Recipes from Aunt Flora -- Spicette Cookies

I was invited to a cookie exchange this year and decided to expand the repertoire a little bit. We all are used to the peanut butter kisses cookies, the chocolate crinkles, the snickerdoodles, and other fairly traditional well-known treats. I knew I was going to take the brittle from one side of my family, which I've already made about 10 batches of in a week, but I wanted to try something else. I had been passing this Spicette Cookie recipe every time I flipped through Aunt Flora's family book, so I was waiting for the perfect opportunity.

I did finally manage to find spice drops - aka gum drops like they usually have at Easter and throughout the year, but have a more anise flavoring in the granulated sugar coating - at my fourth drug store, after missing them early in the Christmas season (back in OCTOBER!). It was a mixed box of colors, so I picked through to find the red, green, and white ones (cinnamon, wintergreen, and peppermint). If there was a blue spice drop, you could use those and the yellow ones for a Hanukkah party.

With the oatmeal, coconut, and candy, it's pretty sweet and sneakily filling. I could have added some cloves/cinnamon to the mix to pick up the anise flavors in the candy though.

Spicette Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

1 cup spiced gum drops, cut in pieces
1 cup coconut

Cream shortening and sugar. [Set aside.]
[In separate bowl,] Sift dry ingredients together. [Set aside.]
Add eggs to sugar mixture [mix well], and then add teaspoon vanilla, [and mix well.]
Add rolled oats and dry ingredients [to wet batter, and mix well].
[Add coconut and gum drops to the batter and mix well.]
Place on a cookie sheet and cook at 375 degrees for 8 minutes [or until done.]

With my cookie scooper, I got 4 dozen.

From the cookie exchange, I got WAY too many cookies. The IT boys might, or might not, get to enjoy some of them.

Also, parchment paper? I am late to the bandwagon, but I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS STUFF!