Two sweet Crumb cake, cowboy cookies a pair of desserts to make others pale in comparison

Think back to your own or your children's grammar school days andthe memories might include a favorite teacher's caring face, passingnotes to your best friend, mastering reading or school yard antics.

If you happen to ask Diane Ketchen of Hickory Hills what one ofher favorite memories from her son's school days is, she may saycrumb cake.

Ketchen sent us a recipe for a streusel-topped, sour cream crumbcake that she received from a friend she met during her son's grammarschool days, more than 25 years ago.

Baked in a jelly roll pan, this simple yet elegant, finelytextured cake is irresistible. Serve it warm from the oven and itwill melt in your mouth. Bake it ahead of time and serve it at roomtemperature at your next brunch, family breakfast or dinner.

Judith Neher of Crown Point, Ind., answered a recent request forMargie's Cowboy Cookies, which happens to be one of my all-time-favorite cookie recipes ever. These cookies are chock-full of oats,chocolate chips, flaked coconut and chopped nuts; think of them asToll House cookies on steroids.

Once you try these, you'll never go back to plain chocolate chipcookies again, and if eating raw cookie dough is a guilty secretpleasure, you've found heaven.

Requests

I am looking for a cookies and cream pie recipe like the oneserved at Baker's Square restaurants. It is so good and I have beenunable to find a recipe that even comes close to it. Please help.

N.W., Des Plaines

Does anyone have a recipe for a peanut butter pie? I think it ismade with crunchy peanut butter, cream cheese and whipped cream in apastry crust. Thanks in advance.

T.K., Lockport

I have misplaced my recipe for a bar cookie made with Germanchocolate cake mix and caramel. They are so easy and really good butI can't remember how to make them, please help.

R.J., Chicago

Send recipes and requests to: Swap Shop, Chicago Sun-Times, 350 N.Orleans, 9th Floor, Chicago 60654. All mail must include a daytimetelephone number. Sorry, requests can't be answered personally.

Sour cream crumb cake

MAKES 24 SERVINGS

Batter:

7/8 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sour cream

Streusel topping:

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

7/8 cup butter (1 stick)

To prepare batter: Lightly grease a 10-by-15-inch jelly roll panand set aside. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter andsugar on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs andvanilla and mix until blended. Stir in flour, baking powder andbaking soda. Add sour cream and mix until well blended. Pour batterinto prepared pan and set aside.

To prepare topping: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and coldbutter with a pastry cutter or two knives and mix until it resemblescorn meal. Sprinkle topping over reserved batter and bake in apreheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until top is lightlybrowned.

Diane Ketchen, Hickory Hills

Nutrition facts per serving: 214 calories, 10 g fat, 6 g saturatedfat, 43 mg cholesterol, 28 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 74 mgsodium, 0 g fiber

Margie's

cowboy cookies

MAKES 4 DOZEN

17/8 cups butter or margarine (3 sticks), at room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, whip butter or margarine andsugar on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, vanillaand salt and beat well.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder.Slowly add to the creamed butter-sugar mixture and stir until wellblended. Remove from mixer and using a large wooden spoon, stir inoats, chocolate chips, coconut and nuts until well combined.

Line cookie sheets with baking parchment and drop dough, byrounded tablespoonful onto prepared pans, about 2 inches apart. Bakein a preheated 350-degree oven for 7-12 minutes or until light goldenbrown with tiny cracks on top of the cookies.

Nutrition facts per serving: 239 calories, 12 g fat, 6 g saturatedfat, 34 mg cholesterol, 32 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 123 mgsodium, 2 g fiber