C*O*O*K*I*E*S!

     for those of you who have been following my blog- well, the one, single, lonely entry to date- you know all about my simple cooking beginnings of endlessly boiling water for dissolving jell-O granules & spending hours creating fruit & gelatin masterpieces consisting of such appetizing combinations as cut up  apples with the peel still on(!) suspended in lime Jell-O & my eventual weariness of the jiggly stuff. enter the book that saved the day-possibly the year, not to mention my poor dad's taste buds.  BETTY CROCKER'S COOKY BOOK.  for old times sake, i recently bought my sisters & myself a crisp new copy of "betty crocker's cooky book". no, that is not a toyp....tpyo....TYPO - betty really does spell cookie that way & as far as i'm concerned, anyone who still looks that good after 74 years can spell it however she wants...
   first published in 1963, the book, much like betty, is a real treasure...speaking of betty, i swear, the woman is ageless-actually, i don't think she's even real though i do appreciate her classic style & smart red suit- even if she is only a head with shoulders, but i digress.
   every recipe in this bright little collection is a winner (with the possible exception of the prune bars-page 12 & fig nut squares-page 68) -at least as a kid i wouldn't have gravitated toward foods with a laxative effect or without the word chocolate in the title. i spent hours pouring over recipes & pictures-planning the next scrumptous batch of cookies to present to my ever-willing- to- eat -whatever- i -made dad- who always acted like i'd just carved faces in granite or something spectacular whenever i made anything. this one book alone accounted for many, many happy hours baking in my childhood kitchen & every single kitchen in any apartment or home we've rented or lived in since.  9 kitchens to date- hopefully that record will hold as i plan to be buried in the yard of our current home right next to the septic tank.
   my very favorite part of the cookbook begins on page 138. cookie recipes are catagorized chronologically by decade starting with the best cookie of 1880-1890 ("hermits", in case you're the curious type- a lot of raisins).  anyhoo, to my former social studies teacher sensibilities, this is a terrific bonus- history as well as snickerdoodles.
   the "kaleidoscope" cookies were always my favorite (see page 127 for the recipe). the picture of them on page 15 is fabulous. mine never quite looked that perfect. somehow the non-pareils (what the heck is a "non-pareil" anyway? i've always wondered-obviously, i didn't take French- i was way too busy baking) didn't stick as uniformly & my dough logs weren't 360* perfection, but i adored tinting the dough pink & green & rolling it in colorful candy sprinkles & lovingly wrapping it in wax paper-the whole thing was a party.
   i remember clearly one afternoon in about 1975 (after my jell-O kick was mercifully over) peering through the oven window watching with delight as my lace cookies spread out all over the cookie sheets-just like they were supposed to- while the "Family Affair" theme song played in the other room. i think it just may have been the episode where buffy wanted to visit her friend on another floor for dinner because she had ice cream for dessert while all buffy, jody & sissy ever got was "plain old custard"...and as i painstakingly wrapped my slightly pliable lace cookies around a broom handle i thought to myself, "not me, not my family, no plain old custard here".  we were having lace cookies (again). Mr. French had nothing on me.
   cookies are still important to me & we make cookies several times a week around our house- they're attached to so many childhood memories (empty tomb cookies each Easter/ soft sour cream drops in the event of getting my braces tightened/ chocolate chip cookies in the event of anything) & though it would be impossible to single out just one favorite to share, i think you'll like this one...it is tres fab (to mis-use the French i never learned) & came from our dear friend & childhood neighbor, "aunt julie"- everyone should be lucky enough to have neighbors who share recipes. this one's for you, davis...
                  

*molasses sugar cookies*

3/4 cup crisco ( i didn't say they were health food)

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg 

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

       in a large mixing bowl, cream Crisco & sugar - add the molasses & egg. beat well. sift flour, soda, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves & salt. ( i never sift, but the recipe says to) add to the first mixture & mix well. chill. ( you AND the dough- the hard part is over) form dough into 1" balls & roll in *coarse decorator sugar (it's available at all grocery stores by the sprinkles-it sparkles & is SO much prettier than granulated sugar). bake on a greased cookie sheet or parchment lined baking sheet 2 1/2 inches apart for 8-10 minutes at 350* ...your house will smell like Heaven in November

                                                                                                -the snackmom