1 c. shortening (or butter)
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. buttermilk with 1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in it
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
3-3 1/2 c. flour

Cream shortening and sugar; add eggs one at a time. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together. Alternately add flour mixture and the buttermilk with the soda to the creamed ingredients. Begin and end with flour. (Make this recipe one day ahead and refrigerate overnight. The cookies must be solid.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place golf ball-sized cookie dough on a sprayed cookie sheet, allowing at least one inch between cookies. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool for several minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them to racks for the final cooling. Sprinkle sugar on the warm cookies immediately after taking them from the oven. Store in a tightly covered container.