Grandma Schwalbe's Sugar Cookies

The secret ingredient is nutmeg in the sugar instead of cinnamon.  These were my favorite as a child, and they are still my favorite sugar cookies.

Cookies:

• 1 cup butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

• 3 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Cream sugar and butter together in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix until a dough forms. Place cookie dough into a covered container and chill for several hours, or overnight. When ready roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 3/16 inch thick, and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Place onto a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with nutmeg sugar topping. Continue process with other half of the dough. Bake at 350º for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Topping:

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix topping ingredients together and set aside.

If you don't want to roll out the dough, omit the chilling step. Drop tablespoon-sized scoops of dough onto a prepared cookie sheet. Rub the bottom of a drinking glass with a small amount of butter (first cookie only). Then dip into the topping mixture, and press the cookies to make them flat. Repeat for all cookies. Cook at 350º for 10 minutes.