Wallowa Baking Day

I was asked to provide cookies for a memorial service at church this weekend so I thought it would be good to also bake for Wallowa. After going through my recipe cards -- old technology! -- I decided I would make a few of my favorites from the past.
Chocolate Crackles have always been my favorite. It is much like a powdered sugar brownie if under-baked a bit. Seems like I only bake them at Christmas now that we are empty-nesters. Rae is a big fan of these cookies so they made the top of my baking list.

Chocolate Crackles
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 c. salad oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (never have added this)
about 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Melt chocolate. Combine with sugar and oil. Add eggs one at a time; beat well. Add vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixture. Stir in nuts -if using them. Chill dough. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough in powdered sugar. Roll to coat. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 degrees for 10 mins. Cool on rack. Makes 4 dozen

Every Tuesday -when the kids were little and I was a SAHM- was baking day on my weekly schedule. It was nice to have one day where the aroma of fresh baked cookies, muffins, cakes, cobblers, crisps, and an occasional pie filled the kitchen. I think when Costco came to town and we got so involved with sports, my Tuesday baking days became history : ( Also, trying to bake in an oven nearly as old as our firstborn can be challenging at times, too.
Ranger Cookies were one of my all-time favorite cookies back then. I copied the recipe from a Current cookbook ... remember Current, Inc.???? In fact, the recipe card is so worn, it's hard to see the ingredients/measurements. Well, okay ... my eyesight is not the same either : )



Ranger Cookies
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup coconut
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together margarine, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Blend until smooth. Fold in remaining ingredients. Roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten with tines of a fork. Bake 10 mins.

Another Wallowa favorite is marshmallow treats. I also make Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispies that are hard to resist. Seems like marshmallow treats taste dull after a few days so they need to be consumed at the beginning of our vacation. I know there will be "volunteers" to solve this dilemma.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispies
2 cusp chunky peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 TBLS margarine or butter
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
In a 2-qt saucepan cook peanut butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and margarine over low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is smooth (5 to 6 minutes). Stir in vanilla. In large bowl add mixture to cereal; stir to coat. Spread into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. In 1-qt saucepan melt chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly until completely melted (4 to 5 mins). Spread over bars Cool completely. Cut into bars. Yield: 36 bars

Well, the kitchen is nearly back in order and time to take a break from the cookie sheets and oven. I am so thankful for AC on a day like today : )