Craig Daily Press

Diane Prather

Diane Prather's columns appear in the Craig Daily Press each Wednesday and Friday. You can contact her at 824-8809 or e-mail .

Jane Starcher, of Craig, who likes to bake cookies for her family, called me with a question about last week’s recipe for roll-out cookies. Jane, I thought about you when I decided to feature the “$250 Cookies” in this week’s column.

The recipe first appeared in the June 29, 1992, “Fence Post.” It was contributed by Iola Egle, of McCook, Neb.

You’ll be able to tell from the amount of ingredients that the recipe makes a lot of cookies, so if you don’t have a bunch of time to spend in the kitchen, you might want to cut the recipe in half.

The ingredients for “$250 Cookies” are: 2 cups butter, 2 cups white sugar, 2 cups brown sugar, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoons vanilla, 5 cups oatmeal, 4 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 8 ounces grated Hershey bar or Hershey chunks, 12 ounces chocolate chips, 12 ounces peanut butter chips and 3 cups chopped walnuts.

Get out a large bowl. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You will need ungreased cookie sheets.

Cream together: butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla.

Blend in a blender oatmeal, flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add to the creamed mixture. Mix well.

Lastly, add Hershey, chocolate and peanut butter chips and walnuts.

Drop by teaspoons on the ungreased cookie sheet or sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for six to eight minutes until barely brown.

These are good cookies.

In honor of Valentine’s Day and Washington’s birthday, make a “cherry cream cheese pie.” This is an easy and yummy recipe.

Bake a 9-inch pie shell. I use a graham cracker pie crust, and it works well.

The other ingredients are: 1 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 pint heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 can pie cherries.

Blend the cream cheese and sugar. Whip the cream and add the vanilla. I use a small carton of whipped topping instead of whipping the cream.

Fold the cream or topping into the cream cheese mixture. Pour into the pie shell. Cover with the can of cherries. Refrigerate.

I’ve also used pie blueberries or a pint of fresh strawberries (sweetened) or a 10-ounce package of frozen strawberries, thawed and drained. If you use the strawberries, consider topping the pie with them just before serving.

For a quick “Cherry Pudding Cake,” you’ll need: 1 large instant vanilla pudding, 1 small instant vanilla pudding, milk to mix up the puddings (according to box directions), 1 small container whipped topping, an angel food cake and a can of cherry pie filling.

Slice the cake into 1-inch pieces. Mix up the pudding, milk and whipped topping. Pour over the cake. Cover with pie filling. Refrigerate.

You can use other pie fillings.

Send your recipes to me at box 415, 81626 or call me at 824-8809.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Copright Diane Prather, 2008. All rights reserved.