Cookies on a stick … and in a bouquet - recipes

Sunset, March, 1991

Cookies on a stick ... and in a bouquet Why bake cookies on a stick? For no reason but fun, and to give them a festive look. Presented in a florist's box, they're bound to evoke a smile.

Chocolate Chip Cookies on a Stem

1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter or margarine, at room temperature 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2 1/3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, or 6 ounces each semisweet and white chocolate, coarsely chopped 24 peices hardwood dowel (sold in home centers and lumberyards), 1/4 inch in diameter and cut about 12 inches long

In a bowl, cream butter and brown and granulated sugars with a mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and oats. Blend with butter mixture. Stir in chocolate.

Shape dough into 24 walnut-size balls. Asemble 1 at a time on an oiled 12- by 15-inc baking sheet. Set ball at 1 of the narrow ends, insert a dowel into center of ball, then pat dough into 21/2-inch round> keep dowel in center of round and covered by dough. Repeat, placing rounds about 2 inches apart. At opposite end of sheet, center dough between dowels (see top left). A pan holds 5 or 6 cookies. Keep dough covered until ready to shape.

Bake cookies in a 375[degrees] oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes (if using 1 oven, alternate pan positions after 8 minutes). Slide a spatula under each cooky to release from pan> leave in place for 5 minutes. Then carefully lay cookies with dowels flat on racks (supported the full lenght on racks of equal height) until cool.

To wrap, enclose each cooky with plastic wrap and tie wrap to dowel with a ribbon (green for "leaves") to keep cooky air-tight. Serve, or store wrapped cookies up to 3 days at room temperature. Freeze to store longer. Makes about 24.

Per cooky: 262 cal.> 3.3 g protein> 13 g fat> 34 g carbo.> 126 mg sodium> 29 mg chol.