Just Send Cookies.

Many moons ago, my second born son Andrew signed up for the Marine Corps.  The recruiter came by to take him away shortly after dinner on the day of Andrew’s 18th birthday.  We had just finished his requested birthday dinner of BLT’s (surprise) and to this day I marvel at Andrew’s ability to eat three (or was it 4?) of those sandwiches, washing them down with a half gallon of milk (no kidding…we went through roughly 12 gallons of milk a week at our house in those days) while I sat there next to him at the table and tried to keep a stiff upper lip and swallow half my sandwich.  The lump in my throat was so massive and  intrusive I could hardly breathe.

Alas, the moment came when Andrew loaded himself into the van and the recruiter drove him away.  BUT…not before I asked Andrew what I should send once he forwarded his address for boot camp.

“Mom.  Just send cookies”.  “Please.  Just send cookies”.  His first letter came within a week with his new address and another request for “just cookies”.  So.  Cookies it was.  Boxes and boxes of cookies.

To give you an idea of how many cookies (Christmas cookies not included) I’ve made over the years you need to know I have raised three boys and another that became part of our family through the heart.  Between my husband and me we have his son Bruce,  my two boys Matthew and Andrew and our “adopted through the heart son Chad.  Chad isn’t a big one for sweets so his consumption of cookies isn’t big.  My potato salad and sandwiches however…well…another day I’ll share that!

Through the years of raising these stomachs on long hollow legs we also came to enjoy a house full of their friends who also  sported stomachs on long hollow legs!  It felt a bit like the old Yogi Bear cartoon where the aroma from the pies cooling on the open windowsill attracted  all the hungry bears for miles and miles and miles !!!  Our kitchen door got a LOT of exercise.

Now, I also need to mention that our three boys were boy scouts.  I made cookies for a scout meeting one night…I think you can guess that it wasn’t destined to be a one time thing.  Two of these boys went on to become Eagle Scouts so I had years to get this recipe right and the scouts never complained about being guinea pigs.

Ok.  So now jump to husband Bill.  The original cookie monster.  My biggest fan but now he HAS to share “HIS” cookie jar with our 7 grandchildren.  They are much cuter with smaller stomachs than a mob of adolescent boy scouts !!!

A few years ago Bill and I sold the house we raised our family in and built a new house here on top of a hill in the woods.  It meant that Bill would have roughly a 50 minute drive to work every day.  I worried about that for him.  My biggest fan, Bill said to me “if you keep that cookie jar full of those cookies for my lunch every day it will make the drive there and home seem like nothing”.  How on earth could I argue with that.

So readers, here is my cookie recipe.  Tweaked over the many years I’ve had to practice creating them.  It appears to be a favorite tho not being a cookie monster myself I don’t fully see the attraction…but there must be something to them since the cookie jar gets exercised by everyone who comes to our house.  Andrew, many years ago,  said it was “the secret ingredient mom…you put it in everything you do”.   LOVE.   I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Secret Ingredient Chocolate  Chip Cookies

In a mixing bowl cream together till well blended:

1 cup of room temperature BUTTER.

2 TB coconut oil

1 TB honey

3/4 cup light brown sugar ( I use Florida Organic Sugars)

1/4 cup white sugar

Add 2 teas. PURE vanilla extract and 2 eggs and blend until light and fluffy.

Now preheat  your oven to 375 degrees.

Next add to the mixing bowl:

2 3/4 cups of quick oats

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teas. salt

1 teas. baking soda

1 1/2 cups rough chopped walnuts or pecans

1 12 oz. bag of dark chocolate chips.  (think Hershey’s kitchen special dark chocolate chips)

Mix all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is well mixed.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Using a small cookie scoop put the dough on your cookie sheet spacing the dough roughly 2 ” apart.  I can get 20 cookies on my sheets.  Bake them in your 375 degree oven for 14 minutes.

Remove from the oven and wait about a minute before removing the cookies from sheet to a cooling rack.  Let them cool completely before eating half of them and putting the rest in your cookie jar.  If cookie monsters are present you might be out of luck with this batch…none will make it to the cookie jar !!!

I honestly couldn’t say how long these “store” for since the jar empties fairly quickly.  I do know they freeze well.  I typically make a batch a week now since Bill is my only resident cookie monster.

One batch makes roughly 30 cookies.

ENJOY to the fullest measure and don’t forget to inhale the aroma of these cookies as they bake.  Just don’t put them on an open windowsill.  There might be bears around !!!