Stifflemire’s Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Looking for a great cookie recipe? You have found it with Stifflemire’s Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies!

Stifflemire's melt-in-your-mouth cookies

My mother and I are both quilters. Back before I started Southern Plate and before Mama had all of the grandkids she does now, we were very active in our local quilt guild. We made some wonderful friends there and this recipe is from a very dear lady and mother of 4 and grandmother of 8 (so far). In addition to being in our quilt guild, she also works at our local fabric shop, so we saw her quite often back in our sewing days (we hope we have sewing days again eventually). Anytime Sharon Stifflemire was at Patches and Stitches, you were guaranteed to leave with a smile on your face. She is just one of those people with a contagious inner joy about her. I just love people like that.

These cookies are the stuff of legend in our family and have been ever since Mama got the recipe back in my teenage years. They are something like a pecan sandy, only without the pecans and with a little more delicate crumble, perfect in a glass of milk or all by themselves. Mama and I find them completely irresistible.

What You’ll Need to Make Stifflemire’s Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies:

ingredients for stifflemire's melt in your mouth cookies

  • solid vegetable shortening (Crisco)
  • vegetable oil
  • powdered sugar
  • sugar
  • eggs
  • vanilla
  • cream of tartar (found in the spice section)
  • baking soda
  • salt
  • all-purpose flour. 

How To Make Stifflemire’s Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies:

add ingredients into a large mixing bowl

In a large mixing bowl, place Crisco, powdered sugar, regular sugar, eggs, and vanilla and beat it with an electric mixer until it blends together.  

add in all other ingredients

Now add in all other ingredients and give it a good beating for a minute or two…

Stifflemire's melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies

…until it looks like the photo above.

scoop cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet

You can do this however you want but the idea is to get your dough separated into small balls on a cookie sheet. I use a little cookie dough scoop. Put them on ungreased baking sheets about two inches (ish) apart like this.

dip cup in granulated sugar

Place some granulated sugar in a small bowl and dip the bottom of a glass in it, then…

lightly press on each cookie

Lightly press down each cookie just a little bit. We’re not trying to make pancakes here, just press until the top is more flat looking than mounded.

stifflemire's melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies

Bake these for 375 for about ten minutes, or until very lightly browned around the bottom edges.

let cool before removing

Let cool before removing from baking sheets. Makes 4-5 dozen.

stifflemire's melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies

Enjoy!

Stifflemire's melt-in-your-mouth cookies

Stifflemire's Melt In Your Mouth Sugar Cookies

Stifflemire's Melt In Your Mouth Sugar Cookies: something like a pecan sandy, only without the pecans and with a little more delicate crumble.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cookies
Servings: 4 -5 dozen
Calories: 436kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup solid vegetable shortening such as Crisco
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla I use 1.5 teaspoons, I like vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups all purpose flour

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • In large mixing bowl place shortening, oil, sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add all dry ingredients and beat again until very well blended and a dough is formed.
  • Roll dough into 1 inch balls or use a cookie dough scoop. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.
  • Using a glass with a flat bottom, dip the glass into a little bit of granulated sugar and then lightly press down the top of each cookie (dipping in sugar again before each one) to flatten the tops a bit.
  • Bake for ten minutes, or until very lightly browned around the bottom edges.

Nutrition

Calories: 436kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 “Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.” 

~Thomas Paine

Stifflemire's melt-in-your-mouth cookies

Similar Posts

86 Comments

  1. You are hilarious. I read your recipes from top to bottom just to get tickled even if i’m not Keeping it. Please don’t stop with your comments. Will try these cookies as my hubby likes pecan sandies and I will put ground pecans in them.

  2. These look delicious!! I’ll be making these in a week and a half and I’ll have to take a picture for ya – I’ll be visiting my daughter for 6 weeks…on the beach…in Hawaii!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll have to take a table and all the ingredients down to the beach for their photo-op!!! Want to join me for a week or two?

      1. I have been making this cookie recipe for many, many years! (Like maybe 40+!) However, the difference is that ours are made with butter instead of crisco. They are wonderfully tender and crispy! I let them bake until golden brown on the edges because that gives them an even better flavor! Yum!

    1. My mom has this recipe and has made them for years. We use butter instead of the shortening but you may have to add extra flour to make the dough stiff enough. When I make them, I use the cookie press to make pretty designs, especially when giving for gifts.

  3. Sugar cookies! OH how that takes me back! I just have to go make these now! My parents had me when they were older, so they retired when I was just starting high school. When I was 16 they started going off to Florida for 6 months, leaving in November. Yeah…different times, eh? I used to bake sugar cookies to make the house smell and feel like “home” when I was lonely, and other simple, sweet things as well, raiding my mother’s baking cupboard and her cookbook, but sugar cookies were my VERY favourite. They were my comfort with a big ol’ glass of milk curled up in bed with my teddy bears.

    My family sure was different from your charming bunch. It makes me feel SO good to read about your life and all the fun you have with your friends and cooking. I adore the way you sort of talk-write. Your blog is my favourite. I look forward to finding to seeing new posts in my inbox every day. All grown up now, kids already grown, and my home is my altar for all that I hold most precious, and good food cookin’ in the kitchen is my way of praying and giving thanks for all that I have been graced with in life. Blessings to you my darling!

  4. Sounds like a good recipe will make some for Super Bowl Sunday. I especially like your “new technique” Now that’s my kind of strategy! Thanks

  5. These look great! Do you think using colored sanding sugar to press down with would work? I thought maybe pink or red for Valentine’s Day.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe or Post Rating