Soft & Chewy Vanilla Sugar Cookies

These really need no introduction other than the name itself - they are soft yet chewy, and very vanilla sugar cookie-like.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 2 TBS milk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup bread flour (you can use all purpose for this step too, but the bread flour makes chewier cookies)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine butter and sugars and using a whisk beat until creamed.  Add in egg, milk, vanilla, and whisk again until light and fluffy.

In a smaller bowl whisk together the flours, baking soda, & salt.  Slowly add the dry mix into the wet, stirring with a spoon until combined.

Using a small cookie scoop, drop onto cookie sheet 2 inches apart.  Bake 8-10 minutes, until golden brown edges form.  Cookie may seem undercooked in middle but will firm up while cooling.  If you want crispy cookies, add 2-3 more minutes to bake time.  Personally I like the soft & chewy version!

Allow cookies to cool 10 minutes on tray after baking, then remove gently to cooling rack.  Store in airtight container for up to a week, or in the freezer up to 3 months.

Note from original recipe:  Averie Cooks recommends refrigerating the dough before baking, for at least 3 hours, and up to 5 days.  I didn't do this as I wanted to make the cookies NOW!  But she says cold dough prevents flat cookies.  Mine didn't turn out flat, they seemed perfect to me, but it's worth a shot to try it her way in the future when I don't need cookies immediately.  Another recommendation she passes on is to only bake a few cookies and save the dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator (for up to 5 days) and bake a few at a time for that wonderful just-baked taste, and it doesn't hurt to make your house smell good either!  Also, you can form balls with the cold dough and put in a freezer bag and freeze until you want to bake cookies, and you don't even need to thaw the dough, just take it out of the freezer while oven preheats, and bake as usual, adding an extra minute or two bake time if needed.  Good idea!!