Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Recipe From: Agnes Hullinger (Kirsten's great-grandmother.  Agne's daughter was Ruth.  Ruth's daughter is Ruthanne and Ruthanne's daughter is me.) San Jose, IL

Preheat to: 350 degrees

Ingredients

2 3/4 cup flour
2 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon rind, opt.

Original Instructions 

"Sift measure add bp. and salt
cream butter add sugar and eggs
beat
add vanilla and flour.  Chill and roll. Sprinkle sugar.  Bake."

Instructions for bakers not as experienced as Great-Grandma Hullinger

Sift flour with the baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream the butter.  Add the sugar and eggs, beating between each addition.  Add the vanilla and optional lemon rind.  Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.  Chill for a few hours in the refrigerator.  Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick and cut out cookies.  Sprinkle with sugar or decorations if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees until slightly gold at edges (4-8 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie).

Notes:  Keep covered in a tin with a cut apple or orange slice to keep soft.  I've also made these with orange rind and once with grapefruit rind.  All very good!  I bet lime rind would also be good.  I think my mother first added the lemon rind.  She would cut them out with a large glass to make big round cookies and would sometimes put a raisin in the center before baking.

These cookies are intended to be thick and soft, not thin and crunchy.