All Is Right With The World

Bring on Valentines Day...
My Mom's Valentine Cookies Arrived Tonight!
They are a most unusual cookie with an equally unusual icing. I grew up on these cookies each Valentines Day and now, they are carefully baked, iced, wrapped, and mailed to each child and grandchild during the week of Valentines Day from Grandma and Grandpa (yes, I have seen Grandpa help with this process)

These are THE BEST..Full of LOVE and Lots of Flavor!

Recipe shared below

Yesterday, my mom sent our cookies home from the Temple with a member of our Ward who we normally see each Sunday. Today he was on a Stake assignment, so the cookies were not delivered to us (we did not know they were in town) This evening, my mom asked if I got a box from our friend. No, I said. However, when I hung up, you can guess what I did....I called our friend to confirm he had the box from my mom. He said yes and he would run it by our house tomorrow. No way... that would not do...Ron and Megan were out the door to retrieve the cookies.

I had just prepared my children for the possibility of no cookies from Grandma this year due to the increase in Postage Rates. I had even considered making a batch on my own this week (even though MINE never taste as good as my mom's) I had even purchased the Cinnamon Red Hot Candies needed for the icing, and then...all is right with the world ...we got Cookies from my mom, after all. And so did all the other Grandchildren and children. Guarantee....ANDREW inhaled his cookies before he could even say, Valentine!

As a child, I remember filling a plate with these cookies and placing them on a friend or neighbor's front porch, knocking on the door, and then RUN, RUN before they could catch us.

By sharing this recipe, I feel like I am divulging a HUGE family secret. The icing recipe is so secret...I sometimes cannot remember exactly how to make it. But now...no more secrets... Enjoy!

Valentine Cookies

1 C Butter

1 C Confectioners Powdered Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla

2 1/2 C All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 Cup Oats (see they are even healthy!)

Beat Butter, pwd sugar, egg, and vanilla together. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Roll out the dough to 1/4" thickness and use a heart shaped cookie cutter (ours have to be made with a scalloped edge cookie cutter that my mom has used forever)

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

ICING

1 Package Cinnamon Red Hots Candy (8oz)

1/2 Cup Butter

1 Pound Powdered Sugar

Place Red Hots in a saucepan on the stove top with just enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and simmer, add butter and stir until dissolved. Add Powdered Sugar and beat until desired consistency. Don't get it too thick as it thickens as it cools.

If icing gets too thick, add a little water.

This icing recipe is a little trial and error at first, but once you get it right, you will know it and LOVE IT.

Ice immediately.

These cookies are near the top of my Comfort-Grew-Up-With-It Foods List! Thank You, Mom and Dad!

Now with the oats in the cookie dough, if I eat a cookie with a cup

of organic low-fat milk (which is what we are drinking these days), Can I count

this as a meal? OK, maybe just a super-healthy snack?

Happy Valentines Day!