Patty's Birthday Gift

Patty (the birthday girl in orange) & Clarke

Anyone who knows me knows I love to bake cookies. I've discovered that I can make countless types of cookies from about 3 basic recipes, simply by adding different ingredients. One of my favourite basics comes from an old family recipe for Dorothy's Crispies, in honour of Dorothy Allen, a well loved friend of my grandmother's.

I forgot to take a photo of these yummy little babies before I delivered them to my friend, Patty, for her birthday today. She's my neighbour, a gorgeous diva who has always been happy to try out my food experiments. One day, she requested cookies with coconut, butterscotch and pecans, so I invented this recipe for her. Now I always make her a batch for special occasions, and for her birthday today I also tucked in some Parisian tea...and a few cute bracelets.

Butter Pecan Cookies

1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 package butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar until well blended; add egg and vanilla, mixing well. Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda, mixing until combined (do not overmix or cookies will be tough). Add oats, coconut, pecans and chips and mix gently just until combined.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat liner. Using a medium ice cream scoop, form balls of dough and place on sheets, keeping a couple of inches apart. Press tops of cookies to flatten lightly. Bake for about 12 minutes, until light golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To Serve:
Package in food-safe cellophane bags and tie with beautiful ribbon. These cookies also freeze well and are nice to keep on hand for hostess gifts or to thaw before friends drop by for coffee.