Cream together - 1/2 cup shortening
1 2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs - well beaten

add - 2 - 1oz. sq chocolate, melted OR 2 - 1oz. sleeves liquid baking chocolate

sift together - 2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Add dry ingredients to shortening mixture alternately with 1/3 cup milk. Stir in
1/2 cup nut peices if desired. Chill 2 -3 hours or overnight, if possible. Form into 1" balls and roll into powdered sugar. Work only with a small amount of dough at a time, keeping the rest refrigerated or it will get too sticky to work with.

Bake on GREASED cookie sheet 2" - 3" apart because they will spread and crackle as they bake. Take out while they a re still soft. Lay flat on a clean towwel until they are cool. M akes about 4 dozen cookies.


Mrs. Palmer's Molasses Cookies

Cream - 1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup artificial lard (CRISCO!)

Add - 1 fresh hen's egg
4 good tablespoons molasses
2tsp soda
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp gr. cloves (I use 1/4 tsp)
(I add 1/4 tsp allspice)
2 cups flour - sifted (I don't bother!)

Wrap dough in wax paper and place in ice box -- near the ice -- at least one hour. The closer it is to the ice, the sooner it will chill. (If you're in a hurry, freeze
for about 15 min.) Make into tiny balls -- no larger than 1/2 a walnut (Good luck!
mine are more the size of a whole walnut. Kathy) Roll into sugar -- colored for holidays. Place on cookie sheet at least 2" apart and flatten with heel of hand or
with sugared glass before baking. Bake in moderately hot (375F) oven until done but not browned.

This recipe is in my great-grandmother's handwriting and she was married in
1889! I tried to give you both her recipe with the changes my mom made for me when I got my first apt. my senior year in college!


Butterscotch Icebox Cookies

1 cup butter
4 cups sugar - all brown or 3 brown and 1 white
4 eggs
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
7 cups flour
2 cups finely chopped nutmeats

Cream butter and sugar. Sift flour, soda and C of T together. Add eggs then dry ingredients. Make into rolls and store in icebox at least 12 hours. Slice into thin
slices -- bake at 375F until done. (about 6-8 minutes for thin slices.) The thinner the slices, the crispier the cookie.

These are three of my four favorite cookie recipes!!
Enjoy! Kathy