[AZamericonnie]

Supporting our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen
at more than 1,000 places across the U. S. and around the world.

~Tribute to Our Troops~

[HiJinx]

Nana is making 60 dozen cookies for a church function on Friday night. This bin has 10 dozen molasses cookies and 10 dozen snickerdoodles.

Classic Molasses Cookies
¾ Cup Shortening
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
1 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 Tsp ground ginger
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ Tsp ground cloves
¼ cup light molasses
¼ Tsp salt
2 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour
Granulated Sugar for dipping
2 Tsp baking soda

1) Combine shortening and brown sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended. Add egg and molasses, beat until light and fluffy.

2) Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, clove, and salt in medium bowl. Beat into shortening mixture at low speed until well blended. Chill 3 hours or overnight.

3) Heat oven to 350^oF. Shape mixture into 1" balls, roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

4) Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on rack.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Connie, for today's Christmas Cookie Exchange.

[Charles Martel]

Better than cookies (the cookies always last longer than this stuff):

SALTINE TOFFEE

Makes 1 cookie sheet, you can break it into small or large pieces.

1 to 1.5 sleeves (from a 1 lb. box) saltines (regular or unsalted)
1 cup butter (unsalted if you use regular Saltines)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 12-oz. package chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli double chocolate)
chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet (the kind with sides) with foil, give it a squirt of butter-flavored nonstick spray, then spread a single layer of saltine crackers. Trim some of the crackers as needed to fit the entire sheet.

In a saucepan, combine butter & sugar, over high heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes (keep stirring!). Immediately pour over saltines and spread quickly to cover crackers.

Bake for about 5 minutes, until the entire sheet is bubbling. Remove from oven and cover evenly with chocolate chips. Turn the oven off, but pop the sheet back in for 5 minutes to soften the chocolate. Remove from oven and spread chocolate; then finish by sprinkling on nuts if you so choose. Let cool completely (you can put it in the fridge or freezer for an hour to cool it faster), then break into pieces. Keep covered tightly!

Lots of variations are possible. Example: Use unsalted crackers *and* unsalted butter, dark chocolate, and top with a sprinkling of sea salt.