But she also tracks the history of cookies in America — from when the term was first used in print as “cookey” in 1796, to the accidental creation of Tollhouse chocolate-chip cookies in 1930, to the arrival of macadamia nut-studded cookies more than 50 years later.

        Ever since she was old enough to stick raisin “eyes” into gingerbread men, working with her mother and grandmother, Ms. Baggett has been making cookies. She has written more than a dozen cookbooks, including International Chocolate Cookbook (out-of-print), winner of an International Association of Culinary Professionals award.

BOOK SIGNING

Author Nancy Baggett will sign copies of The All-American Cookie Book 1:30-2:30 p.m. todayat Books & Co. (350 E. Stroop Road), Kettering. (800) 777-4881.

        Between cooking classes and a book promotional tour, Ms. Baggett answered cookie questions from her home kitchen in Ellicott City, Md.

        Question: Are all the cookies in your book “all-American?”

Answer: Yes, although a few recipes, such as the Pecan Rugelach, have been adapted by immigrants. Another is Mom's Lebkuchen (from her mother-in-law, Miriam Baggett). In Germany, lubkuchen was traditionally made with honey because sugar wasn't available. But German immigrants adapted the recipe using molasses and pecans (instead of walnuts). . . . Brownies are totally American. They were created around the turn of the 20th century. (The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, published in 1906, may have been the first to include a brownie recipe.)

        Q: Do Americans make the best cookies?

        A: I suppose they do, but it depends on your taste. The Danish make very fine cookies, as well as the Germans, Swiss and Austrians. . . . Our style is different — very mellow, rich, full-bodied and not much fuss to make. Our repertoire is the broadest, and overall taste appeal is probably the best.

        Q: Considering recent events and the wave of patriotism, the release of your book is well-timed.

       A: It was purely coincidental. The book was originally scheduled to come out last fall. . . . I wanted to do this because I felt Americans tend to have an inferiority complex about food. But it's not true. We tend to be pragmatic, not to make things too difficult. But we do have a strong food tradition.

        Q: For novice bakers, which is the best type of cookie to begin making?

        A: Bar cookies, like the Lowney's Brownies, are easy. A child could make those brownies. They're almost as simple as using a box mix.

        Q: Important question: Which do you prefer using in cookie recipes — butter or margarine?

        A: Butter, although I do have a couple of recipes in the book that call for half margarine. But always stick margarine.

        Q: Salted or unsalted butter?

        A: I like unsalted, because the salt will sometimes mask butter that has been kept too long. You can also control the salt flavor more in recipes if you use unsalted butter.

        Q: What do you think is the most common mistake when making cookies?

        A: One big mistake is not having the butter at the right consistency when making the dough. The dough should be soft enough to allow you to poke an indentation with your finger, but the indentation shouldn't stay. One of the biggest questions I get is, “Why do my cookies spread so much?” The answer is the butter was probably too soft. If the butter or dough is soft, put it in the refrigerator a few minutes.

        Another mistake is the tendency, when the dough seems wet or soft, to add more flour. Don't do that. If you let the dough set on the counter a few minutes, it will probably stiffen.

        Q: So what do you think of using prepared cookie dough, the kind you just slice and bake?

        A: If you really feel you don't have the expertise or the time to make cookies from scratch, it would be better to make those (slice and bake) with your kids than nothing. Spending time with your children is so precious. The fun of being together, creating something as a team, and at least there's a connection between something going on in the kitchen and eating it. If the only cookies we eat are from a bag, then we're really missing something.

Recipe

        Shaped like little doughnuts, the Lemon Jumbles in The All-American Cookie Book are based on an 1879 recipe from a book titled Housekeeping in Virginia.

Lemon Jumbles
       

        2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
       1 teaspoon cream of tartar
        1/2 teaspoon baking soda
        1/4 teaspoon salt
       2 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened
       Scant 1 cup sugar
       1 large egg
       Generous 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
       1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
       1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
       GLAZE (optional)
       1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
       1 tablespoon unsalted butter, very warm but not melted
       1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, room temperature
        1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
       2 drops almond extract (optional)
       1 to 2 drops yellow food coloring
       2 tablespoons chopped, sliced or slivered almonds (optional)

        Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease several cookie sheets or coat with nonstick spray.

        In large bowl, stir together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; set aside. In another large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, sugar, egg, lemon zest, juice and almond extract until light and well-blended. Beat or stir in flour mixture.

        Gather up dough and shape into ball. Cut it into quarters. Shape each quarter into a flat disk. Score each disk into quarters, then cut into 12 wedges. Roll each wedge to form an evenly thick 4 1/2-to-5-inch-long rope. Bring ends of each rope together and press firmly to create ring. Space about 1 1/4 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, in the middle third of oven 8 to 12 minutes, until faintly browned at edges. Reverse sheets front-to-back halfway through baking time. Using spatula, immediately remove cookies to wire racks to cool.

        To make optional glaze, mix all ingredients except chopped almonds in small bowl. Add more lemon juice, if needed, to produce thin glaze. Set wire racks over wax paper. Dip the top of each cookie into glaze; shake off excess. Sprinkle cookies with almond bits, if using. Let glaze set, about 1 hour. Makes 48 2 1/2-inch cookies.

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