaimer: With two cups of butter in the mix, these cookies definitely aren't health food, but they're a great once-in-a-while treat - and the recipe makes a LOT of cookies (about 6 or 7 dozen!) so at least all that buttery goodness is being spread around!

2 cups (4 sticks) butter (the original version calls for half butter, half shortening)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 cups all-purpose flour
extra powdered sugar for dipping

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl (I recommend using a mixer because this doug is stiff!) cream butter and sugars together until smooth and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Add dry ingredients incrementally and stir until combined. Dough will be very stiff.

Place additional powdered sugar in a small bowl, for dipping. Roll dough into 1-1/2-inch balls and roll each ball in powdered sugar. Place on an ungreased baking sheet (I used a silicon sheet for easy clean-up) about 1 inch apart. Do not flatten. Bake 10 - 12 minutes or until tops of cookies are cracked and slightly golden.

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