CHRISTMAS LACE COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, rack in middle position

1½ cups rolled oats (old fashioned, cook 5 minutes type)

½ cup melted butter (¼ pound)

¾ cup white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp flour

½ tsp salt

1½ tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

½ cup chocolate chips

Measure oatmeal into medium bowl. Melt the butter and pour over the oatmeal. Stir to mix thoroughly. Combine sugar, baking powder, flour, and salt. Mix well and add to the oatmeal mixture. Blend thoroughly. Mix in the vanilla and the beaten egg. Stir well. Add the chocolate chips and stir until well combined.

Line cookie sheets with foil, shiny side up. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoon or 2 tsp cookie scoop onto foil leaving space for spreading. Do not crowd! No more than 6 or 8 per cookie sheet, depending on size of sheet.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Pull foild from sheet to a wire rack to cool completely. When completely cool, peel carefully from the foil and store in a cool, dry place.

Optional glaze: Heat ½ cup chocolate chips with 6 Tbls coffee in microwave for 30 seconds on high. Stir until smooth. If mixture is too thick to drizzle, add more coffee and microwave in 20-second intervals until it is.

From: Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke

I have not made them yet.  Just read the book a couple of days ago!  Normally, I would have tried them first, but thought they sounded something like what BG was looking for, in case no one posted the real recipe she needed for a while.

Not much of a cookie maker here, but these I will try one of these days.  Got nothing against cookies, of course, but it just seems like an extra step in manipulating the dough into all those cookies when a perfectly acceptable dessert can be made in a single pan as either a bar cookie or a cake!  But that's just me.  

The author's notes about these indicated that they are actually stronger than they look, and travel well.  She went on to describe how to pack them, and it looked kinda complicated to me, using bubble wrap and such.

Oh, yes, Cindy, a murder mystery where the heroine owns a cookie shop!  It is the latest in a continuing series.  The author has a website: MurderSheBaked.com  Is that just too cute?  She posts mostly cookie recipes on that site, but all the book titles are something about a cream puff, lemon meringue pie, or some such.  Set in Minnesota, this one at Christmas time.  In the snow.  In the very cold temps!

I've really enjoyed several writers who are doing that inclusion of recipes with their novels set in tea shops or somewhere that makes sense to include recipes.  Strictly "G" rated…