Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, Raisin Cookies

                                                                        Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, Raisin, Cookies

    This recipe was crafted from many attempts to make my very own cookie. From my first attempts at baking, prior to the discovery of recipes, I have been in search of the the perfect cookie. The perfect cookie, for me, is the cookie which my, elderly, neighbor lady gave to me as a  daily treat, back when I was a pre-schooler. Those cookies were so good. I remember the first day she gave me one, it was so soft, delicious, and chewy, better than any cookie I had sampled so far. My new friend came outside each day with a freshly baked cookie just for me. I still remember how, if she didn't appear after a few minutes, of me being outside, I would go and knock on her door to see what was keeping her. That was a very long time ago, and I assure you those were very very good cookies. This recipe comes pretty close to replicating one of my neighbor lady friend's cookie varieties.

Ingredients
1/3 c - brown sugar
1/3 c - sugar
3/4 c - butter or margarine
1 - eggs
2 tsp - vanilla extract
1 tsp - salt
1 tsp - cinnamon
1/2 c - flour
31/2 c - rolled oats
1/2 tsp - baking soda
plenty of raisins
plenty of chocolate chips*

Directions
1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter/marg, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, egg, and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
2. In a second bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Then stir the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and raisins.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Roll the cookie dough into balls** and press them down with a fork on an ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until light and golden brown on the bottom.*** Let them cool on a cooling rack.**** Store in airtight container.*****

Notes
*Plenty of chocolate chips - Add to taste, be creative, shaved almonds are nice, I like to try different things.

**Roll the cookie dough into balls - Any size is fine, experiment, I like to make my cookies so they can be eaten in three bites.

***Golden brown on the bottom. - Check after 10-12 minutes. It's not unusual for them to take several minutes longer to get that golden brown bottom. Once they are ready remove them from the pan asap, because they can overcook from the heat in the pan.
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****Let them cool on a cooling rack. - Use a cooling rack, or flip them a couple times, as they cool, to prevent moisture from making the bottoms soggy.

*****Store in airtight container. - This will keep them moist and chewy.

A little adjustment to the configuration of the ingredients, makes a very different cookie. I like this recipe a little more than the other.
Water and an additional egg, makes the batter looser.
It's less sweet and has a gooier texture....Yes, gooier!

Ingredients
1/3 c - brown sugar
1/4 c - sugar
1/2 c - butter or margarine
2 - egg
2 tsp - vanilla extract
1/2 tsp - salt
1 tsp - cinnamon
1/4 c - warm water
1/2 c - flour
31/2 c - rolled oats
1/2 tsp - baking soda
plenty of raisins
plenty of chocolate chips*

                      ********************KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN**********************