~ Three Cookies of Mel's Youth Week -- In Review ~

I rarely write a retrospective blog post.  In fact in almost three years of blogging, this is only my third one.  If you've been following along this week, I shared three simple, straightforward and special-to-me recipes for "drop cookies":  snickerdoodles, ginger snaps and peanut butter.  All three of the recipes can be found in Category 7 or by clicking on the Related Article links below!

A bit about drop cookies:  They are one of the simplest types of cookies to make, and the term refers to cookies made from a relatively soft dough that gets dropped, in uniformly-sized spoonfuls, directly onto a baking pan.  Occasionally (as pictured here), they get coated in some sugar before going on the pan to bake.  As the mounds of dough bake, they spread and flatten out.  In addition to the three fun recipes I posted this week, chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies are two more popular examples. They're not fancy or gourmet.  They're the kind of cookies your mom and grandmother made and had waiting for you on the kitchen table with a glass of milk when you arrived home from school!

With the Memorial Day weekend right around the corner, if you are inclined to pack a pic-a-nic basket and head to Jellystone Park, any or all of these cookies would be a great choice to take.  They can be made up to a week ahead of time, and, if stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place, they'll stay fresh for a week after that!

Here's a quick recap of three favorite cookies of my youth:

Monday, May 13th:  ~ My Favorite Sugar Cookie is:  The Snickerdoodle ~.  This flat, golden on the outside, slightly-chewy on the inside sugar cookie is made with butter and shortening and gets dusted with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar prior to baking.  They are German in origin, and I grew up eating them in Eastern PA (aka PA Deutsch country).  These are very addictive and I recommend making a double batch!

Wednesday, May 15th: ~ My Favorite Spice-y Cookie is:  The Ginger Snap ~.  Our colonists brought these to America.  They arrived with the spices in powdered form:  cinnamon, cloves and ginger, along with molasses, which was much less expensive than sugar. Real gingersnaps are NOT hard as rocks (like you buy in the store). They snap with each bite, but, they've got a slightly-chewy center! 

Friday, May 17th: ~ My Favorite Salty Cookie is:  Chunky Peanut Butter ~.  This cookie is all-American and it was around quite a while before Mrs. Wakefield accidentally invented the chocolate chip cookie.  In 1936, Pillsbury published their peanut butter cookie recipe and introduced us to the famous criss-cross fork pattern on top.  There's a rich history behind this crunch-a-licious cookie and I recommend you read my post!

The weather has finally taken a turn for the better here in Pennsylvania and it is time for me to swich gears and start posting about picnics, barbecues and grills.  Over the years I've amassed a large collection of truly lovely picnic baskets.  This small lunch-box sized one is one of my favorites.  It is perfect for me to pack a picnic lunch for just Joe and I.  These small, relatively inexpensive picnic baskets also make for a unique way to serve cookies, bar cookies or brownies to a crowd at a picnic:

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipes, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2013)  

Related articles

~ My Favorite Sugar Cookie is: The Snickerdoodle ~

~ My Favorite Spice-y Cookie is: The Ginger Snap ~

~My Favorite Salty Cookie is: Chunky Peanut Butter~