Magic Aquaterra Archers' Cookies

Sift these ingredients together and set aside:

• 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt

Beat these ingredients until creamy:

• 2 cups softened butter (NOT margarine)
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 cups brown sugar (packed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon rum flavoring
• 1 teaspoon water
• 4 eggs

Stir these in last:

• 12 ounces Nestles' semi-sweet Tollhouse morsels
• 6 ounces Nestles' Butterscotch morsels
• 6 ounces Guitard White Chocolate morsels
• 2 cups chopped, toasted almonds

Set out the butter to soften ahead of time in a large bowl. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees (be sure to compensate if your oven runs a little hot, like mine). Cream the butter all by itself, then add in your sugars and beat until creamy, then add the vanilla and rum flavoring (you can use all vanilla instead, or half vanilla and half almond extract) and beat until creamy again. Then beat in the four eggs. Put in half of the sifted dry ingredients at a time, and mix well. Then throw in your morsels and the optional toasted, chopped almonds.* Drop dough by one teaspoon-full each onto greased cookie sheets (I like them smallish like this, as I prefer them at this doneness, they are bite-size, and therefore do not break so easily during the brief time they spend in the Sacred Cookie Jar.) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

*The allegedly magical thing about these cookies is that the almonds I use are grown by a really crusty old fart I know named Grunge Senior. Be of good cheer, for you too can purchase top quality almonds grown by this geezer, as he sells his crops to Blue Diamond!

Archers at butts from the Luttrell Psalter in the British Museum.
Cookie target by Jora Sveinsdottir. Originally published in On Target, V.1, I.2, Spring 1996.
Graphic layout by Giovanni dell'Arco