There is a touching Jewish tradition of feeding a child a piece of honey cake on the first day of school so that the child associates learning with sweetness. Today, to mark the hundredth post in this blog and to offer readers some pleasure to associate with it, I present my late grandmother’s recipe for sour cream cookies.

Try not to eat all the batter yourself.

Clara Rhodes Early’s Sour Cream Cookies

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

3 well-beaten eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sour cream

5 cups sifted flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon soda

1 ½ cups nuts (optional)

Drop from teaspoon onto cookie sheet.

Press down.

Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.