"C IS FOR COOKIE AND IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!"

I don't love chocolate. By that I mean, like much of the female population, the vast majority of those under the age of 13, and a speckling of the male contingency, I don't crave it. It's just not my thing. Not normally do I NEED a piece or bite of chocolate. That though is my daughter, my one sister, and most of my nieces! What I love is dough - pie, cookie or cake dough that is baked into something yummy!  And, not Oreos or anything store boughtish:(  You might ask if I like chocolate chip cookies. They really aren't one of my favorites. The chocolate dries the cookie out and they go stale faster than other types of cookies. Both of my grandmothers made delicious cookies of varying sorts - rolled and frosted molasses cookies, drop orange sugar cookies with a glaze, Amish cookies made with ground up raisins and peanuts.  All of which are some of my favorites.  I perused some old cookbooks a few weeks back finding a recipe that appeared to be close to my grandmother's drop orange sugar cookies. As they came from the oven I spread a thin glaze consisting of powdered sugar, butter and orange juice on top. I waited for one to cool and took a bite. It was both big and puffy and soft and chewy. Grandma would have been proud!  My daughter Hannah's favorite cookie is molasses. They are heavily spiced with molasses and ginger, thin and soft and go great dunked in milk or while drinking coffee. They have a crinkly appearance and a sprinkling of sugar on top!  My newlywed husband never had a molasses cookie. You either love molasses (rather strong) or you hate it.  He loved them!  He fit perfectly in the Cherry family and now would have to fight my daughter for his fair share of them! In fact, he took a bite of a cookie, put it in a Ziploc sandwich bag and drove to my daughter's work the next day - taunting her that he had eaten all but one of her favorite cookies:) Once while in high school, I thought I would help my mom by making the traditional roll out frosted sugar cookies she makes every year during the holidays. Deciding that a double batch was never enough (I mean once you taste those rolled out soft frosted and sprinkled holiday shaped cookies more was ALWAYS a good idea), I made a triple batch. I began the cookie process around 4 p.m. and at 9 p.m. was so overwhelmed with cookies I called my now brother-in-law to come and help!  There were cookies all over the counters, the kitchen table and most of the dining room table.  Baking, frosting and clean up finished up around midnight.   My parents arrived home from a Christmas party and I can still hear my mom softly giggling at the massive amount of cookies that had overrun the house!  Yesterday I ate two molasses cookies - with coffee.  Nothing better except possibly a great scone or biscotti.  Beats chocolate for me every time!   My husband took Hannah a dozen molasses cookies last week.  She confessed she ate all 12 without sharing any with her husband.  I'm not sure if she needed to cleanse her soul or was proud of it.  I also don't necessarily love cookies while they are still warm from the oven - preferring my cookie room temperature or taken from the freezer.  The state of Maine has it correct.  I read today they are trying to get the Whoopie Pie Cookie adopted as their state cookie:)  Go Maine!