puzzling.

Isn't it nice that after years together, there are still those moments that creep in - those moments where you learn something utterly new about the person that sometimes you think you know everything about?

Of course, it's especially nice when it's something adorable (versus something not adorable, like learning that the person has a criminal record, hates cheese or has a kept mistress in south america.)

Apparently, K loves puzzles. Good, I was thinking that I needed one more reason to love her even more.

While she put together New England - I made sugar cookies. Sugar cookies that taste like a stick of butter rolled in sugar.

In other words, f-ing amazing sugar cookies.

From allrecipes.com -- apparently these are state fair winners. Word.

***
Soft, chewy, amazing sugar cookies

Ingredients:

2/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup butter
2 free range eggs, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup shortening

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 35o.
2. In medium bowl, cream together butter + shortening + sugar. Stir in eggs and vanilla.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir into the creamed mixture until dough comes together.
4. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in sugar.
5. Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. (I used parchment paper)
6. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

I frosted these lovelies with the standard powered sugar + butter + milk + vanilla frosting.

And then, I ate a lot of them. Immediately falling asleep afterwards to avoid the inescapable stomach ache that would have followed that much sugar.