Old Soul, Young Heart

Cracker Jack Cookies Recipe from: Mary Dunn Ingredients:  1 cup butter (softened) 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ cups flour 2 cups oatmeal 2 cups Rice Krispies 1 cup coconut Directions: Cream butter and add sugars gradually Add eggs and vanilla Add baking powder, baking soda, and flour Mix well an dadd the remaining ingredients Drop by teaspoon onto well greased cookie sheet Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until light brown The name of these cookies sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't remember ever having them based on the ingredient. Then, when I sunk my teeth into one, I knew right away that I'd had them before and, I'd say, with relative regularity throughout my childhood. I'm not sure if Mom made them at a certain time of year (Christmas?). They are slightly crunchy and definitely chewy with the oatmeal and coconut. The coconut is not overpowering if you're not into that. It

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Recipe from: Janice Ferguson Ingredients for cookies: 1 cup butter 1 cup cocoa 2 cups milk 4 cups flour 2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons vanilla Mix above and chill. Drop by rounded teaspoons on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for 7 minutes. Cool and make into sandwiches using the following filling. Ingredients for filling: 1 cup shortening 6-8 tablespoons milk 2 teaspoons vanilla 4 cups powdered sugar 2 cups marshmallow creme Ahh the chocolate sandwich cookies were such a treat as kids. Mom hardly ever made them, so they were special. I knew as a kid that this recipe came from Mom's best friend, Janice. They were probably a rare treat because they are kind of time consuming. The recipe actually makes a lot of cookies and the assembly takes some time. Mom always wrapped them individually in saran wrap and kept them in the fridge, which is the way I like them. They are soft, kind of like a whoopie pie.

Three Layer Cookies Recipe from: Norma Collins Ingredients: 1 box Club crackers 1 stick butter 1 cup crushed graham crackers ¾ cup sugar ½ cup brown sugar ¼ cup milk ⅔ cup p eanut butter ½ cup chocolate chips ½ cup butterscotch chips Directions: Line a greased 13 x 9 pan with Club crackers Boil sugars, graham cracker crumbs, milk, and butter for 2 minutes Pour over crackers and add another layer of crackers Melt peanut butter and chips together Spread on top of crackers Cool in fridge Cut into squares This recipe came from my "adopted grandma" -- Norma Collins. She died in 2016 and was the sweetest lady. We would visit Grandma and Grandpa Collins at least once a year at Christmastime when we were kids. I'm surprised we didn't see them more often since they only lived on Jersey Avenue; virtually a few blocks from our house on Irving Street. I always looked forward to and enjoyed our visits with them. Look at how cute Grandpa & Grandma Collins were! Norma was the mo