Gloria prepares a sweet treat for Daniel

You’ve got to try this recipe. Every time Daniel takes a bite, he almost goes into dreamland.

My uncle, Paul, sells these homemade cookies in his store. No, we don’t spend the money actually to purchase these individually wrapped treats. Every now and then when they have some leftovers from the weekend, they’ll pass some on to us. On some occasions, Cousin Owen, who has been boarding with us, will purchase one for Daniel. You can imagine with Daniel being a daddy with a big heart and five little children who also relish these cookies, he hardly ever gets the chance to eat one all by himself.

As I have told you before, I just don’t have the free time to spend in the kitchen as I used to. If I bake, I try to simplify by making bars instead of individual cookies. Yesterday, however, when Daniel was gone from early morning, till late at night on a business trip to Chicago, I decided this is the day to make some for him. With permission granted from the bakery, I made a copy of their recipe and set to work. With most of the children taking naps I started mixing up the butter and sugars.

Before long the quiet house was ringing with childish voices and eager helpers. Jesse seems to be the one with the ‘longest fingers’ these days. After enjoying some snuggles and cuddles with him, I put him in the high chair with a snack. It lasted only for a spell. “I’ll have to watch him closely,” I told myself taking him out, then carefully sliding cookies onto the center of the table, supposedly out of Jesse’s reach. I was merrily going my way when I discovered Jesse’s long fingers poking holes into those perfect cookies, still soft and warm from the oven. “Jesse, that’s a no-no,” I explained, as I got him off the chair he had climbed onto. Feverishly I worked as swiftly as I could, desperate to get Daddy’s cookies frosted, wrapped, and into containers before more damage is done. Seemingly the squabbles were ever increasing. Finally, I proposed, “Why don’t we all do or say something extra kind for everyone.” My heart warmed, and things calmed down a bit as ‘I love yous” were said and hugs exchanged.

Jesse, however, had not forgotten the taste of fresh cookies and didn’t know when enough is enough and was bound and determined to eat all that his one-year-old hands could get into. “I’ll try the sassy seat,” I told myself. That’s a child seat that clips onto the table so they can watch, but supposedly not participate with the kitchen action. Only moments later, it was evident that I really had not made a smart move. I caught him with a long-handled spatula, trying to rake the cookies over to his perch, or at least get Mom’s full attention.

“This is ridiculous,” I told myself, dropping the cookies and ushering everyone into the living room where we had story time for a good while. After resuming to my cookies, things seemed to go a bit smoother. Julia and Austin worked on welcome home cards for Daddy, to be placed next to the cookies for when he came home.

After a simple supper, Julia and Austin eagerly helped put everything away in the kitchen in preparation of lighting candles, setting out the flowers he gave me last week, and decorating the kitchen table for Daddy’s return, including a large plate of cookies, but only after Jesse was sound asleep in bed!

After the house was quiet, I dropped my own note on the table and informed him that I want him to wake me up on his return. I don’t know when I’ll be brave enough to tackle cookies again when Daddy is gone, and I’m blessed with five helpers. We’ll see.

It was worth it all when he woke me on his return. I was thrilled to see him, why I told him that my excitement to have him back is a lot like it did when he lived in Ohio before we were married, and I had to wait a couple weeks to see him; only this time we were married! We enjoyed tea and cookies together, briefly catching up on the news before retiring for the night.

He loved the cookies. This time I hadn’t cut back too much on sugar and didn’t use any exceptionally healthy flour, I just wanted to treat him to some really sweet cookies he deserved. We have this joke that sometimes real sweet treats with lots of frosting are actually healthy because of how well he likes them, and it makes him so happy! Join us in mixing up a batch of your own. Be sure to pass a couple on to your mailman, neighbors, or whoever.

By the way, I’m not sure whether I was foolish enough or brave enough to try for another batch of cookies. Yesterday when Julia told me that she would like to make some peanut butter cookies I just didn’t have the heart to say no. Well, we were all quite relieved when the last cookies were all safely stowed away- actually no, they didn’t all make it safely, some got shredded by long fingers we all love dearly.

COOKIES

1 ¼ cup brown sugar

1 ¼ cup white sugar

1 ½ cup shortening

2 eggs

4 teaspoons soda dissolved in 1/2 cup milk

½ cup cane molasses

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

4 ¾ cup flour

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

cream cheese

butter, softened

powdered sugar

vanilla

FOR THE COOKIES: Cream together sugars and shortening. Add eggs, blend and add molasses and milk with soda. Mix well then add dry ingredients and blend together. Chill a couple hours, shape into balls then roll into sugar if desired, place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until set.

FOR THE FILLING:

Cream together cream cheese and butter, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread between two cookies, sandwich style.

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By Gloria Yoder

The Amish Cook

Gloria Yoder is an Amish mom, writer, and homemaker in rural Illinois. Readers can write to Gloria at their new address: 10510 E 350th Ave, Flat Rock, IL 62427.