Mama's Oatmeal Cookies

These are for all those old-fashioned cookie lovers out there.  Simple and delicious.  Easy enough to whip up  on a weeknight and pack in kids' lunches.  And they have oatmeal--so they're healthy, right?

You can pick your poison as far as the fat goes here:  butter, margarine or shortening.  I usually go with shortening and save the butter for "fancier" cookies.  Cream it together with the sugar.

You need it to be nice and pale and creamy...

Mix in your eggs and vanilla.

Scrape down the bowl if you have to, to make sure all the butter and sugar gets worked in with the dry ingredients.

Stir in flour, baking soda and salt before the oats and other mix-ins.  I forgot a picture--sorry!

Mix in the "chunky" stuff.  Oatmeal cookies are fun because they're versatile as far as mix-ins go.  Oatmeal is necessary, of course, but you can add chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter--whatever you want!  Raisins, cranberries, white chocolate...

Drop 'em by tablespoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet.

Take them out when they're good and golden.

Mama's Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, margarine or shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

3 cups old fashioned rolled oatmeal

2 cups mix-ins:  chocolate chips (milk, white or semi-sweet), raisins, dried cranberries, butterscotch or peanut butter chips

Cream fat and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Combine dry ingredients, except oatmeal,  and mix into wet ingredients.  Stir in oatmeal and mix-ins.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until very golden brown.