Sugar Cookies

Recipe No. 74 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Cakes and Cookies. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Flour, sifted — 3 pounds (3 No. 56 dippers)
• Baking powder — 1⅛ ounces (3 mess kit spoons)
• Salt — ½ ounce (1 mess kit spoon)
• Shortening — 1½ pounds (1 mess kit cup)
• Sugar, granulated — 2¼ pounds (2¼ mess kit cups)
• Eggs, beaten — 6 eggs (⅓ No. 56 dipper)
• Vanilla — ½ ounce (1 mess kit spoon)
• Milk, evaporated — 2—14½-ounce cans

Water (for milk) — ½ pint (⅓ mess kit cup)

• Sugar, granulated (for topping) — 8 ounces (⅓ mess kit cup)
• Cinnamon (for topping) — 1 ounce (4 mess kit spoons)

Directions

Key ingredients

Baking Soda & Baking Powder · Cinnamon · Evaporated Milk

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together.
2. Mix shortening and sugar; stir until light and fluffy.
3. Add beaten egg gradually, mixing well after each addition; add vanilla.
4. Mix milk and water. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition.
5. Mix sugar and cinnamon.
6. Drop cookie mixture by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking pans. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture.
7. Bake in moderate oven (375° F.) 12 to 15 minutes.
8. Remove from pans at once.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Flour, sifted — 3¾ oz Baking powder — about ½ tsp Salt — a pinch Shortening — 2 oz Sugar, granulated — 3 oz Eggs, beaten — ½ eggs Vanilla — a pinch Milk, evaporated — ½ can (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 1¼ tbsp Sugar, granulated (for topping) — ⅔ oz Cinnamon (for topping) — about ½ tsp

Cookie dough may be rolled ⅛ inch thick on lightly floured board and cut with floured cookie cutter.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 74, Cakes and Cookies. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.