2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon melted butter
Sift together the sugar and oil; set aside
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Reserve 1/3 cup of the mixture for a 4 ounce treat and to serve. Set aside for a rainy day.
Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of remaining sugar mixture. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Return syrup mixture to syrup mixture. Beat egg whites until foamy, then fold in hot butter. Pour into greased 8-inch square or round baking pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the cookie comes out clean. Allow cookie to cool on baking sheet; place in greased baking pan, cool on waxed paper, and cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch squares. Chill for several hours before removing from waxed paper. When chilled, remove the cookie from waxed paper. Allow cookies to cool completely by cutting into squares.