Cookies

Amy Cacchillo of Dunedin, Fla., writes: "I am looking for an oatmeal-raisin cookie recipe I had in the late 1960s or early 1970s. It started with a Duncan Hines spice-cake mix. Does anyone have this recipe?" Tampa, Fla., resident Jean Kelly got this recipe from the Duncan Hines website and she hopes it is the one Cacchillo wants. These cookies are easy to make and, since they use only the egg white, are on the healthy side, too. The texture is cakelike. These cookies don't spread much and they come out a beautiful caramel color.

To her family, Athena Dunkin was a ray of sunshine. To the doctors and nurses at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, she was a fighter. To her mother, she was a teacher. Born with a very weak heart, Athena spent every day fighting to keep the muscle in her chest beating until an artificial heart was available. After nine months, her body could fight no longer. She died Thursday, in the arms of her mother. "She was full of life, even though she was sick from day one, she never showed it," her mother, Hollie Willard, said Friday.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. -- With his chef's-eye perspective of life inside the White House, Roland Mesnier served a platter of amusing anecdotes Saturday at a WV Book Faire event. He recalled former President Bill Clinton's penchant for big parties and hearty appetite for sweets, which presented a challenge: Clinton was allergic to chocolate, dairy products and flour. Mesnier -- who retired after more than 25 years as the White House executive pastry chef -- said he made a low-calorie strawberry cake that Clinton appeared to enjoy; he once ate half of a cake by himself.

This is a recipe my grandmother and great-grandmother made. Now my mother and I both make these delicious cookies. They are great to have on special occasions or just to have with tea or coffee in the morning. The very young can enjoy them as teething biscuits. You can make these cookies ahead of time because they keep very well and actually get better as time goes on. - Jessie Frushour of Keedysville Koulourakia (Greek butter cookie) 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 sticks butter, softened 4 cups flour 4 teaspoons baking powder Milk, as needed 1 egg, beaten Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

One weekend earlier this month my children and I were home while my wife was enjoying a girls night out. As usual, the kids wanted to get involved with something, so I decided to create some cookies out of a few odds and ends I had around. I had limited brown sugar and a few leftover gingersnap cookies, so I thought I'd try a holiday variation on a traditional chocolate chip cookie. I added the shortening to give more body to the cookie when adding in the gingersnaps. If your gingersnaps are crisp, simply toss them in without breaking them up. Also, I used salted butter.

Jan Harroun of New Port Richey, Fla., remembers sour-cream sugar cookies from her childhood. When her mom bought sour cream for something special, she used what was left to make these cookies. These are moist, cakelike cookies. Harroun suggests storing them among layers of wax paper so they don't stick together. They are quick and easy to make. You can grease the cookie sheets or use parchment paper. OLD-FASHIONED SOUR-CREAM SUGAR COOKIES 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1 egg 2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla In a mixer, at medium speed, blend shortening and sugar until fluffy.

Oh, the beauty of the cookie swap. I've heard the negative buzz about the parties. Some people see them as one more thing to do in an already packed-tight season. I recall one of my family members complaining. "I end up coming home with a bunch of cookies I don't really like anyway," she said. But once again this year, I find myself riding high after returning home from a cookie swap. For me, up sides of the parties abound. For readers who are unfamiliar with the idea, here it is in a nutshell.

HAGERSTOWN -- Santa isn't the only one getting free cookies this holiday season. MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Maryland has launched its Cookies for Cops campaign for the fourth straight year. That means officers at the Washington County Sheriff's Department, the Hagerstown Police Department and the Hagerstown barracks of the Maryland State Police will be receiving their share of thousands of cookies being distributed to law enforcement agencies throughout the state, program director Caroline Cash said.

With Christmas fast approaching, my kids are going crazy wanting to spend time in the kitchen baking cookies. So, I came up another variation on an old standby. To give these cookies even better flavor, forgo store-bought peanut butter and opt for fresh peanut butter from the Peanut Gallery at the Pennsylvania Dutch Market in Longmeadow Shopping Center in North Hagerstown. The fresh peanut flavor will amaze you, and it adds depth to this recipe. I'd also suggest picking up some fresh vanilla extract, ginger snap cookies and any other recipe item you can find at the market while you're picking up your peanut butter.

HAGERSTOWN -- The goal sounded rather lofty. "We were looking for an activity the public could participate in that would help an organization meet basic human needs in our community," said Pat Wishard, public relations and marketing librarian for Washington County Free Library. The activity to fit the bill turned out to be quite simple. It did not require legions of volunteers or massive financial support. What it did require was cookies. Wishard said library staff thought maybe patrons could be involved in provision of food for an area organization.