Confession: I looked for an actual recipe for Moon Rocks in my vintage cookbooks, but couldn’t find any. Not surprising.
What I did find was a recipe for Mexican Wedding Rings.
Some of you may have made these decades ago when they were wildly popular and wonder about the correlation between Moon Rocks and Mexican Wedding Rings.
Ok, there isn’t one.
Unless you are a baker trying to find a recipe that goes along with the eclipse happening over your home and you want to tell the world about it via a recipe.
Maybe it’s a stretch, but I think most people would agree these simple, delicious cookies look like nothing found on this earth – in other words, they can work as astral beings, or moon rocks.
The recipe for Mexican Wedding Rings was not hard to find. Most of the 1970s church cookbooks I have searched (dozens!) have it listed.
I think bakers like it because it is so easy and quick to make.
The recipe is at the bottom, but the remainder of this post will be about the eclipse.
I live in the part of northern Indiana in the US where the eclipse was thought to pass directly over.
A total eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blocking the sun’s light.
When the moon lines up with the sun, blocking all of its light, a total solar eclipse occurs.
When the moon blocks some of the sun, it’s a partial solar eclipse.
A total eclipse is so rare that it is not projected to occur again in this area until 2099.
As most of us adults will not be around then, we knew that this was the time to take action to view this strange phenomena.
First, we purchased special glasses which were safe for direct solar viewing. Several local places sold them, usually for $1.00. They didn’t have to convince us of the necessity of wearing such protective devices. I love my eyes and want to keep them!
Second, we planned our day around the eclipse. Of course, I baked cookies, which we took with us outside to enjoy while waiting for the world to end.
That last part was part of the rumors we heard about the phenomena happening overhead. We gave it no heed.
Next, we positioned our chairs on the patio to have an unobstructed view of the eclipse.
Our local library offered to host an event for viewers, which was gracious of them. My husband and I chose to avoid the traffic and stay home.
Yes, traffic. Our small town is generally quiet with the only commotion being once a year during our free weeklong street fair in September.
But people in the know projected the eclipse would draw as many as 10,000 people to our area to witness it.
Not wanting to be part of a possible traffic jam or even worse, hysteria, my husband and I stayed home.
As you can see from this photo taken above our house at 1pm ET, it was a beautiful clear, warm day with temps in the low 70s. This was a relief because we’ve had many clouds in recent days.
Also, having experienced terrific wind and cold temps a few days ago (I had been forced to wear my winter coat), it was a joy to be outside. We pitched our lawn chairs on the patio with an unobstructed view from trees.
Around 2pm the weather started to change. The temperature dropped to 67 and the wind picked up. I dropped a light blanket across my lap, but other than that, it was still comfortable to be outside.
By 3pm, the sky was noticeably darker. The bank behind our house had its security lights on.
Through our special glasses, we could see a thin crescent of the moon. We watched for several minutes as it became thinner. It was cool!
The total eclipse was scheduled for 3:08. We waited with baited breath for what we didn’t precisely know.
We were not disappointed!
The sky darkened as though it was night. We are not people who normally study astronomical matter, but this was exciting! The moon was moving as we watched. And, no, I didn’t get an actual photo of the moon passing in front of the sun. I’m too low tech for that.
For the next 30 minutes we sat, amazed to experience such a change.
Many of our small town’s businesses closed during this time to allow employees to view the eclipse.
Then it was over and the sun came out again. We welcomed its heat and spent many hours outside reading and walking.
According to our local newspaper, our town did have a flood of visitors – many from out of state. One couple was interviewed from England!
Did you get to experience the eclipse? If so, tell me about it.
Enjoy these simple, tasty cookies and Bon Appetit!
Eclipse Cookies/ Moon Rocks
½ pound butter (2 sticks)
¼ c. powdered sugar
2 ½ c. flour
1 t. vanilla
1 c. chopped pecans
Cream butter thoroughly and add sugar and vanilla. Gradually add flour and nuts. Make into balls.
Press with thumb on ungreased baking sheet. (I rolled them between my hands)
Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Roll in powdered sugar while still warm so the sugar will stick.
My notes:
- I used peanuts which worked well and are cheaper.
- These are messy so be sure to eat them with a plate.
Writing of Kayleen Reusser 
Our Eclipse experience was low key as well: patio chairs, fancy glasses and Pink Floyd playing on my husband’s phone. We paid attention to bird song and/or lack of it. A poet at last night’s gathering mentioned the discomfort of dusk without the color of a sunset on the edge of the earth.
Low-key was the way we wanted it for sure. It was a glorious day to be outside. I read a book on both sides of the eclipse and am glad to have done so since today is so dreary. Great to hear from you!