Tag Archives: farmer cookies

A Family Favorite Recipe – Virtual Cookie Exchange

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Julie

Do you love cookies as much as I do?

Today is going to be a lot fun for me because I’m sharing a cherished cookie recipe as a part of this wonderful “virtual” cookie exchange:

Some people are sentimental about things, others are sentimental about holidays but I am really sentimental about food.

I know, it may sound weird, but eating, cooking and baking recipes that were a part of my family makes me feel at home. The tastes and smells bring back good memories of special times and special people.

One of my favorite recipes from my Grandma (on my mom’s side) is a cookie recipe handed down to her from her mother – Farmer Cookies.

Ever heard of them?

Probably not.

I have honestly never had them anywhere else but in my own family. And, to be completely truthful, it feels a little weird to be posting about them here on my blog, but food is for sharing and today, I’m giving you the recipe.

So, first, let me describe a Farmer Cookie since you have probably never heard of them.

It is soft and cake-like and it has a very mild flavor — it doesn’t taste like a butter or shortbread cookie but it is along those same lines. It is a sour cream cookie but not like others I have tasted — all the others I have tried are usually crisp or chewy. These are not crisp and they are not chewy. They are not highly seasoned, and they don’t have an overpowering flavor. But, they are GOOD!

I have never met anyone who has tried them and not liked them. And, what is kind of funny is that they seem grow on you. What usually happens when someone tastes one is they try it, they’re not blown away first but they like it. Then, they ask for another one, and then another one. And, then one day they are asking me for the recipe or, they’re asking me to bake them! (My sister-in-law, who is gluten-sensitive, cheats on her diet with them.)

(As a side note, I did an Internet search for Farmer Cookies and came up “Swedish Farmer Cookies” that are buttery almond cookies. These are not the same. )

Here’s my family recipe:

Farmer Cookies

2013-12-09 09:34:09

A simple and delicious cake-like cut-out cookie good for any time of the year.

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Ingredients

1 1/2 C. granulated sugar
1 C. butter or margarine
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1 C. sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
Flour to make a soft dough (about 3 cups)

Instructions

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs.
Add baking soda to the sour cream and stir together. Add to butter sugar and eggs.
Add vanilla.
Stir in dry ingredients.
Roll out and bake in a quick oven.at 425 degrees F.
(roll dough to about 1/4 inch)

By Julie {Lilacs & Longhorns}

Lilacs and Longhorns http://www.lilacsandlonghorns.com/

I’ve added a video tutorial regarding the dough because it’s a little different to work with than regular cut-out cookies (the dough is sticky like a drop cookie but it is rolled out). In the video I say that you roll them about a half inch thick. I mis-spoke…it’s really about 1/4 of an inch. Regular cut-out cookies are rolled about 1/8 inch thickness, so these are thicker cookies.

*Also, please don’t judge me on the way I look. Bad lighting and an ice/snow day home with the kids is my excuse! (Also, thanks to my kids for putting together this little production on my iPhone for me!)