Column from December 16, 2010

 Diana Brault shows off her prize winning cookies.

Sharing a favorite cookie recipe

There certainly were some yummy cookies at The Old Hotel open house Saturday.

Diana Brault provided the winning entry for the cookie baking contest. She received a wonderful gift basket full of fun kitchen items.

The results were very close, with the others coming in only a vote or two apart.

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. There was so much to do to keep everyone entertained.

Santa was on hand for the little ones. Teens spent time around the card-making table. Another table featured cutout Christmas cookies to decorate.

Soup and rolls were also served up and five bikes were raffled off.

And throughout the afternoon, Christmas music played in the background.

It definitely was a great way to start the holiday shopping season. This coming weekend, the art gallery will feature Christmas gift items on sale for great prices.

I haven’t done much shopping yet. The weather has kept us grounded inside most of the time. It’s been quite a while since we’ve had this amount of snow this early here in the Columbia Basin.

Plus, there is so much going on and only so many hours in the day. That’s why having a place like The Old Hotel is a great addition to any community. They have some unique gift items – many of which are handmade – so you’re sure to find something for that hard-to-shop-for friend or relative.

The recipe for ginger crinkles is a new one for Diana. She recently found it in the Pet Rescue cookbook, which is available for purchase at Bank of Whitman. It was submitted by Terri Nichols.

As promised, I’m including the winning cookies in this week’s column. I’m also sharing a recipe I’ve had for years that you might also enjoy making for the holidays.

Here are both the recipes for your cooking and eating enjoyment.

Ginger crinkles

2/3 cup oil

1 egg

1 cup sugar

¼ cup molasses

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Extra sugar for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together oil, egg and sugar. Add molasses and mix well.

Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Roll dough into balls and dip in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Raspberry bars

¾ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon soda

1-1/2 cup oats, uncooked

10-ounce jar red raspberry preserves

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Combine dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture. Mix well.

Press half into greased 13-by-9 inch pan. Spread with preserves and sprinkle with remaining crumbs.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool; cut into bars.