Atop Grandma's Refrigerator

 The pecan topped cookies shown here was a favorite of my husband's grandmother. She often served them when my family and I went to visit her; as well as her famous chocolate cake with homemade fudge frosting. We always knew there was a treat in store whenever we saw Grandma's rectangular cake pan setting on top of the refrigerator.

This oatmeal cookie recipe is a family favorite because it is not as sweet as other homemade cookies. It is easy and makes a small batch.

Self-Frosting

Oatmeal Cookies

1-1/4 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup soft shortening

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups quick oatmeal

4 plain Hershey bars

Pecan halves

Sift flour, soda, and salt into bowl. Add shortening, brown sugar, egg, milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth (approximately 2 minutes). Blend in oatmeal. (Dough will be stiff.)

Shape dough into small balls and place two inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Flatten each with the bottom of a glass covered with wax paper. (Grandma preferred to spoon the dough onto the cookie sheet and leave them au naturale. I use the heel of my hand to flatten them slightly.) Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

After removing the cookies from the oven, immediately place a small square of Hershey's chocolate on each. Then remove cookies from baking sheet and press a half of a pecan into the melted chocolate.
Makes 3-1/2 dozen.

My Homemade Caramels were a hit. If you make these delectable dandies, I'd like to offer you the following tips:
• When choosing a pan, allow space for boiling. (I used a 3 quart pan and I had some concern that it was going to boil over.)
• Prepare yourself for a lot of stirring because it takes a while to get the mix up the 240 degree temperature. (It's worth the time though.)
• Purchase precut wrappers if possible. I cut individual 4" X 4" parchment wrappers using a paper trimmer. You will need a lot of them.

I used a knife similar to this with an 8" long
blade to cut the caramels into squares. 

• When it comes to cutting the caramels into pieces, I found that a large chef's knife was the best way to get a precise cut. I scored or imprinted the location of my cut and then kind of rocked the knife forward and back from the tip to the handle placing light pressure on the middle of the knife blade with my hand. (The sharp side was obviously down—no blood drawn that day.) I cut one row at a time, wrapping them as I went.