1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup stick margarine or butter,* softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, separated
1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
Jelly

Mix brown sugar, shortening, margarine, vanilla and egg yolk in medium bowl. Stir in flour and salt until dough holds together. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Beat egg white slightly. Dip each ball into egg white. Roll in nuts. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb deeply in center of each. Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown at 350F. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack. Fill thumbprints with jelly. Makes about 3 dozen cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 Tbsp. vinegar
5 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 to 3 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in egg, molasses, and vinegar. Sift together dry ingredients and blend into creamed mixture. Chill 3 hours. Roll dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut in shapes. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 375F for 5 to 6 minutes. Cool slightly on cookie sheet and then remove to rack.

Makes about 5 dozen.

CRUST

1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar.
Mix well and pat into even layer in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake crust at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

FILLING

8 oz cream cheese, softened,
2 eggs,
1/2 cup sugar,
1 tsp almond extract.
Beat together well and pour over crust while it is still hot. Bake 15 to 20 minutes (350 degrees). Cool.

FROSTING

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar,
1/4 cup butter,
1 1/2 tablespoon milk,
1 tsp almond extract.
Whisk together and spread evenly on baked, cooled cookies. Cut into bars - makes 24 to 36 bars.

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup solid shortening
1 tsp valilla
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Brown Sugar Glaze: 2 Tablespoons butter 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 Tbsp milk 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except pecans and glaze. Blend at medium speed to form s stiff dough. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 13 minutes until deep golden brown. Cool. Top each cookie with 1/2 tsp pecans. In small saucepan, melt butter, stir in brown sugar and milk. Add powdered sugar; blend to make a glazing consistency. Drizzle glase over pecans. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Crust: 1 c. soft butter 1/2 c. powdered sugar 2 c. flour dash of salt

Combine ingredients and mix well. Press mixture in 9 x 13- inch greased pan. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Filling: 4 eggs, beaten 1/4 c. flour 2 c. granulated sugar 6 T. lemon juice (FRESH!!) grated rind of 2 lemons

Combine flour and sugar; mix in beaten eggs, lemon juice and rind. Pour onto slightly cooled crust. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until filling is set. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

350 g Plain flour (12 oz)
170 g Butter (6 oz)
50 g Granulated sugar (2 oz)
4 tb Milk
Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the sugar. Gently heat the butter and milk together and as soon as the butter has melted stir the liquid into the flour to make a soft but not sticky dough.

Turn it onto a floured surface and kneat it lightly. Divide the dough in half then roll the halves out directly onto a baking tray into 9-inch rounds using a large plate as a guide. Flute the edges.

Cut out a 2-inch circle from the centre but leave it in place. Divide the outer ring into eight, keeping the inner circle whole. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake at 180 oC (350 oF) for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

From: Janet Warren, A feast of Scotland

175 g Butter (6 oz)
175 g Granulated sugar (6 oz)
225 g Plain flour (8 oz)
60 g Cornflour (cornstarch) (2oz)
1 ts Baking powder

CARAMEL
175 g Granulated sugar (6 oz)
175 g Butter (6 oz)
450 g Condensed milk (15 oz)
1 tb Syrup
Few drops of vanilla extract

Dark plain (semisweet) -- chocolate

Shortbread Cream together the butter and sugar, beating very well. Sift together the flour, cornflour and baking powder and beat into the butter and sugar. Spread the mixture in a 30 cm (12 in) long baking tin, about 4 to 5 cm ( 1 to 2 in) deep and smooth even. Bake in a preheated oven, 180 oC (350 oF) for 20 minutes (or until golden brown). Take the tin out of the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes while you make the caramel.

Put all the ingredients for the caramel - except the vanilla - into a saucepan. Over a moderate heat, stir until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved completely. Then bring the mixture to the boil and boil for 5 to 7 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the vanilla and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes to cool it slightly. Then pour it over the shortbread. Leave to cool completely. To finish, melt the chocolate over hot water (no overheat !!) and pour it over the caramel layer. When it is cool, mark into squares with a sharp knife (makes 12 - 16). Store in airtight container.

From: Claire Macdonald, Lady Macdonald's Scotland, Bulfinch

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups vanilla milk (white chocolate) chips
3/4 cups coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
3/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 2 heavy large cookie sheets. Mix first 4 ingredients together in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Stir in dry ingredients, then vanilla milk chips and nuts. Drop cookie dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto prpared cookie sheets, spacing evenly. Bake until golden brown, about 15 mins. Cool cookies on sheets for 5 mins. Transfer cookies to rack to cool. This makes about 18.

This recipe from the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in L.A. Tips: Don't let the cookies get too brown. They should still be very soft when removed from oven. And for those of you who didn't know: Nestles now makes vanilla milk chips along with their chocolate and butterscotch.

lafauss@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu (Laura Faussone)

makes approx. 8 dozen)

3/4 lb butter
4 1/2 c sugar
5 eggs
5 c flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.,Add eggs one at a time, In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda and nutmeg. _Beat extracts into butter mixture and gradually incorporate flour mixture, blending thoroughly. _Place dough in greased bowl and refrigerate overnight. Before baking, preheat oven to 350F._ Roll dough out on floured pastry cloth. Cut with cookie cutters and bake on greased cookie sheets for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.