Lost holiday traditions

It's wonderful to watch young ones grow up to be healthy adults who are respectful of their bodies and the items they put into those temples.

Just the same, I'm a little saddened when holiday time rolls around and traditions I cherish are rejected because the young ones don't eat sugar anymore. Or wheat. Or any type of grain. Alright, just one has gone that far, but the other doesn't care much for sweets. Or chocolate.

Huh?

That goes against my favorite tradition — baking beautiful, artfully done confections unlike any others you'll find the rest of the year. Doesn't anybody like Christmas cookies any longer?

I baked two batches last weekend and, rather than wait for them to go uneaten around the house, I brought the applesauce cookies into the office. Let's test the waters and see how long they last, I thought. Fortunately, I've found some takers here, and some who come back for more. They may not last until the end of the day ... I think it's the secret ingredient!

Here's the recipe:

Applesauce Cookies

Cream 1 Cup butter with 1 Cup brown sugar and 1 Cup white sugar.

Sift together 1 tsp. baking soda, pinch of salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (trust me, the cayenne and cinnamon work beautifully together!) and 2 Cups flour.

Mix dry ingredients with creamed butter and sugars.

Add 1 Cup Oatmeal, 1 1/2 Cups raisins and 1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoons onto baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes in 375 degree oven.