Snack Judgements

Each year I become more and more devoted to the satisfying virtues of a good cookie. Next to dogs, cookies are a man’s (and woman’s) best friend. They fill in the little chinks in the day when one is hungry for something sweet and rewarding. Neat and tidy, most cookies can be eaten without plates, forks or napkins; they can be enjoyed when you are seated quietly by a window, or they can be taken on a stroll; they appease one’s appetite when traveling, and with a little milk they can induce sleep on a restless night. But to perform its duty properly, a cookie must be first-rate.

Cookies are not demanding; they can be made in a few easy steps. In fact, it is hard to ruin a good cookie if you are following a recipe that has been well tested. The critical points are:

* Make the cookies the shape and thickness that the recipe calls for. Too thick or too thin can spoil the result.

* Watch the timing carefully. Cookies bake in minutes; two or three minutes too long can make them a little drier or crisper than desirable. Cookies continue to bake for a few minutes after they have been removed from the oven, so remove just a minute before they are done (underbaking is better than overbaking).

The following Shaker spice cookie meets all criteria for a blue-ribbon cookie: spicy flavor, crunchy and a breeze to make. This is a great cookie to use for dessert, spreading vanilla ice cream over one cookie and topping it with another for an ice cream sandwich.

The Shaker spice cookie recipe comes from an excellent cookbook called “Shaker Your Plate: Of Shaker Cooks and Cooking” by Sister Frances A. Carr. This book for home cooks contains dishes with lots of good flavors and easy preparation. It’s available in paperback, for $12.95 plus $4 shipping, from the United Society of Shakers, R.R. Box 640, Poland Springs, Me. 04274.

SHAKER SPICE COOKIE

2/3 cup oil

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

In mixing bowl combine oil, sugar, molasses and egg. Beat with spoon until well mixed. In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Stir with fork until well mixed. Add dry ingredients to oil mixture and stir until blended. This makes stiff dough.

To make 2 1/2-inch round cookies use 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie. Use ice cream scoop to scoop and drop dough 2 inches apart. Or roll dough into 1 tablespoon balls by hand. Lightly press each rounded ball down on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 10 to 11 minutes. Let cookies cool to crisp. Makes 48 cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

66 calories; 14 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.02 gram fiber.

ALMOND BUTTER CRISPS

1 1/4 cups butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting cookies

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup ground almonds

Beat butter in mixing bowl until creamy. Add vanilla and mix. Beat in sugar, salt and flour until well mixed and smooth. Add ground almonds and mix.

Put dough in plastic bag and chill 2 hours or overnight. Divide dough into quarters and roll each piece into cylinder about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Slice each cylinder into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. If dough becomes too soft to neatly cut, refrigerate again until chilled.

Place on unbuttered baking sheet about 1 inch apart and bake at 375 degrees 7 minutes. Don’t let cookies get too brown. Remove and dust with powdered sugar. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.