The Cooky Book: Coconut Butter Balls

Don't let my crappy iPhone photo fool you -- t hese little balls of butter and coconut are in every way, my friends, winners. Really, they're called Coconut Butter Balls. That's my idea of perfection.

These cute little buttery balls are rolled in coconut, which make them pretty delicious looking and tasting on there own. The secret is, however, that there's a surprise pecan half in every ball. Could you ask for more? No, no you couldn't.

The Cooky Book: Russian Teacakes

The recipes in the Cooky Book tend to be so generic sounding, it's becoming difficult to tell what's going to be delicious and what's going to be blander than bland. The ingredient list for Russian Teacakes is pretty standard (butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, salt, and nuts), but somehow, they are magically delicious in every way.

I should disclose that it's actually icing sugar, not regular sugar, which is probably why these little morsels are so light and fluffy. I think there's also a mental thing -- the name "Russian Teacake" just sounds so darn fancy and elegant. We had family in town when I made them and I actually served them with tea, which made all of us feel like ladies and gents.

The Cooky Book: Date-Oatmeal Cookies

I'm fairly faithful to the instructions and recipes in the Cooky Book, but I have some issues with baking with dates. First off, I generally don't really like dates at all, unless they're fresh and stuffed with cheese and walnuts and served in a fancy over-priced restaurant. But that's me. Secondly, the decent looking baking dates in the grocery store are pretty pricey, and the cheaper ones are pretty gross looking. Thirdly, I don't think my kids would willingly eat them. So, while in the dried fruit aisle, I made the executive decision to skip the dates in my Date-Oatmeal Cookies and go for Craisins instead.

I'm pretty sure Craisins didn't exist when dear Saint Betty Crocker put together this cookbook, but I'm sure she would have loved them. As it stood, these cookies were unmemorable, but edible. Which is sometimes all you can ask for from the Cooky Book.