One year she apparently decided to hide some cookies, too.  And she totally forgot about them.  In March, my sisters and I were digging in the “rag bin.”  It was actually a tilt out wooden flour storage box in the pantry. We never used the bin for flour, so it was a perfect place to store rags.  At the bottom of the bin, we found a small round metal tin filled with soft sour cream cherry chip cookies.  It was like forgotten treasure, although truthfully, I recall they were a little stale.  But we were so excited to find and eat them that I still remember the experience and the taste more than 50 years later.

I don’t have a recipe to share.  Mom may have started with the Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Drop recipe that appears on page 182 of the “Big Red” Betty Crocker Cookbook  we used throughout our childhood.  I do not recall that mom, my sisters, or I every again made soft sour cream cookies with cherry mini chips. Maybe this year?

Vanilla Butter Sauce

In a sauce pan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat.

Add 1/3 cup sugar and 3 Tablespoons cornstarch.  Stir well.

Add 1-1/2 cup water and 1 Tablespoon vanilla.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce comes to a full boil.  Boil for 1 minute.

Place pieces of chocolate cake in shallow bowls.  Pour sauce over the cake and serve immediately.  [Because the sauce is thickened with cornstarch, it does not “hold” well, so eat it all right away!]

In addition to traditional cornbread, I love yeast bread and sourdough bread made with cornmeal, Mexican casserole with cornbread topping, cornbread stuffing, and Trader Joe’s chicken pizza with cornmeal crust.  And when it comes to sweets, the following cornmeal sugar cookie recipe is a winner.

CORNMEAL SUGAR COOKIES

• 1 cup shortening
• 1-1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups sifted flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Extra sugar

Cream the shortening and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until light and fluffy.  Add lemon and vanilla extracts.

Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.  Add to creamed mixture.

Roll dough 1/8-inch thick on floured surface.  Cut cookies with 2-1/2-inch cutter.  Place on greased baking sheet.  Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 400-degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from pans.  Cook on racks.  Makes 6 dozen.  May be frozen.

ALTERNATIVE.  Use an ice cream scoop to make small balls of dough.  Roll the balls in your hand and then in extra sugar.  Pat down to approximately 1/4-inch thickness.

Dough can be formed into cookies that are frozen individually and then stored in a plastic bag.  Bake cookies a few at a time to satisfy your sweet tooth.