Natali is a friend of mine, a fellow blogger, and former co-worker of Tim’s from when we used to live in Central CA. She also loves to cook and eat. I’m going to be a guest over on her blog on Monday, and I thought it would be fun to have Nat over here to share with you.

Here’s Natali.

Growing up in Central California, there is one cookie shop that holds my sugar-lovin’ heart and that is Hungry Bear cookies. Hungry Bear makes a sugar cookie (the “Sugar Dream”) that is truly like no other. Buttery, rich, yet delicate — it truly melts in your mouth and preserves a bit of the granular property of the sugar, but is not at all gritty. I have been trying to duplicate this recipe for years, and finally came up with a real winning version of the recipe this past weekend. Now, keep in mind, this cookie is RICH. You may need a glass of milk, and it is not waistline friendly. But, really, it’s soooo worth it!

Natali’s Dream Sugar Cookies

(Recipe adapted by Natali from The Sugar Turntable.)

Directions

• 2 sticks of butter (1/2 lb.)
• 3 T cream cheese (full fat please)
• 1 T milk (I used non-fat)
• 1.5 t vanilla extract
• 2 c. + 2 T sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 4 c. flour

Instructions

1. Cream together the butter, cream cheese, milk, vanilla and sugar until well blended. (About 3 minutes on medium speed)
2. Add the egg yolk and oil, mixing on low speed.
3. Once the previous ingredients are incorporated, add the baking soda salt and flour. It is best to mix the baking soda and salt into the flour with a whisk prior to adding to the mixing bowl.
4. Refrigerate the dough for 2-4 hours.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Roll the dough into balls and press to flatten slightly on a cookie sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. You want the cookies to be a pretty good size, abound 2 inches or a little larger. Space cookies at least an inch apart.
7. Bake for approximately nine minutes. The cookies should be only slightly golden on the edges. Overcooking this recipe significantly alters the texture of the cookie, so be sure to set a timer and check by eight minutes.
8. Allow the cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to avoid breakage.
9. Enjoy!