Aunt Marion’s Amish Sugar Cookies
on Nov 29, 2014, Updated Nov 03, 2024
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This recipe for Amish Sugar Cookies is a family treasure and a part of my Mennonite heritage and upbringing. Today, I’m sharing it with you because certain gifts were made to be shared.
And besides, I know that is what my Aunt Marion would want. These were her melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies. She was a special aunt who will always live in my heart and these were her cookies.
These Amish sugar cookies are perfect for your Christmas Cookie Exchange but I like to make them all year round. As a bonus, this recipe can be made for under $5.00!
Table of Contents
About These Amish Sugar Cookies
This recipe for Amish Sugar Cookies is deep in family tradition. Like the Amish lifestyle, these are simple sugar cookies and one of my favorite Amish recipes from my family.
Just like our Old-Fashioned Cherry Christmas Cookies, Date-Filled Christmas Cookies, and German Pfeffernusse Cookies, these have been in our family for many years.
These will always be one of my favorite cookie recipes, and we have a lot of them!
These Amish sugar cookies are drop cookies. All that means is that the cookie dough is dropped onto a cookie sheet. These cookies don’t require shaping, like cut-out cookies or rolled ones.
I’m sure my Amish forbearers didn’t have cookie cutters, which would have been seen as unnecessary and “worldly.”
Drop cookies are simple, like the Amish lifestyle. More examples of yummy drop cookies are classics, like traditional chocolate chip cookies and, of course, old-fashioned peanut butter cookies.
Speaking of worldly, did you know that you can even make peanut butter cookies in an air fryer? I can’t even begin to imagine what my Amish-Mennonite grandmother would have thought about that! Something tells me that she would have loved the idea.
A few years ago, I received an email from my cousin Florine. The correspondence contained a puzzle to the past of sorts. It was sent to her sisters, her brother, and to me and it read something like this:
Hey, Sis,
You mentioned the other day that you couldn’t find Mom’s sugar cookie recipe. For whatever reason, it ended up in my recipe box. This is actually the only recipe I have in her handwriting, though I have a few more that I copied from hers.
A verbatim version is attached. The cup she refers to is a 1-cup measuring cup, and the flavor means vanilla or whatever. You’ll notice the rather glaring omission of flour except in the note at the end.
So good luck trying to recreate these! (Though now that I have found the recipe, I will probably give it a try at some point.)
Cheers,
Me
Ingredients and Cost
As with many good cookie recipes, you only need a few basic ingredients for these.
- Sugar (1 1/2 cups) – $0.42
- Provides sweetness and helps achieve the golden-brown color of the cookies.
- Butter (1 cup, softened) – $2.25
- Adds richness and a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture to the cookies.
- Tip: Ensure the butter is softened but not melted for the best texture.
- Vinegar (1 tablespoon) – $0.05
- Reacts with the baking soda to help the cookies rise.
- Tip: Any mild vinegar works, but avoid strongly flavored varieties like balsamic.
- Egg (1, beaten) – $0.25
- Binds the ingredients together and adds moisture.
- Sour Milk (1 cup) – $0.38
- Enhances the cookie’s flavor and contributes to a tender crumb.
- Tip: Make sour milk by mixing 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice.
- All-Purpose Flour (3 cups) – $0.66
- Provides structure and shape to the cookies.
- Baking Soda (1 teaspoon) – $0.02
- Works as a leavening agent, helping the cookies rise slightly.
- Cream of Tartar (1 teaspoon) – $0.08
- Adds a subtle tang and helps stabilize the baking soda’s leavening action.
- Salt (1/2 teaspoon) – $0.01
- Balances sweetness and enhances the other flavors.
- Vanilla Extract (1 teaspoon) – $0.33
- Adds a warm, fragrant note that complements the cookie’s sweetness.
Total Recipe Cost
- Total Cost: $4.45
Cost Per Cookie
With a yield of 24 cookies:
- Cost per Cookie: $0.19
Like any good cookie, you’ll use all-purpose flour. Unlike classic sugar cookies, this Amish sugar cookie recipe calls for sour milk, giving you a soft and tender sugar cookie with crispy edges.
Instead of lard or vegetable oil, you can use one cup butter; just make sure it is at room temperature before making these.
Kitchen Equipment Needed
You can make these using a large bowl, some measuring cups, and spoons.
Using a cookie scoop to place the dough on a baking sheet for uniform-sized cookies. Be sure to line it with parchment paper for easy clean-up!
Finally, when they come out of the oven, transfer these cookies to a wire rack to let them cool a bit.
How to Make Amish Sugar Cookies
Putting these soft Amish sugar cookies together is pretty simple. This is part of what makes them so appealing. It also makes them the perfect cookie for learning how to bake.
Steps 1 and 2: Cream the Butter and Sugar
Combine the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl, and cream them together until light and fluffy. Use a hand mixer if necessary to ensure smooth consistency.
Step 3: Prepare the Sour Milk
In a measuring cup, add a small amount of vinegar, then fill with milk to the desired level. This will create the sour milk for the recipe.
Step 4: Add the Sour Milk and an Egg
Add the sour milk and a beaten egg to the sugar mixture. Stir vigorously until everything is well mixed.
Steps 5 and 6: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, using the hand mixer to blend until thoroughly combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure you are getting every bit of cookie dough in the mixture!
Steps 7 and 8: Drop the Dough and Bake
Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to drop the dough onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake these Amish sugar cookies for 10 to 12 minutes at 350° F. They will have a pale yellow color when finished.
