From Aunt Ruby Bartley

1 cup nut meats (such as pecans) ground fine

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup vanilla wafers crumbled fine

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 tablespoons (⅛ cup) white corn syrup

¼ cup bourbon (or rum) (spiced rum is good)

Mix dry ingredients. Mix bourbon (or rum) into corn syrup. Mix everything together, roll into marbles, roll marbles in powdered sugar and let sit in refrigerator over night.

When choosing whether to go with bourbon or rum, the bourbon has a more adult taste. Use rum if your goal is to get small children drunk. This has worked (unintentionally) in the past. To be honest, everybody likes the rum balls, and Bill Freese likes the bourbon balls. Aunt Ruby was a woman who enjoyed her booze. When I visited her as an adult, in order to stay conscious, I had to sneak into the kitchen to water my own drinks.

3 bars (¾ pound) butter or margarine

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons garlic salt

2 teaspoons celery salt

1 pound mixed salted nuts

1 12-oz. package shredded wheat squares

1 6-oz. package crisp rice cereal

1 7-oz. package doughnut shaped oat cereal

1 6-oz. package small pretzels

Heat oven to slow (250°F). In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add Worchestershire sauce and seasoned salts. REmove from heat and let stand to marry flavors. In a large roasting pan, combine nuts ,cereals, pretzels. Pour butter sauce over cereal mixture and mix lightly. Bake uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring and tossing lightly every 20 minutes. Spread out on paper towls or brown paper to drain and cool for several hours. Store in an air-tight container to keep crisp.

From Grandma Mary Maitland Bartley
The favorites of Jean Freese

Dough

1 cup sugar

½ cup butter

1 egg beaten light (gently beaten to a light yellow)

½ cup milk

3 ½ cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

dash salt

Chill, roll very thin.

Filling

½ can grated pineapple (or 1 pkg dates heated with a little water)

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Cut cookies into small circles. Put half of them on cookie sheets. Put a dollop of filling on one circle, and put another circle on top. Crimp edges together. 

Cook at 350° for 10-12 minutes.

Putting icing on these cookies is allowed, and even, by some, encouraged.

(Original written version said "Cook. Casey knows how." Aunt Casey died before I was born.)

From Great Aunt Cecil Maitland

6 oz. pkg. chocolate bits

6 oz. pkg. butterscotch bits

1 square unsweetened chocolate

#303 (right!) can chow mein noodles

Melt chocolate & butterscotch over low heat (warm on electric skillet). Do not stir until melted.

Turn heat off and blend until smooth. Add chow mein noodles & mix until they are coated with chocolate. Drop from tsp. on waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm. Move them into a tin, and keep it in the refrigerator.

I think the original surprise was the hidden chow mein noodles. The real surprise is how fast these go away. "Surprise! This tin is empty."