Just as I was packing up my warm sweaters and pulling out the plastic plates for delightful dining outdoors, gusty winds gripped L.A., ruining my al fresco fantasies. Back on the shelf they went, along with my recipes for salads and cold soups that I was planning to share with you this week.
Instead, I thought you might like to whip up a batch of these, which pair classically with a glass of milk or a hot latte. They are the cookies I am most often asked to make — for showers, school parties, and lunchboxes. Make them your own with your favorite add-ins: dried cherries, cranberries, or apricots; white chocolate, butterscotch or peanut butter chips; cinnamon and/or nutmeg. I have tried using pure butter, Earth Balance margarine, even coconut oil, but none will give you the coveted outer crunch and inner chew that Crisco does.
Full disclosure: They’re not the healthiest cookies you can find, but then again, who needs a healthy cookie? My bikini body will just have to wait a little longer.
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Butter-flavored Crisco shortening or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups oats (not quick-cooking)
1 overflowing cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut (optional)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and stir well.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together the shortening, sugars and vanilla until creamy (for this step, a food processor works best). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until light and fluffy.
3. Fold in the sugar mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, coconut and nuts.
4. Drop the batter by scoopfuls (about the size of golf balls) onto parchment-lined baking sheets, flatten into round disks, and bake for 12 minutes., or until lightly browned but still soft (the cookies will firm up as they cool but will remain chewy inside).
For your next chocolate fix, try our Chocolate Birthday Cake.
Only a week left to enter our May cooking contest! Rhapsodize about your favorite farmers market and send in your best salad recipe!
Photo credit: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
Try these handy charts we found on the CUESA (Center for Urban Education and Sustainable Agriculture) 
, is perfect for bringing along with you anywhere. It is safe to leave in the car and in hot weather. The new top is easy to sip and won’t cause spillage.
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