Yesterday I spent a few hours at Putnam Six Bookstore having a book signing. Chloe Fuxa has a lovely shop and it had a lot of foot traffic. It was Saturday and it was Christmas and people strolled in and out of Enid’s only bookstore. And since it was Christmas, I made cookies. As usual, I made too many and shared the leftovers with a couple of friends.

I put the cookies on a plate and shoved them to the front of the table next to my books. I shared a few. When you walk into a shop to look for something specific and there is a woman set up selling her own books and giving away cookies, it might be suspicious. But there were a few brave souls who not only took a cookie, they took a chance on a book or two. After all it is the gifting season and what better gift can you give than a book – an adventure enjoyed right in your own home.

Putnam Six has my books on the shelf and available for sale all the time, but it was nice to offer them for Christmas presents and meet a few people. I sold a few and enjoyed the afternoon with friends and got acquainted with a few more.

I had some people ask me for my Snickerdoodle recipe, so I’m sharing it here. The recipe came from my grandmother who raised 8 children on a farm in the middle of the Great Depression. She was barely 5 ft tall and fed all those mouths on her garden, fruit trees, chickens, milk cows and what her husband brought in from the woods and streams. I loved visiting her when I was a child. She made the best biscuits (and other things). No one ever went hungry in her house.

I’d like to think she’d enjoy my books, not that she read a lot. She was too busy! But, I’m sharing her recipe today in her honor and because of Christmas.

Snickerdoodles

From Ethel Downing Coats (a/k/a “BaBaa”) 1902 – 1975 my maternal grandmother

Mix Together:

1 Cup soft shortening

1 ½ Cups Sugar

2 Eggs

Sift Together and Stir in:

2 ¾ Cups Sifted Flour

2 tsp. Cream of Tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp salt

Mix together and chill at least one hour. Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. Roll each ball in a mixture of 2 tsp. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until lightly brown but still soft approximately 8 – 10 minutes at 400 °.

I hope you enjoy the Christmas season. Make a cookie and read a book!