OK, so I know everyone has their favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies. And I wouldn’t presume to try and sway you from your tried and true recipe. But! I made these little bites of heaven last week for us to nibble on as we helped move Mr. Cs 93 year old father from his home into a retirement cottage at a nearby assisted living facility. I also took some to our Saturday afternoon BlueStreet Jazz Voices rehearsal. And I am here to tell you – the cookies literally flew out of the container. They were absolutely loved by one and all.  I really could not believe how fast these cookies were consumed.

So if you are willing to leave the safety of your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and take a walk on the wild side, give these little babies a try. They are chewy and actually not too sweet. And the combination of flavors is marvelous. I’m positively sure you will not be disappointed. After all, what’s the worst thing that can happen? You will only have wasted an afternoon, a half pound of butter, and several dollars worth of spendy ingredients.  Wait! I’m trying to convince you to bake up a batch. Forget that whole sentence about wasted effort and money! Just go forth and bake. You will thank me.

Speaking of thanking me, I am going to change the setting on my blog to not accept a reply. Not because of the comments I have received from all of you my faithful and dedicated readers. It’s because I have received literally hundreds of spam comments and frankly my delete button is wearing out and getting quite testy. Every time I hit it now, it goes “ouch”. So not being a total dummy, I can take a hint. (I must keep my lap top happy, and not coincidentally save myself time and frustration.)

So if you ever desperately need to comment on a particular post, please send me an email at chezcarrcuisine@wavecable.com and I will take the appropriate action. And thanks for your past comments. I always love hearing from you. Your comments make me feel like someone is actually out there wasting their time reading my words. And no, I am not a prima donna. Even if you disagree with something I have written, please let me know. After all, even if my delete button is tired, it still works!

• 1 c. butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/4 c. white sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 T. milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 3/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt (only if using un-salted butter)
• 3 c. rolled oats
• 2 c. chocolate chips
• 1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
• 1 ½ c. coconut

Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt (if using). Add to the butter mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut until evenly distributed. Drop by rounded tablespoons (I use a 1 ¼-inch ice cream scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookies are just set. Do not over-bake. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Makes about 95 cookies when using a 1 ¼-inch scoop.