Name: Stifflemire's Melt In Your Mouth Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup solid vegetable shortening (such as Crisco); 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 cup powdered sugar; 1 cup sugar; 2 Eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla (I use 1.5 teaspoons, I like vanilla); 1 teaspoon cream of tartar; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 4 cups all purpose flour

Looking for a great cookie recipe? You have found it with Stifflemire’s Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies! This simple, 20-minute recipe creates a batch of delicate, crumbly cookies that are downright heavenly. A family favorite for years, now they can be part of your sweet traditions too!

Stifflemire's melt-in-your-mouth cookies.

The Most Irresistible Sugar Cookies

My mother and I are quilters, and we got this recipe from a dear friend in our local quilt guild, Sharon Stifflemire. She has a contagious inner joy that always leaves you smiling. The best recipes often come from friends, passed on through a shared love of something else entirely!

Sharon’s cookies have been the stuff of legend in our family ever since Mama brought the recipe home during my teenage years! They’re similar to a pecan sandy, only more delicate, with a melt-in-your-mouth crumble that’s amazing alongside a cold glass of milk or enjoyed all on their own.

You can whip up a batch of these delicious sugar cookies in just 20 minutes using simple pantry staples. They’re the perfect treat for a last-minute gathering or, you know, just because it’s a Tuesday and you deserve a little something sweet 😉.

Ingredients for stifflemire's melt in your mouth cookies.

Ingredients for Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies

Solid vegetable shortening (Crisco)
Vegetable oil
Powdered sugar
Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla
Cream of tartar (find this in the spice section!)
Baking soda
Salt
All-purpose flour

Can I substitute butter for Crisco?

You totally can, but it’ll change the texture a bit. The Crisco is the secret to that classic crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth feel. If you use butter, they’ll turn out a little crispier and denser.

How To Make Stifflemire’s Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies

1. Preheat the oven

Preheat your oven to 375°F.

2. Mix the wet ingredients & sugars

In a large mixing bowl, place Crisco, powdered sugar, regular sugar, eggs, and vanilla and beat it with an electric mixer until it blends together.

Wet ingredients in a glass blue bowl for to make sugar cookies.

3. Add the dry ingredients

Now add in all the other ingredients and give it a good beating for a minute or two, until the dough’s texture resembles wet sand.

Flour and butter in a glass blue mixing bowl.

Dough in a mixing bowl for Stifflemire's melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies.

4. Form the dough balls

Scoop the dough into small balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Why ungreased?

The dough already has plenty of fat (from the Crisco), so the cookie sheet doesn’t need to be greased. This also helps prevent the cookies from spreading out too much and becoming flat.

Scooping cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet.

You can do this however you want, but I like to use a small cookie dough scoop for this. Make sure they’re spaced out about two inches apart.

5. Flatten the cookies

Place some granulated sugar in a small bowl and dip the bottom of a glass in it. Lightly press down on each cookie. You’re not trying to make pancakes here, just flatten them slightly so the top is no longer mounded!

Dipping a glass cup in a bowl of granulated sugar.

Lightly pressing the glass cup on each cookie.

6. Bake

Bake at 375°F for about 10 minutes, or until the bottom edges are very lightly browned.

Stifflemire's melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies ready to bake.

Melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies freshout of the oven.

7. Cool

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets before removing them. This recipe makes 4-5 dozen. Enjoy!

Want to go all out? Top these cookies with my Royal Icing for Sugar Cookies!

Stifflemire's melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies.

Top Tips for Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies

Let your ingredients get to room temperature. Let those eggs sit on the counter for a good 15–20 minutes before you start mixing. It just helps everything come together nice and smooth.
Chill that dough if it gets too soft. If your kitchen’s feeling a bit warm and the dough gets sticky, don’t you fret. Just pop it in the icebox for 20–30 minutes before you start scooping.
Don’t overbake ’em. These cookies are gonna look underdone when you pull them from the oven – that’s just how they should be! Taking them out when the edges are just barely golden is the secret to a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Storage & Freezer Directions

Store your sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. They also freeze well for up to 2 months. You can also freeze the dough balls and bake straight from frozen, just adding a few minutes to the bake time.