Episode 192: The Gentle Generations’ Favorite Cookies

Meet little Maureen: a small girl with glossy dark hair and wide, curious eyes, perched on a kitchen counter on Maple Street, USA. She sips a root beer float and watches the house bustle with cousins, aunts, and uncles. Laughter and gentle teasing fill every corner while the warm scent of nutmeg drifts through the air and rhubarb simmers on the stove. At the center of the room is an older woman—not as old as the word “Grandma” might suggest—moving with calm command as she prepares a generous Lebanese spread for the family.

A few years later, Maureen slips into another kitchen—her own. In this scene, a young woman stands quietly at the counter: a mother, still early in life, who carries the same quiet strength. Nutmeg again perfumes the room, familiar and comforting, now softened by something tender and a little melancholy. An old handwritten recipe lies open, its corners worn from years of use. She prepares her mother’s favorite cookie—everyone knows it as Grandma’s Best—and, as the dough comes together, she remembers the woman who taught her.

Later, Maureen and that young mother sit together at a small table with teacups and a single cookie on a napkin between them. The mother begins to tell the story aloud while Maureen listens closely. In that intimate exchange, Alice’s gentle spirit moves from one generation to the next. Her manner, her standards, and her generosity pass from grandmother to daughter to granddaughter. Today’s guest, the talented Maureen Abood—author of the widely praised book Lebanese Baking—carries that lineage forward in her work and in the recipes she shares.

This episode explores grief and the way creating can be an active response to loss. It is also a quiet celebration of three generations of Lebanese American women who combined exacting standards with a soft, generous approach to others. Though the episode centers on Grandma Alice, it becomes clear that her story cannot be told in isolation: it is woven together with the lives and memories of her daughter and granddaughter. In the end, it is one story of care, craft, and continuity.

Through their lives, their recipes, and the pages of Maureen’s cookbook, Alice’s skill and sacrifice continue to shape not only an extended family but anyone who encounters these recipes. Flavors, techniques, and small rituals—like stirring in nutmeg or pressing a thumb into an apricot-studded cookie—become vessels for memory, resilience, and love.

Listen to Maureen Now

Listen to the full conversation with Maureen to hear more about the recipes, the memories, and how grief shaped her creative life. Her reflections illuminate how cooking can be both a practical skill and an act of remembrance.

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Maureen’s Storied Recipe: Apricot Walnut Cookies

Featured recipe: Apricot Walnut Cookies. This simple, tender cookie carries layers of flavor—sweet dried apricot, toasty walnuts, and the subtle warmth of spices. It’s a recipe that travels well through generations, appearing at small family tables and large gatherings alike.

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Connect with Maureen

Visit Maureen at her website www.MaureenAbood.com to explore more recipes, stories, and resources from her cookbook and culinary work.

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