The Cooky Book: Pineapple Cookies

The Recipe: Pineapple Cookies, from the Betty Crocker Cooky Book

Substitutions: Butter in place of shortening. Also added coconut (as recommended in one of the variations).

The Verdict: I can not complain. These certainly fell into the "crazy" category of Cooky Book cookies. I mean, pineapple? In cookies? The results though were neither as terrible nor as amazing as they could have been. The cookies have a nice tender, cakey quality, which I like. The pineapple flavour is not nearly as intense as I would have chosen (I was expecting full-on Pina Colada madness), but does add some interest to an otherwise plain drop cookie.

The sad part is, my kids hate them. And, after a few days, they're getting pretty gooey at the bottom of my cookie jar (though, not as bad as the applesauce cookies, which quickly turned into a mold colony). The good news is, my husband's co-workers can't seem to get enough of them, so I sent the bulk of the five dozen cookies that this recipe yields to his office, where they quickly disappeared.

Jack Daniels Cake

The Recipe: Whiskey Cake from Orangette

The substitutions: none

The verdict: I will confess, this is not the first time I've made this cake. I'll also confess: it's not one I make often. Not because it isn't fudgey and delicious. Not because it isn't loved by all that taste it. Because it is both of those things. Very very much so. But this sucker is boozy to the max and I can't torture my children by making a chocolate cake that they can't eat.

But this cake really is a super dessert for those of you who don't have kids or for any adults-only party (get your mind out of the gutter -- I'm talking wine-tastings or 40th birthday parties). It is very very dense and fudgey (as previously mentioned), but the whiskey really is the most prominent taste. If the thought of drinking a glass of bourbon makes you feel sick, this one shouldn't be ruled out -- it has the warmth and flavour of the booze, but not the harshness. Either way, Molly over there at Orangette is a genius and this is one of her best.