Melt the b.u.t.ter and mix in the cocoa until it"s thoroughly blended. Stir in the brown sugar. Let it cool slightly and then mix in the beaten eggs. Add the soda, salt, and vanilla. Stir until well blended. Add the flour and slivered almonds, and mix thoroughly.

Pat the dough into free form loaves, one inch high, 5 or 6 inches long, and 3 inches wide. Place them on a greased cookie sheet and bake them at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes.

Cool the loaves on the cookie sheets for approximately 5 minutes and then slice them (just like bread) into one-inch-thick pieces with a sharp knife. (The end pieces don"t need more baking - save them to dunk in your coffee while the rest are baking.) Place them on their cut sides on the greased cookie sheets. Bake the slices an additional 5 minutes, flip them over to expose the other cut side, and bake them for an additional 10 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to complete cooling.

These are great dunking cookies. If you want to make them look like frosted biscotti, just dip the tops in melted chips (I used milk chocolate), set them on a piece of wax paper, and refrigerate them to set the chocolate.

Yield: Approximately 3 dozen, depending on cookie size.

CHOCOLATE CHIP CRUNCH COOKIES.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

1 cup salted b.u.t.ter (2 sticks, pound melted)

1 cup white (granulated) sugar

1 cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 beaten eggs (you can just beat them up in a cup with a fork)

2 and cups flour (not sifted pack it down in the measuring

cup)

2 cups corn flakes

1 to 2 cups chocolate chips

Melt the b.u.t.ter, add the sugars, and stir them all together in a large mixing bowl. Add the soda, salt, vanilla, and beaten eggs. Mix well. Then add the flour and stir it in. Measure out the corn flakes and crush them with your hands. Then add them to your bowl, along with the chocolate chips. Mix everything up thoroughly.

Let the dough sit on the counter for a minute or two to rest. (It doesn"t really need to rest, but you probably do.) Form the dough into walnut-sized b.a.l.l.s with your fingers and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. (I used Pam to grease my cookie sheets.) Press the dough b.a.l.l.s down just a bit with your impeccably clean hand so they won"t roll off on the way to the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack until they"re completely cool. (The rack is important - it makes them crisp.) Yield: Approximately 6 to 8 dozen, depending on cookie size.

Hannah"s Note: If your cookies spread out too much in the oven, either chill the dough in the refrigerator before baking, or turn the dough out on a floured board and knead in approximately cup more flour.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY DELIGHTS.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

1 cup melted b.u.t.ter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, pound)

2 cups white (granulated) sugar

2 eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a gla.s.s with a fork)

teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon baking soda

teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened for baking)

3 cups flour (not sifted pack it down in the cup when you

measure it)

2 small, 10 oz. jars of maraschino cherries37

1 pkg. chocolate chips (12 oz. pkg. - 2 cups)

cup sweetened condensed milk (that"s sweetened

condensed, NOT evaporated)

Melt the b.u.t.ter and mix in the white sugar. Set it aside on the counter to cool.

When the mixture has cooled to a temperature that won"t cook the eggs, stir in the eggs and mix thoroughly.

Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, and cocoa, stirring after each addition.

Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition. (The dough will be stiff and a bit crumbly.) Drain the maraschino cherries into a strainer over a bowl to reserve the juice. Remove the cherry stems.

Pat the dough into walnut-sized b.a.l.l.s with your fingers. Place the dough b.a.l.l.s on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standardsized sheet. Press them down in center with your impeccably clean thumb to make a deep indentation. (If the health board"s around, use the bowl of a small spoon.) Place one cherry in each indentation.

Combine the chocolate chips and the sweetened condensed milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat them on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir. If the chips are not melted, process on HIGH in 1-minute increments until they can be stirred smooth. (You may have to keep zapping this to keep it from hardening as you bake the cookies.) Add approximately cup (2 Tablespoons) of the reserved cherry juice to the melted chocolate mixture you made. Stir it into a thick frosting. If the frosting is too thick, add more juice in small increments. (Test it with a teaspoon. If it doesn"t glob off, it"s too thick.) Spoon the frosting over the center of each cookie, just enough to cover each cherry. Make sure it doesn"t drip down the sides.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Hannah"s Note: For those who don"t like cherries, subst.i.tute well-drained pineapple tidbits, using the juice to thin the frosting. You can also use pecan halves or macadamia nuts and thin the frosting with cold coffee or water. If you don"t have anything to go on top, just glob the chocolate mixture into the indentations. That"s good too.

Yield: 8 to 10 dozen, depending on cookie size.

A plate of these should be in every psychiatrist"s office - two Chocolate Covered Cherry Delights will lift anyone out of a depression.

*CHOCOLATE DATE DROPS.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.