Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Last weekend was tax-free shopping in Texas for back-to-school items. Families were busy buying the necessary school supplies, new clothes and backpacks - and saving a little bit of money. I was thinking of my mom.




Mom & I in 1998

I was in town for her birthday AND and Astros Playoff game!!

I don't need the local news station to remind me when the first tax-free weekend was. It happened in 1999 - the same weekend we drove to Houston because a heart attack had put the girls' Grandma in the hospital. We got a little shopping done but our hearts weren't in it. As it turned out, it would be the last time that Mark & the girls would see her, she would pass away less than 2 weeks later. I was fortunate enough to be by her bedside.

There is one other thing that always reminds me of Mom, and that is her Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. If I had a bad day at school, she would cheer me up with their aroma and a welcome homework break. They were my favorite and it was the first thing she taught me to bake.

This time, I decided to change them up a bit by adding pretzel m&m's instead of chocolate chips. However, before I could get the cookies baked, some of the pretzel m&m's had disappeared!! So, I made half a batch with chocolate chips and the other half with the m&m's. I really liked the bit of saltiness the pretzel m&m's gave to the cookies.

Cream the shortening and brown sugar

Add eggs one at a time

Add flour & 1/2 of the milk/vanilla

Add the oatmeal and remaining milk/vanilla

Beat well after each addition

I divided the dough in half and added m&m's to one

and chocolate chips to the other.

Grandma Larson's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup  Brown Sugar

1 cup  Shortening

2  Eggs

1 pinch of Salt

1  teaspoon Baking Soda

1  teaspoon Vanilla

4  tablespoons Milk

2  cups Flour

2  cups Oatmeal

2  cups  Chocolate Chips (I used 1 cup chocolate chips, and 1 cup Pretzel m&m's)

Cream together the shortening and the brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until fluffy. Add the salt, baking soda and vanilla to the milk. Stir well until dissolved. Add 1/2 of the flour, and 1/4 of the milk mixture. Add the rest of the flour and another 1/4 of the milk. Add 1/2 of the oatmeal, 1/4 of the milk, the remaining oatmeal and the rest of the milk. Be sure and beat well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Bake 12-14 minutes at 350 on a Silpat or parchment paper.

There's one other thing I love about making this recipe. Every time I make them, I feel like Mom is right there in the kitchen with me.