Sugar cookies

This recipe is adapted from the Cracked Sugar Cookies I recipe on Allrecipes.com.

• 1-1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t cream of tartar
• 1/4 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.

Add flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Stir.

Form dough into walnut size balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Don't flatten. Bake 10 to 11 minutes, until tops are cracked and just turning color.

Notes

• I let the butter and egg yolks come to room temperature, as is standard for other cookie recipes.
• I have used yolks from duck eggs, which were slightly larger than large chicken eggs. The yolks also were easily about 1/3 to 1/2 as large. The extra yolkiness did not seem to adversely affect the cookies.
• I reduced the sugar to 1 cup because I used about 1/3 cup of minced candied grapefruit peel.
• I have also used grapefruit sugar in place of the sugar.
• I let the dough chill overnight in the refrigerator because it was rather soft when mixed. This also allows the flavor of the peel to perfume the dough before baking. Also, given how soft the dough is, it is easier to divide the dough in half, shape each half into a log, and wrap each log in parchment paper. Refrigerate for up to one week or freeze. Slice into 1/3- to 1/2-in rounds and bake, adding a few more minutes if the dough is frozen.