Makes 24 good sized cookies. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When I was a kid, my mother was big on pies, cakes, and struedel, not cookies. Aunt Teresa, my mother’s big sister and the aunt I was closest to, was the cookie maven of the family. If I made cookies with anyone when I was a kid, it would have been her.

Here I am at four years old with my brother Sam. We sit before cookies for a family event. My guess is that Aunt Teresa made most of those cookies. I’m sure she made the petit fours because when I married Brian, for our reception, she made those same petit fours in our kitchen.

I’m now a cookie maven. For family events, I bake cookies. I love cookies and the recipe below is perhaps my favorite cookie. I trick myself into thinking it’s somewhat good for me because it contains rolled oats and raisins.                                

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 stick of butter (dairy or vegan)

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

1 T oil

1 T maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

¾ cup flour

Four shakes of cinnamon

A pinch of salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 ½ cup oatmeal

¼ cup shredded coconut

Optional: ¼ cup walnuts, chopped

Chocolate chips—as many or as little as you like. I usually use a third of a bag.

Let the butter soften at room temperature. When it’s soft, cream the butter and sugars together. Add the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla and beat till fluffy. In a separate bowl, sift or mix with a fork the flour with the cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Add to the creamy mixture. Add the coconut and oats. When everything is mixed, spatula down the sides of the bowl and mix a moment longer. Add walnuts, if you like, and chocolate chips.

Spoon a tablespoon of cookie batter onto a cookie sheet. I use a Pampered Chef cookie scoop. Bake for 12-14 minutes, depending on the heat of your oven. The first time, look in on them after 10 minutes.

The recipe makes 24-28.

Bon appetit!