The Pioneer Woman Cooks (78 page)

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. To make the dough, in a large mixing bowl, cream together the eggs, oil, butter, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

4. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop the balls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

5. Smear a dab of butter on the bottom of a glass, then dip it in granulated sugar.

6. Use the glass to flatten the balls of dough, dipping again into the sugar each time.

7. Repeat until all are flattened.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until the cookies are just barely turning brown around the edges.

Allow to cool before eating.

BEWARE: Cookies are ultra-light and crumbly and don’t travel well. They’re meant to be eaten at home!

KEEPIN’ IT REAL

Not everything in my kitchen is smooth sailing.

Never has been…never will be.

And I’ve got the pictures to prove it.

Where ’s my staff of assistants?

I’m still waiting…

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I loved writing this cookbook. It made me happy. And chubby.

I could not/would not have finished this project without a handful of significant influences.

Thank you to:

• My husband and children, who told me what was yummy…and what tasted really, really gross.
  
• My most wonderful friend Hyacinth, who lost so much sleep over whether I’d meet my cookbook deadline that she came to my house once a week and forced me to cook until I was finished. I love type A friends. I love you, Hyacinth.
  
• My editor, Cassie Jones. It’s so clichéd to acknowledge your editor at the end of a book, isn’t it? But I can’t help it. She’s the perfect combination of professional, talented, intuitive, and weird. Boy, did I ever luck out.
  
• My mom Gerre and my grandmother Ga-Ga, who together ensured that a healthy measure of sunshine and proper grammar would wind up in my genes.
  
• My mother-in-law Nan, whose understated grace and elegant, abundant style of food inspires me.
  
• My sister-in-law Missy, the real cowgirl around here. Thank you for being my good buddy and for making sure my girls are outfitted in the latest fashions.
  
• My sister and best friend on earth, Betsy, with whom I can talk on the phone for hours about what we ate for lunch that day. She makes my obsession with food okay, and makes me feel so thankful my girls have a sister.
  
• Since this might be the last time I ever get the chance to drop their names in a printed volume: Chuck, Beccus, Tim, Betty, Lela, Connell, Edna Mae, Haley,
  
• Grandma Helen, Patsy, Doug, Mike, Heather, Ana, Carol Sue, Nancy, Helen, Jeff,
  
• Uncle John, Jonathan, Julie, and everyone I’ve ever loved or given hives.
  
• My dad. For everything.
  

• 

  Our girl is the perfect cowgirl: tough, tender, energetic…and sweeter than ice cream on a blackberry cobbler.