drop sugar cookies

the goods:

1 and 1/4 cups white sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup coarse sugar crystals (you can use regular granulated sugar too)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in 1 egg yolk at a time and vanilla extract, scraping down bowl as needed. Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt and mix to combine. Be sure to scrape down the bowl and make sure everything is mixed in.

Using a medium scoop, form dough balls and roll them in sugar crystals. Place cookie balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12 minutes until the surface of each cookie is cracked and golden.

Remove from oven and allow cookies to remain on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

I was making these for my niece's baby blessing, so I decorated them with icing and edible pink pearls, but the cookies are just as delicious plain!