CLINTON, DOLE WAGE COOKIE WAR.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Daily News Food Editor

Can first lady Hillary Clinton defend her title as Cookie Cook-Off champion? Family Circle magazine is going to find out, and we'd like our readers to get into the act, too.

During the 1992 presidential campaign, the magazine printed chocolate chip cookie recipes used by Hillary Clinton and Barbara Bush (you know, George's wife), and asked readers to bake them and vote for their favorite.

More than 55 percent of the readers chose the Clinton cookie over Bush's. (Incidentally, the recipe turned out not to be Barbara's at all, but one used by a White House chef who worked for Vice President Bush. The recipe had been published in a 1986 issue of McCall's magazine.)

Now Elizabeth Dole, wife of GOP presidential hopeful Bob Dole, is hoping to topple Hillary as the cookie queen. Her Pecan Roll Cookies will go up against the first lady's chocolate chip champions in the Family Circle Second National Bipartisan Cookie Cook-Off.

The magazine has printed Dole's and Clinton's recipes in its Sept. 1 issue and is asking its readers to vote for their favorite.

We thought it would be fun to tally our own readers' opinions and include the results in an upcoming Food section. So after baking both cookies (the recipes are below), call us at [phone] or send a postcard with your comments to Food Department, Daily News, P.O. Box 4200, Woodland Hills, Calif. 91365-4200. The deadline is Sept. 9.

CLINTON'S CHOCOLATE CHIPS

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 cup solid vegetable shortening

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 

1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Combine flour, salt and baking soda on wax paper.

Beat together shortening, sugars and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beating until light and fluffy. On low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture and oats. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop batter by well-rounded measuring teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Cool cookies on sheets on a wire rack 2 minutes. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Makes 7 1/2 dozen cookies.

DOLE'S PECAN ROLL COOKIES

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine, at room temperature

1/4 cup powdered sugar plus additional for coating baked cookies

1 tablespoon cold water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups pecan pieces

With a mixer on medium speed, beat together margarine and 1/4 cup powdered sugar in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in water and vanilla.

On low speed, gradually beat in flour. Mix in pecans with a wooden spoon or by hand.

With floured hands, roll 2 teaspoons dough for each cookie into date-like shapes. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Score top of each cookie lengthwise with a knife.

Bake in preheated 275-degree oven 45 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Makes 3 3/4 dozen cookies.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--2--Color) Hillary Clinton's Chocolate Chip Co okies and Elizabeth Dole's Pecan Roll Cookies go head-to-head in Family Circle's Cookie Cook-Off.