This family recipe has a lot of sentimental meaning for me. I used to bake Little Girls with my grandmother, it's clearly one of my fondest childhood memories. She named them Little Girls because they're "made of sugar, and spice and everything nice". The entire house would smell wonderful, I'd helped, so I was quite pleased with my culinary expertise!

As a mother now, I really do enjoy cooking with kids, especially making homemade cookies. It's great for their self-esteem. Plus, they do actually learn in the process: about measurement, temperature, timing, etc... I love baking with kids because I know it's creating for them the same memories I had in the kitchen with my grandmother. This family recipe is something my kids absolutely love, no doubt the name "Little Girls" is particularly appealling to my girls. But all three of my kids love them. Try them! I've never met anyone who doesn't rant and rave about them. So, go ahead, get your kids in the kitchen and enjoy these soft cookies!

1) Cream the following ingredients in a mixer until fluffy:

• 1/2 c. shortening
• 1 1/3 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. cloves
• 1/2 t. allspice

2) Sift together:

• 2 c. sifted flour (if you're baking with kids, this is great for them to do).
• 1 t. baking soda

3) Add the flour/soda mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with 1/4 c. milk.

4) Stir in:

• 1 c. raisins
• 1 c. chopped nuts (your choice)
• 1 1/2 c. finely chopped apple (about 2 apples).

5) Drop by jeaping measuring teaspoons onto cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 13 minutes.

6) While the cookies are still quite warm, frost with this mixture:

• 2 c. confectioner's sugar
• 1 T. butter
• 1 T. cream

These also make wonderful holiday cookies are they are very festive. These get better as they age, so try to resist the tempation to devour immediately!