Those of you that have young children, be careful, be very, very careful. It happens when you aren’t looking. You know what I am talking about–you’ve heard it hundreds of times, when you aren’t looking those precious toddlers, elementary schoolers and Tweens grow up. How is it that our daughter is now a senior in high school? Did you hear me? A senior! I blinked and poof, she is a grown young woman with lots of dreams and aspirations. Savor the moments and the memories; they move on in the blink of an eye.
I’ve written about this before but our daughter and her daddy started baking cookies together when she was three. Imagine the melancholy and the tears that welled up when they baked their traditional back to school cookies last week. They decided to shake it up a bit this year and wave good bye to the old favorite of chocolate chip cookies. Out with the old and in with the new, this year they were craving chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Almost a chocolate chip cookie but a little different. This is how I am going to savor life from now on with our sweet girl. Almost the same but just a wee bit different. After all we are beginning the season of lasts. Last first day of school, last year in the church youth choir, last year as a Girl Scout and the list goes on and on but there is something sweet about the changes ahead. She has her whole life ahead of her and I suspect it will include among it more adventures and varieties of cookie baking in the years to come.
Enjoy the ride! (and the cookies too!)
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 32 cookies
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 ¼ cups old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups chocolate chips*
Heat oven to 325°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and oats in a small bowl; set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, on high speed, beat together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and shortening until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the flour mixture. Beat in vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop dough by a heaping tablespoon onto prepared pan, leaving at least an inch between cookies. Using the palm of your clean hand, flatten cookies. Bake until golden brown about 12 to 14 minutes. Allow to cool on pan for about 1 minute and carefully remove to cooling rack to cool.
*Of course you could always substitute raisins for the chocolate chips, but why would you do that?!
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