Coconut Pecan Squares

Last week, we made coconut pecan squares. I have been busy and haven't been able to blog about them until now. Let me first back up and tell a before-we-made-the-coconut-pecan-squares-on-Tuesday story. Monday night, I pulled out the cookie cookbook to check and make sure we had all the ingredients we would need for the coconut pecan squares. I told Chloe what we were making the next night and her excited response was,"Oh! Can I help?" I just stared at her for a moment and then remembered she is a 9 year old girl with lots of other things on her mind like Barbies, Spongebob, and the latest Freddie video on YouTube. I reminded her that we are cooking our way through the Cookie Sampler. "Oh yeeahhhhhh...." was her reply. Coconut pecan squares are a bar cookies made in an 8x8 square pan. It makes 3 dozen so that gives you an idea how small we cut them. There's a reason for that. They are very rich! If you like coconut, pecans and brown sugar, you would LOVE these. My husband says they're a keeper. I'm adding them my catering dessert menu. Yes, they're that good. Tomorrow: Deluxe Oatmeal Cookies

Cinnamon Cookies (a/k/a To Die For Cookies)

This week the recipe was Cinnamon Cookies. A little molasses, a lot of cinnamon, two sticks of butter and the other usual ingredients. When the first batch had cooled, I gave one to Chloe to taste test. A few minutes later she was sneaking into the kitchen for another. And then another. I cut her off after three cookies. But that's how these cookies are. You get one in your mouth and then you want more, more, more! I took a few to my friend, Tena, who told me it was the best cookie she'd ever eaten. Definitely a keeper.

Next week: Coconut Pecan Squares (Daddy the coconut lover will be happy!)

Comfort Cookies

This week we made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. They turned out about like we expected....yummy comfort food! They do have oatmeal in them and dark chocolate - that's good for you, right? Chloe asked her best friend, Katie, (who lives next door) to come over so they could take a plate to the young men who live in the house across the street (should I be worried?!) but it was too late in the evening to make a social call so the girls settled for a sample of the finished product with a quick glass of milk before Katie's mom came to take her home, along with a plate full of cookies!

Next week - Cinnamon Cookies (I love fall!)

The Beginning of Autumn

...or at least the beginning of the Autumn cookie section. It's a loooong way from feeling like autumn weather where I live but since it's the first week of September, Chloe and I decided to begin making all the cookies in the Autumn section of the Cookie Sampler. A little bit about the Cookie Sampler - it was published by a magazine called The Country Sampler, which was a catalog type magazine that showcased items for country decor at the height of the country decor craze - circa 1987. The editors of the magazine collected cookie recipes from various readers and contributors and published them, separating the recipes into sections - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Holidays - you get the idea. Every recipe we will be making is someone's favorite even if it doesn't turn out to be ours. This week we made Apple Pecan Cookies. The ingredients included the regular items - sugar, flour, eggs, salt, shortening - and also applesauce, pecans, raisins, cinnamon and cloves. As we were mixing, Chloe commented about how good it smelled. When we opened the oven after cooking the first tray, the house was filled with such an aroma! We have our house on the market - anyone want to buy a 1960's ranch in Orlando? - and if we baked these cookies right before someone came to see the house, I am certain they would sign a full price contract on the spot! Like life, sometimes things turn out perfectly and other times, not so much. These cookies were like that. They were not the most beautiful cookies I have ever made, sort of blobbish, but they tasted pretty good. They were soft and cakelike. There were pecans in the batter (it was not dough, it was thick batter) and each cookie was topped with a pecan half. Chloe, who likes pecans in certain culinary situations - pecan roll, anyone? - labeled the pecan half on top of the cookies "disgusting" but she otherwise liked the taste of the cookies. Many of you have graciously offered to take cookies off our hands in an attempt to help me keep my weight under control (and I appreciate your willingness to sacrifice for my sake!) Tonight, I took most of the cookies to "Christmas in September," an event at my church in preparation for the Singing Christmas Trees. We donned our Christmas sweaters and brought our Christmas goodies to share. The A/C was turned down low and the music and theme for this year's Singing Christmas Trees was unveiled. It's going to be great so if you live in or near Orlando, make plans to attend. You can order tickets by going to www.firstorlando.com.