And Now For Important Political Issues…Cookies

With Bob Dole the Republican presidential nominee and Bill Clinton receiving the formal Democratic nod tonight, it’s time to take a hard look at the cookie issue.

The current Family Circle magazine includes the cookie recipes of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Elizabeth Dole, with readers asked to be the judges.

Four years ago, you may recall, Family Circle printed the chocolate-chip cookie recipes of Clinton and Barbara Bush, with Hillary winning the reader poll at a little more than 55 percent of the vote.

Here are the Dole-Clinton recipes, so you can do your own test - and vote for your favorite by postcard, if you like. Send ballots by Sept. 9 to Cook-Off, Family Circle, 110 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10011.

The winner will be announced, naturally, in November.

Clinton’s Chocolate Chips

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup solid vegetable shortening

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheet.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda on waxed paper.

Beat together shortening, sugars and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beating until light and fluffy. On low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture and rolled oats. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop batter by well-rounded measuring teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden.

Cool cookies on sheets on wire rack for 2 minutes. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: About 90 cookies.

Dole’s Pecan-Roll Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine, at room temperature

1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for coating baked cookies

1 tablespoon cold water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Grease baking sheet.

With mixer on medium speed, beat together margarine and 1/4 cup powdered sugar in medium-size bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in water and vanilla. On low speed, gradually beat in flour. Mix in pecans with wooden spoon or by hand.

With floured hands, roll 2 teaspoons dough for each cookie into datelike shapes. Place on greased baking sheet. Score top of each cookie lengthwise with knife.

Bake for 45 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm.

Yield: About 45 cookies.