Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

With Mother's Day around the corner, I figure I should make one of my all-time favorite recipes that I got from my mom. This recipe has been in the family for at least 50 years, and there's a reason why it's survived that long, 100% unchanged. They're seriously good.

And don't let the oatmeal fool you. These cookies are not health food masquerading as something worth eating. They're really, really decadent. 

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 4 cups dark brown sugar

• 3 sticks of margerine or butter, softened

• 2 tablespoons (no, I don't mean teaspoons) vanilla extract

• 3 eggs

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons (yes, tablespoons) baking soda

• 4 tablespoons (ditto) baking powder

• 3 cups "quick oats" (if you use regular oats, the cookies are dry and tough)

• 2 cups unsweetened shaved coconut

• 2 cups chocolate chips

• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional - the batch pictured does not include them)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Gradually add the brown sugar. When the butter and sugar are combined, add the eggs, one at a time, waiting until each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla extract.

Switch to the paddle attachment, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, oats, coconut and chocolate chips. This makes a very heavy and sticky dough. You may have to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula several times to make sure everything is combined. 

To shape the cookies, I like to roll the dough into spheres by hand. This makes it easy to ensure that you're getting a uniform size just by looking at them. Each one should be about the size of a golfball, maybe a little smaller. If your hands get warm, the butter in the dough will melt, leaving your hands a sticky, greasy mess. To prevent this, rinse your hands with cold water between forming every few cookies.

Place the balls of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet, with at least 3 inches between them, to give them room to expand.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. If your oven cooks unevenly (like mine), be sure to rotate the cookie sheet halfway through. When they come out of the oven, the cookies will be very soft, and will probably fall apart if you try to remove them from the cookie sheet. This is normal - do not put them back in the oven.

Let the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes before handling them. As they cool, they will firm up, leaving you with a cooke that's chewy and delicious. 

Thanks for the recipe, and everything else, Mom.

Happy Mother's Day.