For the love of cookies

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I have cookies! I didn't want to leave you with a mental picture of that disastrous cake. You might wonder if I can make anything at all! So, here is a sweet little recipe for those days when you want to impress the guests.

But, before we start, a little reminder of who is posting and where...

(Got it? Good. That's me on the cover.)

   Here is a picture of what I'd seen once and thought was so adorable!

The recipe is a standard refrigerator dough recipe like so:

2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 sticks butter (I suggest you use the real stuff, we're eating cookies, We need calories.)
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

  Don't skip the cream of tartar. I tried that once and they were gooey instead of crumbly. We want something like a tea cookie here. Let's leave the soft and chewy cookies for the chocolate chip walnut variety.

  Now, I had this sudden urge to try these cookies because I was upgrading my life.

Yes, you heard that. A whole new me!

And here is the first step... Meet EDNA.

  Edna is my very first mixer. I found her languishing at a garage sale last week. She was $2.00 and was leaning in a very come-hither way against a WWII army trunk. I knew at first sight we were going to be best pals. As for the name, I chose it after Edna St. Vincent Millay. 

Here she is, looking angsty and romantic. She wrote some very, very famous poetry. Like this one:

 My candle burns at both ends
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -
It gives a lovely light.

 Ah, isn't that wonderful? We still use that phrase.... But I like her because she really excelled at writing the perfect 'break up' poetry. She was raised by a single mother and had a full ride to Vassar. People were scandalized at how a woman could be so, well, frank about the downsides to romance. (Although in our world, all heroes are perfect! Poor Edna. She could have used some good romance novels.)


She was definitely one to STIR THINGS UP. Get it? Ha!

  So, Edna the poetic mixer and I started on our adventure of checkboard cookies. I was nervous, she was a hardened old-timer. The perfect pair.
 I hoped.

So, here we go. *deep breath*

With a roar like a V-8 engine, Edna started to make her magic. And I fell in love. In a very un-ESVMillay way. Unconditionally. Heart and soul and till motor burn-out do us part. She was beautiful. I would have picked her up and danced around except that she might just outweigh me.

Split the dough in half, after all ingredients are mixed. Add 3/4 cup cocoa powder.

Chill for one hour. When it's well chilled, take both parts and roll them into two long logs of dough. (So, four logs.) Chill again for an hour. Then, cut each roll in four long pieces. Following me? Yeah, me and Edna had lots of time to chill and swap bad boyfriend stories.

Um, well, this isn't quite looking like it should. Edna was cool with it. She said to just keep going. So, four long strips, laid side by side. Then another four on top, alternating colors.
Chill again. (Edna confessed everything about that Army trunk. He was strong and sturdy, built to protect, but too confining for her Bohemian lifestyle so they parted ways. )

So, after the log is chilled again, start slicing into small pieces that will show the checkerboard inside. Bake at 350F for 9 minutes. (Ignore the Prego sauce. It has nothing to do with this recipe.)

Huh.

Allllllllrighty then.

  Edna thinks I didn't keep them cold enough and they started to meld together before cooking. She advised me to tell the kids we were making zebra cookies. She says it's all about confidence. And I live in a zoo, so that fits.

Mmmmm. Shortbread zebra cookies. I have no idea how long they stay fresh, because cookies in this house last about 2 hours max, and those are the burned ones. I advise you to grab a few girlfriends, some hot coffee or cold milk and swap stories about past loves. Or broken hearts. Or just make something up.

 If all else fails you can read poetry to each other.

  Until next time, my dears!