As a little girl, I loved Arnold Lobel. My absolute favorites were his Frog and Toad stories. I've been known to get a faraway look in my eyes and say, "Frog and Toad are friends" in the most inappropriate times, such as brushing my teeth.

Arthur also loves the Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel. One of his favorites is "Cookies" in which Toad makes cookies for Frog and they can't stop devouring them. Finally, after a break in their willpower, Frog gives all the cookies to birds.

This afternoon, I asked Arthur what kind of cookies he'd like to make and he said, "Frog Cookies." After a good 15-minute online search, I found numerous iced frog-shaped cookies (which would not do because Toad's cookies were more like chocolate chip) as well as a philosophical discussion about the story itself, a suitable recipe turned up here.

I was a bit skeptical, but the crush-up cereal added a nice crunch. Next time, I'd use less cereal - three cups instead of four. I also added a cup of raisins since I didn't have any chocolate chips. Here's my modified recipe.

On the Menu: Frog Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup coconut
1 cup raisins
1 cup rolled oats
3 cups crushed-up cereal* (I used granola and Cheerios)

Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add flour, baking soda, salt, oats, raisins, and coconut. Once well-mixed, add the cereal a little at a time until incorporated. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into balls and squash gently. Bake for 10-14 minutes, depending on whether you want a chewy or crunchy cookie.

Blessed be.

* For extra fun, put the cereal into a large ziploc and let your children jump on it (like a frog!) to crush it.



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