Apees

Apees (pronounced “AY-pees") are a nearly forgotten cookie from the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. Simple as can be: butter, sugar, egg, sour cream, and flour. That’s the whole list.

What makes these different from a basic sugar cookie is the sour cream. It adds a subtle tang and produces an incredibly tender crumb that almost melts on your tongue. The cookies puff slightly in the oven and stay soft in the middle while the edges crisp to gold.

Roll the chilled dough to about ⅜ inch thick. That’s thicker than most rolled cookies, and it’s intentional. The extra thickness keeps the centers pillow-soft after baking.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the dough thoroughly before rolling. Warm dough sticks to everything and produces flat, greasy cookies.
• Don’t overwork the dough when rolling. Too much handling develops gluten and toughens these up.
• Pull them from the oven when just the edges turn golden. The centers will look slightly underdone but will firm up as they cool.
• Dip your cookie cutter in flour between cuts to keep it from dragging the dough.

Variations

• Sprinkle the tops with coarse sanding sugar before baking for a sparkly, crunchy finish.
• Add a teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract to the batter for a more aromatic cookie.
• Sandwich two cookies together with a thin layer of jam or cream cheese frosting.