Lawnmower Cookies

Breaking your lawnmower at the end of June is not exactly good timing, everyone is busy, including the repair shop.  After a couple of no-shows by people I had hired on Craigslist the yard was starting to get a little bit overgrown, and on my street the look of  your lawn determines your neighborhood status.  Enter my awesome neighbor. For the month of July he mowed my lawn. (Insert awkward pause.) No, really, the grass looked great and I was able to maintain my "average" status without slipping into the "oh, they must be renters" category. Well, It's August now. The mower is fixed and has resumed it's job of hogging up about a quarter of my garage, and sadly, there is no more need for someone to do my lawn for me. 

It was time to come up with an appropriate thank you for the neighbor and what better for a married man with a couple of young boys than cookies.  These are really called Ultimate Chocolate Chippers and are from  The All-American Cookie Book, a great resource with an overly patriotic name.

A couple of things:
Unless there is an allergy involved I recommend you use the coconut. Also, I'm including directions on how to get 32 cookies out of this, but if you just roll the dough into balls, put them on the greased cookie sheet and pat down to about 1/2 thick you can make them as big or small as you like.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose white flour

1 Tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

Generous 1/4 Tsp. Salt

1 Cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter

1/4 Cup White Vegetable Shortening

1 C Packed Light Brown Sugar

1/4 C Sugar

1 Large Egg
3 Tbsp. Light or Dark Corn Syrup
2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 1/3 C Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
2 C (12 oz) Semisweet Chocolate Morsels
1 C Shredded Sweetened Coconut (optional)

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Get your baking sheets out and grease them if you like.  I just spray them with canola oil or something similar right before I put the dough on.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder ,baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and shortening until light and smooth, about 1 minute.  Add the brown sugar and sugar and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes.  Add the egg, corn syrup, and vanilla and beat until very light and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Beat in the flour mixture until evenly incorporated. Stir in the oats, chocolate morsels, and coconut, if using, until evenly incorporated.


Let the dough stand for 5-10 minutes, or until firmed up slightly.

To make 32 cookies: Divide the dough into quarters.  Divide each quarter into 8 equal portions and shape the portions into balls with lightly greased hands. Place on the baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Using your hand, pat down the balls to about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake, one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven for 13-15 minutes, or until tinged with brown, slightly darker at the edges, and almost firm when pressed in the centers; be careful not to over-bake.  Cool on wire racks.  Let stand until completely cooled.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 45 days.  Who am I kidding, you didn't need those instructions. These will be gone in no time! Enjoy!