World's Best Cookies

I’m throwing it down:  These are the World's. Best. Cookies. They are firm and chewy, they are easy and inexpensive to make, and they taste like Heaven on a plate.  I always have some in my cookie jar for the grandmunchkins.  A friend of mine even told me these cookies are a great cure for a hangover.  (I’ll share my pictures of the intervention as soon as I get them developed...  Just kidding!  I use a digital camera.)

This is a very old family recipe, so it calls for ingredients like gluten-included flour and Crisco shortening and lots of sugar.  Generally I modify to avoid such things, but this is one recipe I don’t want to update because it is perfect the way it is.  In that case I opt to uphold the quality and exercise moderation in the quantity.  Ahem.

So here is what you need:

You need Crisco shortening.  There’s a cup of it in the recipe, but first you need some to grease some cookie sheets.  Oh, alright, you can line the sheets with parchment if you insist.

You need a preheated 375 degree oven.

You need some wire cooling racks and a good, sharp spatula.

You need to sift together your dry team:

·         2 cups of all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon of salt

·         1 teaspoon of baking powder

·         1 teaspoon of baking soda

I don’t own a sifter, so I just run it through a mesh strainer.

You need to beat together your wet team:

• 1 cup of dark brown sugar
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 cup of Crisco shortening  (You know they sell this stuff in handy sticks now…)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 2 teaspoons of good vanilla extract  (Granny would never use the imitation stuff.)

Combine your wet and dry ingredients.  (Do this slowly at first so you don't end up with a flour explosion.  You knew that, right?)  Then mix well for about 2 minutes.

You need goodies:

• 3 cups of rolled oats (Not the instant kind.  The kind that says it cooks in 1 minute.)
• 1/2 a bag of chocolate chips.  (The chips are optional, but who are we kidding?)

Fold the oats and the chocolate chips into the batter. 

At this point you could wrap your dough up in cellophane and freeze it.  I use a Sharpie to label everything I put in the freezer – once it’s been in there a while, it’s hard to tell the meat from the cake.  I have learned this lesson the hard way!  I also note the date it was frozen and thumbnail cooking instructions – who wants to look up the recipe every time you take something out of the freezer?

Drop rounded spoonfuls onto your greased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.  Flatten them just a little with the back of a spoon.  Bake them for 12 minutes, and remove them immediately to the wire racks to cool.

This recipe should make about 5 dozen cookies.  Those cookies should last about 5 minutes once your family has tried them.

Enjoy!