Bachelor Button Cookies ... and the evolution of the Rice Krispy Oatmeal Cookie revealed!

I know, I know. I should really hold off on this one and post it more toward Christmas (or at least after Thanksgiving), but I just couldn't help myself. As long as I'm on the topic of cookies, I have to say: The "Bachelor Button" cookie recipe has been found! I don't know where this original recipe came from ... and the handwriting is not my mother's. I have a feeling it may have been given to my mom by one of her friends (I'm remembering one, particular friend who was a fabulous cookie baker). At any rate, this cookie recipe is one that my mom submitted whenever there was a call for recipes. I recall seeing it with her name on it in one of those spiral-bound collections that are put together for fundraisers. Personally, I never, ever remember tasting it. The recipe calls for maraschino-cherry halves to be put on top before baking. I'll have to bake up a batch just to test it out (leaving off the cherries, of course). I think you can read this one fairly well, despite its age, and the vanilla- extract and coffee-ring stains. As you see, there are no Rice Krispies or oatmeal appearing in these; however, later on, my mother would add a red and green candied cherry half to the non-coconut Rice Krispy Oatmeal cookies and call them Christmas Wreaths. I must tell you that we, as children, hated the addition of the candied cherry. It's sort of like getting that dreaded pickle on your Chick-fil-A. Even after you remove it, the bun is soggy and pickle tainted. Same thing here with the cookie. Take off the candied cherry and you get a soft, cherry-tainted spot underneath. Ick. They do look festive, though, I'll give them that.

NOW, Just to make things a little more confusing, there is an actual "Christmas Wreath" cookie recipe (below) that looks suspiciously similar to the recipe found on the Rice Krispies website (the one that does have coconut in it), only this one calls for finely cut candied cherries added to the dough before baking. I don't remember eating these at all. However, the recipe looks very worn (just take a look at all those vanilla-extract spots), so it must have been used quite often! (Maybe the cookies were given away?)



My sister and I decided that my mother must have changed the original recipe to omit the coconut because my father insists that he hates coconut... and we hated candied cherries, so she omitted that, as well ... thus, THE Rice Krispy Oatmeal cookie was born!
Now you have several variations you can try ... with or without coconut and with or without cherries!
Note: I must add that if there's only a coconut-cream pie available for dessert, my Dad has been known to eat it and even, perhaps, ask for seconds. He doesn't like butterscotch, either, but if you should call it "caramel," instead, he'll dig right in.