Bloomin' Butter Sunflower Cookies

1 c Crisco oil
1 c granulated sugar
1 c powdered sugar
1 c Land O' Lakes butter
2 eggs
1 t salt
1 t cream of tartar
1 t baking soda
4 1/4 c all purpose flour

Cream together oil, sugars and butter.
Add the eggs to the creamed mixture.

Sift together the salt, cream of tartar, baking soda & flour.
Add flour mixture gradually to creamed mixture and mix well. Then add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Chill dough for 1 1/2 hrs.

On lightly floured surface roll out dough to approx. 1/8" thickness.

Cut out with sunflower-shaped cutter.
Place onto cookie sheet. Make a circle shaped indentation into center of cookie using a small glass or any round object.

Sprinkle circular area in center of cookie with a mixture of finely ground pecans, cinnamon, and granulated sugar.
Place a piece of a slivered almond in each petal of cookie. Sprinkle entire cookie lightly with superfine sugar. To make cookies on a stem, cut a 3/8" wooden dowel various lengths and press one end of a dowel into cookie about 1" from edge of sunflower.

Reinforce by pressing a thin piece of dough on top of dowel. Bake cookies at 375 degrees for approximately 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from pan carefully and cool on wire racks. Contest." Entrants from all over the
Golden State combined California ingredients to bake cookies worthy of blue ribbons and prize money.