Since Yom Tov meals are inevitably meat, I have developed quite a repertoire of pareve drop and bar cookie recipes. The No Bake Chocolate Ball recipe, from my Perfectly Pareve Cookbook, is the first recipe I taught my culinary challenged sons how to make and is perfect for getting your children involved in helping prepare for any and all holiday meals.

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE BALLS (pareve)

In a food processor combine the margarine, sugar, oats, toasted coconut and coconut and process until the mixture is very fine. Add the run and water and blend well. Shape 1/2 tablespoons into small balls and then roll them one by one in either the coconut or chocolate sprinkles. Let set for at least 1/2 hour before serving. Keep cool but do not refrigerate. Makes about 20. This recipe can be doubled but not tripled.

From Perfectly Pareve by Eileen Goltz

APRICOT RAISIN SQUARES (pareve)

Chop the apricots and place them in saucepan with the raisins and 3/4 cup cold water. Add the lemon juice, cornstarch and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool. Grease a 9X13 pan and set it aside. Preheat oven to 375. In large bowl cream together the margarine and brown sugar. Add the flour, baking powder and oats. Mix well. Pat half the mixture into the greased pan. Spread cooled filling over mixture. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over filling. Pat it down gently. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until the top is crisp and brown. Let cool slightly and cut into bars. Makes approx. 20 squares. This bar cookie freezes very well.

ALMOND BEAR CLAWS (pareve)

Preheat oven to 375. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the 2/3 cup powdered sugar, almond paste, 2 tablespoons of the beaten egg (reserve the remaining egg for the glaze), and salt; beat until smooth. Unfold the puff pastry. Spread almond mixture lengthwise down center third of each rectangle. Fold uncovered dough over almond mixture and gently press the edges together. Cut each rectangle into 4 pieces. Place the cut pieces on the on greased cookie sheet, seam side down. Brush surface of each piece with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle the tops with the remaining powdered sugar. On each piece, cut 4 slashes from one folded edge to center; bend dough slightly to separate slashes. Sprinkle tops with almonds and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Makes 8. This recipe can be doubled.

MOLASSES OATMEAL COOKIES (pareve)

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all the ingredients, EXCEPT, the oats, into mixing bowl. Beat well. Stir in the rolled oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until browned. Do not over bake; these cookies should be slightly soft. They will harden as they cool. Makes 30 to 32 large cookies.

WOMAN’S DAY HERMIT RECIPE (pareve)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl cream together the margarine and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, clovers and nutmeg. Add the sifted dry ingredients and raisins and nut to the creamed mixture. Mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Makes 2 dozen cookies. This cookie is great with a maple frosting

RAISIN PUFFS (pareve)

This soft cookie melts in your mouth. It's easy and quick to make too

In a small saucepan, bring the raisins, water, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to a boil. Remove from heat, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350. Grease the cookie sheets. In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Drain the raisins and stir them into the mixture. Put the 3 tablespoons of sugar into a small bowl. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in the sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, cookies should be firm. Makes 5 to 6 dozen cookies.

SESAME COOKIES (pareve)

You can use a lot more sesame seeds to coat the cookies than the recipe calls for because if you really love sesame seeds.

Beat together the tahina, sugars, butter, margarine and egg. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and mix well. Stir the flour mixture into the tahina mixture, and mix well. Cover and chill until easy to handle (2 hours or overnight). Preheat oven to 375. In a 6" frying pan, at medium heat, stir sesame seeds until lightly toasted. Cool. Shape the dough in 1" balls. Dip the cookies into the toasted seeds and place them on the cookie sheets. Press the cookies down with a fork, making a crisscross pattern on each with a floured fork.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes on hot cookie sheets, then transfer to racks to cool. Store at room temperature for up to a week. Makes about 40 cookies.

Sunset Magazine, Oct., 1983

SUPER SUGAR CUT OUT COOKIES (pareve)

These cookies are my favorite cut out cookies, The recipe was given to me by my girlfriend Laurel several years ago and I use it for all my Yontif cut out cookies. I have included 2 dairy variations (for Shavuot and the 9 days) as the taste is AMAZING when you add butter. The cookies are all prepared the same, the ingredients are just different. The dairy cookies have a mild vanilla flavor, the rich dairy cookies are very rich with a wonderful almond flavor, and the pareve cookies have a nice orange scent.

Pareve ingredients

Dairy ingredients

Dairy ingredients II

Cream the margarine and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the egg(s) until the mixture is very light and fluffy. Add the remaining dry ingredients and liquid ingredients in alternating doses, mixing well after each addition. Chill for at least two hours. Preheat oven to 375. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board thinly and cut with your favorite cookie cutters. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks and frost if desired. Store in a tightly sealed container

CHOCOLATE PECAN COOKIES (pareve)

Warning – these cookies are definitely not for those on a diet!

In a mixer bowl, on medium speed, beat the margarine until lightened in texture. Add the sugar and beat for 5 minutes until light in color and texture. Beat in the vanilla. Place the pecans, flour, salt and cinnamon in a processor bowl. Pulse-process until the nuts are finely ground. Add the flour mixture to the butter, and beat on low speed, until well mixed and forming a dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 with racks in the upper and lower positions. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a jumbo zip-lock bag (cut open on 3 sides). roll 1/4 of the dough to 1/8". Cut out cookies using a 2 –inch round cookie cutter. On half of the cookies cut out a center hole using a 1/2-inch round cookie cutter (if you have a triangle cutter, this looks great for Purim). Repeat with the remaining dough. Place in the oven, and bake for 7 minutes. Switch the lower cookie sheet to the upper rack, and vice versa. Continue to bake for another 6-8 minutes, until the cookies are golden. Slide the parchment onto cooling racks, and let the cookies cool completely. Melt the chocolate (in a microwave on medium heat, or over hot water). Spread a thin layer of chocolate on the flat side of the cookies without the holes and top with the cookies with the holes. (do only a few at a time so that the chocolate doesn’t harden before you put on the tops). For even more decorative cookies, chocolate can also be drizzled over the tops. Let the chocolate harden before storing.

Cookies are best eaten within 2 days, but can be frozen for 3 months.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.