I’ve written before about how Wanda Webb was the cooking guru of our childhood. She was my childhood best friend’s mom, and she was an amazing cook. Sadly, my own mom wasn’t great in the kitchen, so I learned more from Wanda during my formative years than anyone else. I’ve had requests for some of her recipes that have been lost even to her own family members, so I think this blog is a good spot to put more of her recipes for the sake of her many descendants and others who want to learn about the recipes she created. Note: this is not gluten-free (nor should it be), but these cookies are delicious and they have ingredients I didn’t even know existed (I thought mace was for warding off attackers). This is for her daughter, Wendy Kay Webb LeFave, who became my BFF when I was three and she was two. In fact, at that very young toddler age, we took an adventure together way across El Cajon (putting our families in a panic that involved the police), and I swear, I thought Wanda would never let me see Wendy again after that. Luckily she did, and I gained a lot by hanging around the Webb house.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs; • 1 cup butter; • 1 cup shortening; • 2 cups brown sugar; • 2 cups granulated sugar; • 2 t. vanilla; • 1 t. butter flavor; • 1 t. rum flavor; • 1 t. coconut flavor;

• 3 cups flour; • 2 t. baking soda; • 2 t. salt; • 4 t. cinnamon; • 2 t. allspice; • 1 t. nutmeg; • 1 t. mace; • 6 cups oatmeal; • 4 cups raisins; • 2 cups chopped nuts; • 2 cups coconut.

Directions:

Cream the first set of ingredients together in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Next, sift the second set of dry ingredients together in a separate bowl (does anyone still use sifters from the 1960s? I don’t but Wanda did back in the day). Then fold the dry ingredients into the first creamed mixture.

Drop by teaspoonful on a greased baking sheet. Bake 350 degrees about 8-10 minutes.