Grandmother's Sugar Cookies

In response to popular demand, and because I am baking these today, here is my sainted grandmother's sugar cookie recipe:

blend in a mixer:
1/2 cup shortening (125ml)
1/2 cup butter, softened (125ml)
1 cup sugar (250ml)
2 eggs
3 tablespoons milk (45ml)
1 teaspoon vanilla (5ml)

sift together:
3 cups flour (750ml)
1 teaspoon soda (5ml)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (5ml)
1/2 teaspoon salt (2.5ml)

fold flour mixture into mixer ingredients, then chill
roll into balls on cookie sheet, then flatten with a sugared glass bottom or Teflon spatula (dough will be quite sticky),
bake at 400˚F (hot oven) till lightly brown on bottom edge

please note: if you want to wreck these with frosting, sprinkles, etc., go ahead, but you will miss the point of the sublime, almost zen-like, minimalism of these treats. They are not very sweet.

I have a feeling that she just got this recipe from a magazine somewhere, although I've never tasted anyone else's quite like these. Perhaps the recipe came over from the old country (Sweden) with her mother?