*MELODY’S COOKIES* (CORN FLAKE, PEANUT BUTTER AWESOMENESS)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c. corn syrup
1/2 c. sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups corn flakes

DIRECTIONS:

Put corn syrup and sugar in heavy pan and boil gently until sugar dissolves. 

Add: peanut butter, vanilla and corn flakes. Stir until well mixed. 

Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper or spread in 9X13 pan. Cool.

*This recipe started out as "Chela's Cookies", a recipe given to Chela by her grandmother, Ninetta LaVern Griggs. She came to visit after a baby (Catrin) was born and Chela being 5 was bored. Ninetta was always more concerned about the older siblings than she was with the baby. I guess she thought the Mom could take care of the baby, but the older siblings needed a little TLC. She created this recipe and named it after Chela.

To share this recipe you MUST name the cookie after the child the cookies are given to... ie. Melody, Jane or Peter. You can change the recipe by changing the cereal or adding chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, dried fruit, frosting, melted chocolate on top etc. Literally making "Their cookie" because it's about out their favorite things. Enjoy and please spread the love Chela’s grandmother gave to her around a bit.

Pistachio/ Macadamia Nut Pudding Cookies

When I make these next, I will post pictures of these.

1 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar (I use ½ cup)

1/4 cup white sugar (I use about 1/5 cup extra fine baker’s sugar)

2 (3.4ounce) package instant Pistachio Pudding mix

2 1/4 cups flour (I used a mixture of whole wheat pastry, all purpose, self rising and white whole wheat flours)

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 or 2 drops green food coloring (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped pistachios or Macadamia nuts

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used one cup milk chocolate and 1 cup semi-sweet)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in pudding mix until blended. Add the eggs, vanilla and food coloring(optional). Mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix to combine. Stir in pistachios or macadamia nuts and chocolate chips.

Place golf ball sized dough balls on a cookie sheet . Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes (rotating after 4 minutes). Do not over-bake! Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet before moving to a cooking rack. Store in air-tight container (I suggest doing this while they're still a little warm if you like your cookies on the chewy side)