Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs, beaten well
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
4 cups flour

Instructions
1. Cream the butter, sugar and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the eggs (beaten), oil, salt, soda and cream of tarter, one ingredient at a time, mixing thoroughly between each ingredient.
3. Add the flour a cup at a time, mixing well between each.
4. Tightly cover and refrigerate the dough a minimum of 2-3 hours; overnight works best but once you've tasted these, you won't want to wait that long.
5. Once thoroughly chilled, use a teaspoon to scoop out dough and roll into 3/4-to-1 inch balls between the palms of your hands.
6. Roll balls in granulated sugar (see tips below), place on foil-lined cookie sheet then flatten with the bottom of a small glass.
7. Bake in 350° preheated oven for 8-9 minutes. Remove and let cool thoroughly before transferring to cookie jar.

Tips
We roll the dough balls in colored sugar, appropriate for the season, which we make ourselves. A cup of sugar in a baggie. 5 or 6 drops of food coloring. Shake like crazy. Pour into a bowl and microwave for about a minute to remove the moisture. Stir up with a fork. Presto--colored sugar for about a penny instead of the the $3 or $4 you pay for a dinky little shaker of the stuff at the groc store.

Also, you can bake the cookies off all at once (refrigerating the dough between batches) or just a couple batches at a time. Tightly covered, the dough can be held in the fridge up to 2 weeks. Likewise, because the dough contains fresh eggs, the sugar used to roll the cookies should be refrigerated when not being used and discarded when all the dough's gone.

originated circa 1920 by Emil Kampf
Blue Ribbon Bakery, Princeton, IL
contributed by J.R.Richardson