Just Desserts for Troops in Mideast : Baking: Operation Cookie delivers: tips on what to send and how to send it.

“Thanks a million for the cookies. It means a lot for us to know that back home the people care. It was a nice surprise to receive some home cooking. Operation Cookie to us deployed servicemen (and women) is a complete success. Keep up the good work.”

-- Sgt. William Evan s, U.S. Air Force

Mail--letters and packages--are among the biggest morale boosters to the men and women involved in Operation Desert Shield, according to reports from the Middle East. Whether it comes from family, friends or even strangers doesn’t matter; everything is welcome.

Anyone willing to bake and package a batch of cookies can take part in Operation Cookie, a nationwide grass-roots effort to airlift cookies to the troops. The endeavor began when Karen Buker, of Federal Way, Wash., posted a request--on a national computer bulletin board--for cookie recipes she could send her son in Saudi Arabia.

In response, she not only received recipes but cookies and letters from all across the United States. When mailing complications arose, Sylvia Mease, a Florida homemaker, arranged for the cookies to be shipped, space available, from Patrick Air Force Base. To date more than 500 boxes (weighing between one and 25 pounds) of cookies have been sent to the Middle East.

Islamic laws are strict, so recipes should not contain alcohol. Buker also suggests including a note or letter. Send cookies to either Operation Cookie, c/o Stephen Butler, 4874 Palm Ave., La Mesa, Calif. 92041-3812, or Operation Cookie, c/o Sub-Trek 1, 190 Malabar Road, No. 119, Palm Bay West Center, Palm Bay, Fla. 32907.

Packages personally addressed to family or friends are sent via the U.S. Postal Service to an APO (Army and Air Force) or FPO (Navy and Marine) box in either New York or San Francisco. The Army Post Office, Air Post Office or Fleet Post Office will handle delivery from those points. Packages may not exceed 70 pounds or 108 inches total dimension (length and girth combined).

The U.S. Army National Public Affairs Office recommends sending oatmeal, molasses and sugar cookies, as well as brownies. Other suggested items for mailing are hard candy, peanut butter, canned fruit and tuna, and unsalted pretzels and snacks. Basically, food that melts or contains a lot of salt should be avoided.

When selecting recipes, keep in mind that it takes 10 days to three weeks for delivery. Fruit cakes and moist quick breads will stay fresh longer and travel better than yeast breads. Bar cookies are a better choice than thin, or tender varieties.

The best damage insurance during shipping is a careful job of packing. Begin by totally covering the item with plastic wrap, then foil. This is relatively easy in the case of cakes and breads. Bar cookies can be wrapped without cutting; delicate cookies should be individually wrapped and packed in layers, with cushioning between. Some items can be baked in inexpensive aluminum pans; after cooling, the same pans will give extra support during shipping.

Place the items in a sturdy corrugated carton that has all the flaps intact so it can be securely closed. Since new cartons are not always available, used cartons are acceptable if checked for flaws. Be certain to carefully mark out all old addresses to eliminate any confusion. The carton needs to be large enough to hold the item or items in addition to plenty of cushioning material.

The U.S. Postal Service suggests using polystyrene, excelsior or shredded newspaper for cushioning. Popcorn is not recommended because it can absorb hazardous fumes from the aircraft and become toxic.

Cushioning should lightly overfill the container before closure. That way even after it settles, the item or items will be prevented from moving around during shipping. When several items are in the same package, they must be protected from each other too.

Sturdy tape should be used to close the carton. Pressure-sensitive, filament-reinforced tape or reinforced paper tape 2 inches to 3 inches wide is recommended by the Post Office. Masking tape is not acceptable because it has a paper base and breaks easily. For extra strength, start the tape on the side of the carton adjacent to the closure.

Clearly print the address directly on the box or a firmly affixed label. Use a felt tip marker or ball point pen to prevent smudging if it gets wet. Include the full address, including ZIP Code.

String or twine should not be used on the outside of packages. This can get caught in machinery used in transporting packages to destinations.

Kathie Jenkins contributed to this article.

This recipe from “City Cuisine” (William Morrow & Co., 1989: $19.95) by Sue Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken is a particularly good version of an old favorite.

OLD-FASHIONED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 cups soft peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

Combine 3 cups flour, salt and baking soda. Add to peanut butter mixture, stirring just until flour disappears.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter each for small cookies or 3 tablespoons each for jumbos on lightly buttered and floured or parchment-lined baking sheets. Dip tines of fork into flour and score each cookie in traditional crisscross pattern.

Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes for small cookies, 20 minutes for jumbos. Edges should just begin to turn golden. Remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks. Makes 50 small or 18 jumbo cookies.

The following very decadent brownie recipe comes from “Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts” (Alfred A. Knopf: 1980). The author describes them as “the biggest, thickest, gooiest, chewiest, darkest, sweetest, mostest-of-the-most chocolate bars.”

PALM BEACH BROWNIES

Softened butter

8 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup unsalted butter

5 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 tablespoons dry instant espresso or other powdered (not granular) instant coffee

3 3/4 cups sugar

1 2/3 cups sifted flour

8 ounces walnut halves or large pieces

Invert 13x9-inch metal baking pan. Cover with foil, pressing down around sides and corners to shape foil like pan. Remove foil. Turn pan right side up and carefully, without tearing, press foil into place in pan.

Place 1 to 2 tablespoons butter in pan. Place pan in oven while preheating. When butter is melted, remove pan from oven and use pastry brush to spread butter over sides and bottom of foil. Set pan aside.

Place chocolate and unsalted butter in top of large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat or in 4- to 6-cup heavy saucepan over very low heat. Stir occasionally until chocolate and butter are melted. Stir to mix. Remove from heat and set aside.

Beat eggs with vanilla, almond extract, salt, dry instant coffee and sugar in large bowl of electric mixer at high speed 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add chocolate mixture and beat only until mixed.

Add flour and again beat only until mixed. Remove from mixer and stir in nuts. Turn into prepared pan and smooth top.

Bake on rack 1/3 up from bottom of oven at 425 degrees 35 minutes, reversing pan front to back as necessary during baking to ensure even baking. At end of 35 minutes cake will have thick, crisp crust on top, but wood pick inserted in center will come out wet and covered with chocolate.

Nevertheless, remove cake from oven and let stand at room temperature until cool. Cover with rack or baking sheet and invert. Remove pan and foil lining. Cover with baking sheet and invert again, leaving cake right side up.

Let cake stand 6 to 8 hours, or preferably overnight, before cutting into bars. Or refrigerate few hours.

Use serrated bread knife for slicing. If ends are too dark, cut away, then cut cake into bars. Wipe knife blade with damp cloth after each cut. Makes 24 huge or 32 large brownies.

Note: Wrap brownies individually in plastic wrap.

Sally Deveze of San Dimas won a My Best Recipe award for this bar cookie. It was first published in October, 1988.

SALLY’S FIG BARS

10 to 12 ripe medium to large figs (or 1 cup dried figs soaked in 3/4 cup water and drained)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups butter or margarine, softened

1 1/3 cups brown sugar, packed

2 cups whole-wheat flour

3 cups oats

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Peel skin off figs, chop pulp and place in pan with granulated sugar. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook until excess liquid has evaporated.

Mix butter and brown sugar. Stir in flour, oats, salt and baking soda.

Cover bottom of greased 13x9-inch pan with 1/2 pastry mixture. Spread fig filling evenly over top. Cover with remaining pastry mixture, pressing down lightly on surface.

Bake at 400 degrees 20 to 30 minutes. While still warm, cut into bars. Let cool in pan before removing bars. Makes about 32 bars.

Digging into The Times Food section files, we uncovered a healthy drop cookie dating back to 1978.

MOLASSES OATMEAL COOKIES

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup apple juice

1 cup molasses

2/3 cup oil

2 1/2 cups diced, peeled apples

1 cup sunflower seeds

3 cups oats

Combine flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in bowl. In another bowl mix together apple juice, molasses and oil. Stir until blended.

Add flour mixture to liquid, 1/3 at time, blending well after each addition. Fold in apples, sunflower seeds and oats.

Drop by tablespoons onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen.

The original name for these cookies was Neiman-Marcus Squares, but they disappeared with such speed that reader Connie Hankins ‘ family renamed the recipe. It was first printed in December, 1986.

VACUUM CLEANER COOKIES (Neiman-Marcus Squares)

1/2 cup margarine (not butter), melted

1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix

3 eggs

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (1-pound) box powdered sugar

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Combine margarine, cake mix and 1 egg. Stir together until dry ingredients are moistened. Pat mixture into bottom of well-greased 15x10-inch jellyroll pan.

Beat remaining 2 eggs lightly, then beat in cream cheese and powdered sugar. Stir in coconut and nuts. Pour over mixture in jellyroll pan, spreading evenly.

Bake at 325 degrees 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. Cool pan on wire rack to room temperature. Makes 4 dozen bars.

Note: Use plain cake mix, not that with pudding added. Do not use whipped margarine.