Having ended last month with cookie recipes, I passed the idea of more cookie recipes by a friend, questioning whether I might be overdoing it with the little cakes. She just shrugged and asked, “Can there be too many cookies?” We decided the answer was no, there is always room for cookies.

Apparently since the seventh century, humans have been enamored with the sugary sweet bites of confectionary art. Since the fourteenth century, French citizens could buy filled wafers on the streets of Paris. Even cookbooks began sharing cookie recipes as far back as 1596 in England.

And while hardtack and ‘biscuits’ were standard fare on ships because of their long storage life, they too were considered a cookie of sorts, being dunked in hot coffee to make them edible.

For all time, basic ingredients include flour, sugar, fats such as butter, lard or oil and some type of flavoring.

Jumbles take those basic ingredients and incorporate substantial food such as nuts, raisins, dried fruits and spices.

Sugar cookies take on an extra roll (Amish or Nazareth Sugar Cookie) as the official cookie of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as of Sept. 5, 2001. Three hundred and fifty cookies were delivered to legislators and the Governor to seal the deal.

Peanut butter didn’t appear on the cookie scene until 1930 or so. Pillsbury opted for rolling the dough into balls but then added instructions to press the dough flat with a fork, hence, our beloved criss-cross cookies.

Snickerdoodles are the coated sugar cookie that takes us back to childhood. A sweet outside of cinnamon and sugar, lately the granulated sugar has been replaced with brown. We can’t wait to taste test that one.

Drop cookies are just that. Dropped batter is left in a heap on the cookie sheet. Some recipes melt down in the oven, others stay mounded. A substantial dough holds any number of add-ins. Our favorites are crushed potato chips and nuts.

Rolled cookies are usually cut with cookie cutters, the number of shapes of which are countless. Baked plain and decorated later or pre-decorated with sugars or raisins, these cookies are the basis of gingerbread boys and girls and the building blocks for gingerbread houses and towns.

Ice box cookies are one of the easiest to make. The dough is mixed, placed on wax paper or foil or plastic wrap, rolled up and refrigerated for hours or days. Rolls are then sliced and baked. Rolls of dough can even be frozen for much later use. Our favorite is a childhood chocolate/vanilla pinwheel.

Bars are basic (home economics classes used to start out with such recipes). Less time, less cleanup, more dough to hold more add-ins. Bars also incorporate sweet fillings such as jams and jellies.

Cookie/Cracker to Cookie is the latest category for those with little time for standing over the stove. An already commercially produced cookie such as Oreo or cracker such as Ritz is covered with melted chocolate or caramel, decorated and served.

There are many more categories, but we’ll get to the recipes so we can get to the baking. We’re reaching back to the 40s and 50s here so have fun. Share the results. There’s never too many cookies.

Icebox Oatmeal Cookies

•  1 & 3/4 cups flour
• 1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter or baking margarine, softened
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon almond flavoring
• ½ cup finely chopped pecans

In small bowl, stir together flour, oats and salt. In mixing bowl cream butter and sugar, add vanilla and almond flavoring. Gradually add reserved dry ingredients. Mix well. Shape into two six-inch logs. Roll logs in pecans, pressing nuts into sides. Wrap rolls securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. Dough should be very firm.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Slice rolls ¼ to ½ inch thick with sharp knife. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown and set. Cool on wax paper. Makes about 4 dozen. (Thinner cut rounds will take less time than the thicker ones, so watch carefully.)

Marmalade Bars

• 4 cups oats
• 4 ounces (1 1/3 cups) flaked or shredded coconut
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• ¾ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ½ cup orange marmalade

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. In large bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing well. Press into prepared pan. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and cut into bars. More marmalade may be used, up to ¾ cup. Quaker Oat Company.

Brown Sugar Crescents

• 1 cup butter or baking margarine
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• Confectioners’ sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add salt and vanilla, blending well. Beat in flour. Refrigerate dough for a couple of hours or until thoroughly chilled. Shape into small crescents, using one to two teaspoons of dough for each. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes or until light brown and set. Roll warm cookies in confectioners’ sugar, heavily.

Cream Cheese Drops

• ¾ cup butter
• 3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In mixing bowl, cream butter, cheese and sugar. Add lemon juice and vanilla. Blend well. Add lemon zest and flour, mixing well. Stir in nuts. Roll in balls about the size of a small walnut. Bake about 25 minutes or until set but not brown. While still hot, roll cookies in confectioners’ sugar. Cool. Can be rolled in the 4x sugar again if desired.

Minnesota Squares

• 12 whole graham crackers
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups chopped pecans

Lay crackers on a rimmed jelly roll pan, sides touching. In saucepan, cook butter and sugar boiling two minutes. Pour hot syrup over crackers, sprinkle with nuts. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes. Cool. Cut apart into serving size pieces.

Contact Connie at Box 61, Medway, OH 45341 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.