I’ve never understood the nostalgia for school cafeteria food — all the school food I had to eat was so bad that I never even considered buying a cookie. My only goal was making sure I had a packed lunch or getting through the day on a tiny cup of Klinke ice cream, eaten with a wooden spoon. Had I known then what I came to know in later years, maybe I would’ve had a cookie, too.

The recipe for the butter cookie from the old Memphis City Schools has been around a long time, and here’s a link to an entertaining YouTube video, where you’ll see it doesn’t exactly get two thumbs up. But if this is the cookie you loved, it might be just what you want. 

Makeda’s: ‘The story can’t end like this’

Google school butter cookies, though, and the Chicago Public Schools cookie is the one you’ll find. They look very close, but the Chicago schools cookie seems a bit more refined; click on the source link below to go to the Chicago Tribune page to read about the cookie.

But our photo is of the butter cookies at Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, which owners Maurice and Pamela Hill say is different from the old MCS cookies. But it was those cookies that sparked their initial business idea. 

Memphis City Schools Butter Cookie

Ingredients
7 sticks butter or margarine
2 ½ cups sugar
6 ½ cups flour
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Cream butter or margarine (margarine is what the schools used) with electric mixer until light. Add sugar and cream together until light and fluffy. Slowly add flour, vanilla and salt.

Drop by tablespoons on ungreased cookie sheet and bake in 350-degree preheated oven, 7 to 10 minutes. Makes 7 dozen.

Source: Memphis City Schools

Chicago Public Schools Butter Cookie

Ingredients
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (see note)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 5 minutes. Mix in salt and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour in batches, mixing until well combined.

Roll dough into a 12-inch log; wrap with plastic wrap. Chill at least 4 hours.

Cut log into 1/4-inch slices; use 3 fingers to gently press the cookies down onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake until edges are golden, 12-15 minutes.

Note: The original recipe did not call for salt.

Source: Chicago Tribune