What about this?

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

Who, me?

Yes, you!

Couldn’t be!

Then who?

For some reason, bouncing my kids up and down on my knees and reciting this little nursery rhyme with them always brought smiles to our faces. Smiles because we were being silly and having fun, but also because the mere mention of cookies made us happy! In a post I wrote last week called The Way We Were, I mentioned that one of my sons and his girlfriend just bought their first home. I wanted to give them a little gift – something that somehow always makes a house a home – so I bought them a cookie jar! After baking three different types of cookies, I filled the jar, tied a bow on it, and then attached a tag that read, “Good for One Refill.” Many old friends and new neighbors have come by to say hello to the proud new homeowners – some even bearing gifts of much welcomed plates of cookies. How perfect that my son and his girlfriend already have a cookie jar in which to store them! My only question is, why isn’t a “Cookie Jar” called a “Cookies Jar”? Who stores only one cookie in a jar and who can only eat just one cookie?

Here’s a good, basic oatmeal cookie recipe that I got from a friend many years ago and it’s one of the cookies I made for my son’s new cookie jar.

Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda instead)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup orange-flavored Craisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.
2. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well.
3. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir into butter-egg mixture.
4. Stir in oats, Craisins, and nuts. Mix well.
5. Drop by the tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!