cookies

My grandmothers were as polar opposite as is humanly possible when it came to cooking. While one was opening cans with a hammer and dull knife, the other had a very nicely stocked kitchen. One set of recipes was very precise and perfectly organized, while the other set of recipes was stored in Grandma’s brain. What’s the point in having precise measurements if your measuring cups consist of old Kraft spreadable cheese jars?

My paternal grandmother was what I affectionately refer to as a knife scraper. You know, the person who scrapes the top of the measuring cup with the back of a knife to make sure it’s exact. She was a very precise cook, and a great one at that. However, I don’t follow her protocol very often. I find it very tedious to go back and forth between the recipe and the cooking. However, I recognize that there are times where a precise recipe needs to be followed.

Such is the case with Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies. She found her recipe over sixty years ago in a local newspaper article and it has been our go-to ever since. That being said, I have a hard time leaving things alone when I’m in the kitchen so I have added to and modified her recipe. Are you ready for Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies?

broken cookie

Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix together:
1 cup shortening 1
¾ cup white sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Add and mix:
1 tsp hot water 2
1 tsp vanilla

Add and mix:
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt 3

Add and mix:
2 cups regular rolled oats (I have a Kitchenaid mixer and I mix the oats in with it, but if your mixer isn’t strong enough mix the oats in by hand.)

Add and mix by hand:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup coconut flakes
1 cup chopped or slivered almonds
1 cup flaked corn cereal

Spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375o F oven for about 8 minutes. Finally, enjoy what has become a family favorite in our home.

  1. This recipe was written when shortening was very popular. Have you ever noticed that even hot water will not wash that stuff off your hands? That can’t be good for you. I have tried using avocado and coconut oil and butter. None of them worked. I consistently ended up with flat, greasy, funky looking cookies. Then I discovered an amazing product called palm shortening. It’s a blend of coconut oil and palm oil and these cookies turn out amazing every time! ↩

  2. I always thought this was a joke that some 1930s housewife added for a laugh. Who thinks of adding a tsp. of hot water!? I was wrong. It really does change the outcome of these cookies. Don’t leave it out and make sure it’s hot! ↩

  3. If you’re still using iodized salt I want you to gather every bit of your stash and throw it away. That stuff is awful! For health reasons I switched to using sea salt several years ago and because of the flavor I will never go back. My favorite for baking is San Francisco Salt Co. French Grey Salt, fine grain. I dare you to make the switch! ↩