I like these to have a soft, crispy edge. You may need to play around with the baking time depending on your oven.
Substitutions and Variations
Instead of vanilla extract, you can use almond extract.
Also, these Amish cookies are great for Christmas cookie exchanges. Add a festive flair by topping them with a crushed candy cane, some green sprinkles, or a few chocolate chips. A light dusting of powdered sugar is another idea you can use.
If you are looking for some great gluten-free Christmas cookies, be sure to try these gluten-free sugar cookies.
Recipe Tip
- This Amish sugar cookie recipe will yield softer results than a traditional sugar cookie.
- Baking time can vary. These are done when the edges are crispy.
The Art of Baking
As my cousin noted in her email about the recipe, my aunt did not include the amount of flour she used to make her cookies.
At first, I assumed she had forgotten that minor detail. But after giving it some thought, I decided maybe not.
To her and her method of making things in the kitchen, Aunt Marion probably didn’t measure many things. This is the art of baking, and she was a kitchen artist.
Could it be that she added enough flour to attain a consistency in the dough that was just right for the cookies? I’m going with that guess.
Common Questions
Soured milk, is milk that is acidified. This gives the milk a tart taste, as in these Amish sugar cookies.
You can make soured milk by adding vinegar (or lemon juice) to milk. In this recipe, we make it by combining a tablespoon of vinegar with a cup of milk.
You can store these in an airtight container for up to a week and they will stay soft and delicious.
Baking Tips
New to baking? Learn how to make cookies from our in-house professional chef, CIA-trained Chef Kat.
Whenever I make these simple sugar cookies, memories of my Aunt Marion flood my mind. Gone over 40 years now, I’ll have those memories and a few photos of her forever.
Now, thanks to Florine, I have her sugar cookies too. I would have loved for you to have met my aunt Marion; these cookies are just a tiny bit of her.
More Expert Baking Tips
There are several things you can do to make these Amish sugar cookies less flat:
How to Make These Less Flat
- Chill the dough: Before baking, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to an hour. This will help solidify the butter in the dough, which will prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
- Use cold butter: Use cold butter instead of room temperature butter when making the dough. Cold butter takes longer to melt in the oven, which means the cookies will spread less.
- Don’t overmix the dough: Overmixing the dough can lead to too much gluten development, which can make the cookies spread too much. Mix the dough just until the ingredients are combined.
- Use less sugar: Sugar can cause cookies to spread, so reducing the amount of sugar in the recipe can help prevent flat cookies.
- Add more flour: Adding a bit more flour to the dough can help make it sturdier and prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
- Use a different baking sheet: A dark-colored baking sheet can cause cookies to spread more than a light-colored baking sheet. Using a light-colored baking sheet can help prevent flat cookies.
- Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet: Make sure to leave enough space between the cookies on the baking sheet. Overcrowding the baking sheet can cause the cookies to spread too much.
Are you looking for a great icing recipe for sugar cookies? Find out here: Easy Royal Icing Recipe for Sugar Cookies.
You can make these Amish sugar cookies any time of the year. But they are one of our favorite Christmas cookies because they are so easy to make, and they store very well. They are a great addition to any holiday cookie exchange.
What to Serve with These
These go perfectly with a cup of hot coffee or a glass of cold milk. If you wanted to eat these with vanilla ice cream, I can’t imagine that anyone would judge you!
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Aunt Marion’s Amish Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon vinegar, for sour milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup sour milk
- 2 3/4 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
- In large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter, use hand mixer if necessary.
- For sour milk, add vinegar to measuring cup, fill with milk. Add this along with beaten egg to sugar mixture and stir vigorously until well mixed.
- Incorporate dry ingredients, using hand mixer, until thoroughly combined.
- Drop by teaspoons onto baking sheet.
- Bake 10-12 minutes until firm and pale yellow in appearance.
- Enjoy with cold glass of milk and give pause to remember the special people from your life.
Video
Notes
- Make a test cookie first to check the texture and consistency of your finished cookies.
- Add additional flour if the test cookie seems flat.
- Make your own sour milk by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup of milk.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made the recipe using actual sour goats milk and while the baking time was more like 10-12 minutes they came out really nice, but I did use 2 3/4 cups flour.
I made the recipe as written. It turned out very runny and ran into each “cookie” resulting in flat mixture covering the cookie sheet. I may try again using 2 3/4 to 3 cups of flour.
Hi! These look amazing, I love how puffy and soft they get. At request from my fiancé, I’m wondering if these would hold up to a light homemade frosting? Or are they too soft? Thank you!
Frost away! I love this idea. -Dan
Lost my Grandmothers recipe in a house fire. Have searched and searched on line in hopes I could find it. This is it!!!!! Thank you, thank you for this!! My family is all gone now, except for my 16 year old Granddaughter. We will make them together this Christmas and treasure our memories.
We’re so happy you can make and share this wonderful cookie recipe again! Thanks for the nice comments.
My cookies were soooo flat. I had to add another half cup of flour. Then I chilled them . Perhaps my butter was too soft? I also used lemon extract instead of vanilla. Delicious!
The cookies were very flat, and the dough was so sticky. My husband thought the taste and texture were much improved once the cookies cooled. He said they didn’t taste good warm out the oven. I don’t think I’d make them again, but it was a good way to use up some sour milk.
Seriously addictive. Nice and simple….I didn’t have any butter so I used coconut oil. Yummy
Amy, I love that you made these cookies from my Aunt Marian; I know she is smiling down as well. Thanks for the nice comments!