Recipe for those cookies

For whomever wants this---the recipe is online but in most cases, with goofy procedures for making them.  (One I found even was made with LARD!)   I fleshed it out a bit and added an Oatmeal Toffee variation from an online quilting friend back in the aCozyQuiltBee /onelist/yahoogroup days. Makes about 5 dozen if you don't use as much dough as I did this morning for another batch.

DJ said "not to bother/ don't feel obligated since you didn't have any left for me/you're too busy"---you know the he doth protest too much routine?  I told him I was making them because I wanted to plus I still had all the ingredients on hand to do so.  If he didn't want them, I would give them away too, LOL.  What I REALLY did was save out a dozen and the rest went to the freezer for now.  Well, minus the 2 we had for ummmmm, quality control testing purposes, that is.

Pride of Iowa Cookies

(with an Oatmeal Toffee variation) 

 The coconut in the cookie makes them a bit chewy but the overall effect is a crisp, not overly sweetened cookie.  This is a family recipe that dates back to the 50’s.  My mother told me that my maternal grandmother had found it in a newspaper.    

INGREDIENTS

  1 cup brown sugar

  1 cup granulated sugar

  1 cup shortening   **** see note below

  2 large eggs

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 cups flour

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  3 cups oatmeal (old fashioned oats, not instant)

  1 cup coconut

  1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

****NOTE:  I used butter flavored Crisco and added 2 tablespoons of water to the recipe since that is a substitute for butter.  I have also seen the recipe written with half butter and half shortening to equal 1 cup total**** 

DIRECTIONS:

Cream together sugars and shortening till light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add the eggs and vanilla along with 2 tablespoons of water if you wish to use it.  Beat on medium-low about 30 seconds to incorporate

Sift together the dry ingredients and then add to the creamed mixture.  Then stir in the oatmeal, coconut and chopped nuts.  You may have to add them and manually incorporate them into the recipe as the batter is fairly stiff with that much oatmeal.  However, I was able to mix it with my professional duty Kitchen Aid on setting 4

Drop by rounded spoonfuls (about the size of large walnut) onto greased cookie sheet, placing the dough about 2 1/2 inches apart.   Flatten with glass dipped in granulated sugar.  (I used a small cookie scoop and air insulated cookie sheet)

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8-11 minutes.  Bake them till they start to turn a golden brown around the edges---the centers will look a little underdone but will firm up on standing.  Cool on sheet for 1 minute after moving from oven and then waxed paper to cool. 

HILARY'S OATMEAL TOFFEE VARIATION:

2 tsp vanilla instead of one tsp to the recipe above. Omit the nuts and substitute one 10 oz bag of English toffee chips (like Heaths or Hershey Skor brand).  Reduce the oatmeal to 2 cups from 3 cups.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Larger cookies will take more than 14 minutes.