(From Joanne Flukes, “Cream Puff Murder”)

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup unsweetened applesauce, well drained

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

20-ounce can crushed pineapple (very well drained)

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts (measure after chopping)

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup coconut (chopped a little finer than it comes out of the bag)

3 cups finely grated carrots

Beat the butter, sugar, and eggs together until all three ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and the mixture is smooth, fluffy, and light yellow in color.

Make sure your applesauce is well drained. (I pat off any excess liquid with a paper towel before I add it to my bowl). Add the applesauce to your bowl and mix in thoroughly.

Mix in the vanilla extract.

Blend in the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix it well, until the dough is smooth and is a uniform color.

Mix in the pineapple, golden raisins, and walnuts.

Blend in the flour, about a rounded cupful at a time so it doesn’t spill out of the bowl.

Stir in the coconut by hand. When it’s incorporated, stir in the shredded carrots by hand. Make sure everything is blended.

The dough will be thick and rather sticky.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Prepare your cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.

Drop by 2 Tablespoon-sized dough onto the cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard-size cookie sheet.

Wet your fingers to shape the dough into rounds, to them more uniform.

Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheets for a minute, and then remove them to wire racks to cool.

Frost with cream cheese frosting when cool.

Yield: approximately 10 dozen