Grandmother's Tollhouse Cookies

Another fabulous recipe from my friend Lori Breber, and once again I was thrilled with the results.  I have never made an oatmeal cookie that I was happy with.  They either turned out too flat, too hard, or too crispy, and I prefer my oatmeal cookies to be soft and chewy in the middle.  These fit the bill.  They are perfect.  This was her grandmother's recipe, and I'm so thankful that she shared it with me.  

Grandmother's Tollhouse Cookies

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 tsp hot water

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 (6 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (or more if you want)

Place all ingredients in a bowl, and mix with your hands.  Bake at 375º for 12-14 minutes.  If you use a mixer instead of using your hands the cookies may be more crispy (tip from Lori).  I used my hands, and they turned out exactly like I wanted them to.  I didn't have any semi-sweet chips on hand so I used 6 oz. white chocolate chips and 2 oz. milk chocolate chips.  Love them!

Thank you again, Lori.