does anyone have Aunt Connie's recipe for oatmeal cookies? I neglected to specify what type of shortening she used.

Pappie Doodle Bread

My mom used to make this for breakfast all the time. it has a very mild cinnamon taste and is super quick to make. But I also remember Andrew making an entire pan for himself after swim practice and eating it in one sitting. Mom- am I right or was it Matt who used to whip it up all the time?

Here's the recipe which I have on a very old piece of "Keep Peg Clark on the School Board" paper in my recipe file.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon shortening
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

Mix wets. Mix drys. Mix together.
Bake at 350 in a greased pie tin for 20 minutes


The original recipe is from Helen Bender's "Variations On The Cooking Theme". My mom, and probably all the Wilkes kids, took piano lessons from Mrs. Bender.


Bender, Helen Chrystal, and George Logue. Variations on the Cooking Theme. Honolulu: Pacific Publishing, 1957.

This recipe is from Fine Cooking Holiday Baking 2004, Denise Pierce"s Macadamia Lace Cookies.

Macadamia Lace Cookies

4 oz (1/2 cup) unsalted butter cut into 5 pieces

4.5 oz (1 cup) finely chopped lightly salted macadamia nuts

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon table salt

Heat the oven to 350 degree F. Line two or three large baking sheets with nonstick baking liners or parchment.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and then continue cooking it just until the butter solids at the bottom of the pan turn deep golden brown (NOT BLACK), 5 to 7 minutes. Watch the butter carefully. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter into a small bowl, scraping the pan to get all the butter. Let cool slightly about 5 minutes.

Combine the chopped nuts, sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir until blended. Slowly add the browned butter and continue stirring until blended.

Drop the batter by slightly heaping teaspoonfuls about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheets on racks for 5 minutes before transferring them to racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter after the sheets have cooled.

Store at room temperature or freeze in airtight container, separating the cookie layers with waxed paper.

*Don't have a cookie picture, but the boxes were exceptional!

Lost Christmas Cookie Recipe

Mom updated her kitchen last month requiring a temporary relocation of cookbooks. This created a mini crises when a favorite Christmas cookie recipe was lost. She eventually located the recipe, but as a precaution several copies were made and distributed to family members. This got me to thinking about all the memorable meals / food we've had over the years commemorating an event or just cooking for the fun of it. The recipes are housed in cookbooks marked with post its, stashed in recipe file folders, website bookmarks or written in the margin of saved shopping lists. In talking with Katie and mom we came up with the idea of compiling a family cookbook. We're asking the extended Wilkes family members to submit your favorite family recipes including pictures and corresponding story. We're working on the group blog logistics so more to come.