Pennsylvania Dutch Soft Sugar Cookies

Growing up in a small Pennsylvania town, the Amish community, along with their culture and cuisine, was a major part of my childhood. My father, who owned a hardware store, always joked that the Amish put me through college, due to their loyalty to my father’s business and their affinity to only pay with cash. This cookie was available at every bakery I went to as a child.

Ingredients:

4 Cups AP Flour
2 TSP Baking Powder
1 TSP Baking Soda
⅛ TSP Salt
1 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
2 Cups White Granulated Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise
1½ TSP Pure Vanilla Extract
3 Large Eggs
1 Cup Buttermilk
2 or 3 tablespoons of regular Granulated White Sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Take whisk and stir until thoroughly combined.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about three minutes. Take the vanilla bean and using a sharp knife, scrape the seeds out of the pod into the batter. Add the vanilla extract and then beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add one egg. Beat until incorporated and scrape down the sides again. Repeat with the other two eggs, pausing to scrape down the sides between additions.
Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the batter and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and add ⅓ of the buttermilk. Repeat, alternating with the flour and buttermilk, ⅓ each, remembering to scrape down the sides between each addition. Drop tablespoons of the dough about three inches apart from each other (the cookies will spread). Sprinkle the top of each mound of dough with granulated sugar. Bake until the cookies have spread, risen and turned lightly golden, about 13 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then remove them with a spatula to a wire cooling rack to cool further.