The compliment

When you get to a certain age, you realize you aren't cool anymore.

You get song titles mixed up, you mispronounce band names.

You listen to the wrong radio stations.

Sometimes you even know their school teachers on a first-name basis.

That why's you appreciate compliments any way they come. And I got one of those yesterday from a friend of my sixteen-year-old daughter. A few girls had come over to work on a project, and I was trying to stay out of their way. But when I finally came downstairs, one of them looked at me and said, approvingly, "You dress like a normal person!"

I assume that is the opposite of dressing like a mother. And I will remind my daughter of that compliment the next time she catches me listening to the wrong radio station.

Nobody minds me being a mother when I bake cookies like these. Delightfully old-fashioned, they're spicy and soft, and a perfect after-school snack for daughters, mothers, and anyone else who loves a good cookie.

By the way, I asked my daughter to proofread this post before I put it up. She suggested I change the word 'hip' (which I originally used in the first sentence) to 'cool'. Because apparently hip isn't cool anymore, at least if you're a mother.

Molasses Raisin Cookies

(adapted from Robin Hood Flour)

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar (first amount)

1/3 cup molasses

1 egg

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup raisins

granulated sugar for rolling (second amount)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter and 1 cup sugar in large mixing bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and creamy in texture. Add molasses and egg. Beat until well-blended.

Combine flours, baking soda, spices and salt in a small bowl. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Mix well and stir in raisins. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Shape dough into 1" balls, and roll in sugar to coat well.

Place on prepared baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.