My Favorite-est Cookie Recipe

Windsong Signature Cookies
First let me say I have made these for years and I will give the original one first and then the change I made to make them more healthy. This recipe makes a ton of cookies.

2 c sugar
2 c brown sugar
3/4 c margarine
1 c vegetable shortening
4 eggs
2 t vanilla
3 c flour
2 t salt
2 t baking soda
3 c oatmeal
2 c coconut
2 c raisins
1 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped nuts

cream together the sugars, margarine, and shortening. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. combine flour, salt, soda and mix into the first mixture. Add remaining ingredients and knead into mixture. **Added by me -if you will let this mix sit in fridge for a couple of hours the cookies will be softer** Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 8 minutes or until just browned. Let cookies cool on baking sheet a few minutes before removing to rack. Store in airtight container.
Makes 7 dozen cookies.

I suggest you make these by the recipe a time or two. Just to see what they should be like. I have family that does not like raisins so I doubled the chocolate chips and added in more of the last two things. After I got our parrot and he cannot have chocolate I developed it to have lots of dried cranberries, golden raisins, and nuts. I also changed it to use 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup soy flour to boost the protein. I also used less oil and added some milled flax seed as it can be an oil replacement. Applesauce can be an oil replacement and I have used this as well. I still use some oil. Coconut oil is good and healthy and it can be added in place of some of the oil and sesame oil. These cookies are always good but if you go too far to the healthy side they get hard. I never add sweeteners other than sugar as I feed these to our parrot.

These cookies have always been a huge hit.

Heavy Hearts

T'was with a sadness that weighed a lot heavier than the oppressive Texas heat that we said our good byes to my Beau today. Some losses hit you right square in the heart. This one did.

Beau was our miniature donkey. Did I ever say how much I love donkeys? They are such great animals and have very special spirits. The donkey was the animal that carried Mary to Bethlehem as she was about to give birth to Jesus. And a donkey carried Jesus to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Little Beau was so special to me. I cannot imagine the farm without him.

Love you, Beau, I will see you again.