The Wong Ohana

This recipe was given to me by a friend over 30 years ago. Her claim is that it was passed down in her family from generation to generation back to the cowboy days when her great-grandfather (or great-great??? can’t remember - but way back) was a cowboy working in the midwest somewhere on the range. It was a recipe they used to cook out on the trail for muching and crunching as they rode. I believe they were made in an old iron skillet, much like a bisquit, but now we bake them in the oven. I can’t tell you if any of that is true or not, although she swore to it, but I can say these are by far the best cookies ever!

Whenever I told my kids when they were young that we were going to make cookies, and asked what kind should we make, they always shouted “Cowboy cookies”. And it wasn’t just the “cute name”. They gobbled up these cookies like no-bodies business.

In fact, I always had the kids help me, starting from a very early age. As long as they were able to stand, they had a job to do to help out. Even if it was only pouring the pre-measured ingredients into the bowl, and “helping” (a term used very loosely) with the mixing. They started out mixing with their hands until they were old enough to wield a big wooden spoon. I think they loved that big huge wooden spoon as much as they loved any of their toys. That was their cookie mixing spoon and whenever it came out they knew cookie time wasn’t far off.

I do remember one time when I came into the kitchen early in the morning to find my son sitting on top of the kitchen counter in his jammies covered with flour, in front of the cannister, and holding the scooper in his hand (at the time just about 1 and a half years old - did I mention he was already walking at 8 months old, and climbing up anything he could reach at 1 - try keeping up with that when you’re already pregnant with #2???).
He had pulled out each kitchen drawer, and climbed inside using them as a staircase to the countertop. Very creative for a toddler, I must say. And there he was in all his glory, quite proud of himself. When I asked him what he was doing up there, he answered as clear as can be “making cookies”.

Luckily, the camera was sitting on the kitchen table not a foot away, so I snapped a picture quickly, and then grabbed him off that counter. Needless to say, we spent the morning making Cowboy Cookies.

Well, enough babbling for now - lets make some COOKIES!!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cup shortening, (Use can either butter, or margarine, the original cowboy recipe used lard)
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar (firmly packed)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 Cups Flour
• 2 Cups rolled oats (I use regular Quaker Oatmeal)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 pkg Chocolate chips
• (optional - 1 Cup Raisins)
• (optional - 1 cup chopped Nuts of your choice)

These cookies are very simple to make:

Mix all “wet” ingredients (eggs, vanilla) with the salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add the sugar, brown sugar and shortening. Next add the chips, raisins, and nuts. Set this mixture aside.

In a very large bowl mix the Flour and Oats. When this is evenly blended, add in the wet mixture and mix with a large spoon until thoroughly blended into a cookie dough.

Lightly butter a cookie sheet, and drop in spoonfuls on the sheet.
Bake at 350: 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool, or as my family likes it, eat them hot right off the pan - its up to you!! Sometimes the first cookie sheet batch disappears before I get a chance to even put the next one in the oven!!

I hope you enjoy these cookies. They are definitely a family favorite around here. My son is 29 years old now, and tells me he still makes them!!!

Filed under: Cooking on November 27th, 2006