Chocolate Chip Cookies On A Stem

Serves:

Ingredients:

1 c (1/2 lb.) butter/margarine,
1/4 Inch in diameter and cut
lumberyards),
in home centers and
24 Pieces hardwood dowel (sold
Chocolate, coarsely chopped
white
6 oz *each* semisweet and
12 oz Semisweet chocolate chips OR
2 1/3 c Quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 ts Baking powder
1 ts Baking soda
2 c Flour
2 ts Vanilla
1 lg Egg
3/4 c Granulated sugar
3/4 c Firmly packed brown sugar
at room temperature
about 12 inches long

Method:

Why bake cookies on a stick? For no reason but fun and to give them a festive look.
Presented in a florist's box, they're bound to evoke a smile.
In a bowl, cream butter and both sugars with a mixer.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and oats.
Blend with butter mixture.
Stir in chocolate.
Shape dough into 24 walnut-size balls.
Assemble 1 at a time on an oiled 12x15 inch baking sheet.
Set ball at 1 of the narrow ends, insert a dowel into center of ball, then pat dough into 2-1/2 inch round; keep dowel in center of round and covered by dough.
Repeat, placing rounds about 2 inches apart.
At opposite end of sheet, center dough between dowels (-> see diagram below).
A pan holds 5 or 6 cookies.
Keep dough covered until ready to shape.
Bake cookies in a 375~ oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes (if using 1 oven, alternate pan positions after 8 minutes).
slide a spatula under each cooky to release from pan; leave in place for 5 minutes.
Then carefully lay cookies with dowels flat on racks (supprted the full length on racks of equal height) until cool.
To wrap, enclose each cooky with plastic wrap and tie wrap to dowel with a ribbon (green for 'leaves') to keep cooky airtight.
Serve, or store wrapped cookies up to 3 days at room temperature.
Freeze to store longer.
Makes 24 cookies.