Soft and Moist Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
3 cups oatmeal
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups raisins
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
Chocolate chips, as much as you want, (optional, but I feel necessary).

Directions:  Mix flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, ground cloves and salt in a large bowl.  Set aside.  Mix sugar, water, oil and baking soda in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 4 minutes.  Pour into flour mixture and mix up.  (*) Put teaspoonfuls of the dough on cookie sheet and allow space for some spreading.  Bake at 375 for 10 mins.  Store in an airtight container.

*If you are adding chocolate chips there are two different points you can add them to get different effects.  Because you have boiled the sugar mixture and added it to the flour, the cookie dough is pretty hot.  If you dump in all the chocolate chips and mix it up, like you normally do with cookies, the chips melt around in the dough and you get a mess of chocolatley oatmeal goodness.   The second method is to  hand put a few chips into each cookie once you have already put it on the baking sheet.  This way the chocolate doesn't melt all through the whole cookie and you just get bites here and there of chocolate.  I prefer the chocolately mess because I love chocolate and I want it everywhere!!

Applesauce Cookies

Ingredients:
In a large mixing bowl, combine:
1 cup white flour   
1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. Allspice
1/2 tsp. Salt     
1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
2 tsp. Baking Powder   
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
2 tsp. Baking Soda

Mix together in another large bowl:

1/4 cup softened Butter   
3 large Eggs
1/4 cup Shortening   
1 TB. Vanilla
1 1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar

Directions:
Add flour mixture alternating with 2 cups of Applesauce.   Mix well in the "sugar" bowl.   Add 1 cup of raisins or Chocolate chips and 1/2-cup nuts.   Spray a flat cookie sheet lightly with Pam.   With two spoons, drop cookies on sheet.   Bake in preheated oven at 375 for 10 mins, or until the outer edges of the cookies are light brown.
Number Of Servings:3 doz.

I think these are probably my favorite cookies.