MAMA SHARON'S LOADED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

This is the cookie recipe my mom's been making since I have cookie-eating memories. They're loaded with nuts and coconut and dark chocolate. And boy are they delicious. They also come out really well in a gluten and/or dairy free version and I recently made a version that didn’t include any nuts — so my son could take them in his lunch (his school is nut free) — and they were AWESOME. The modifications for those version are included in this recipe in [brackets].

MAMA SHARON’S LOADED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

[makes 40 (ish) cookies]
prep time: 15 minutes
bake time: 11 minutes + cooling time

INGREDIENTS

*gluten-free/dairy-free modifications included in [brackets]
1.5 cups whole wheat flour [1.5 cups gluten free flour blend]
1 cup thick rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened dried flaked coconut
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, softened [3/4 cup oil]
1/4 cup sugar
1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar (Leave this out if you like a less sweet cookie)
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs [6 tbsp water mixed with 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds and allowed to sit for 3-4 minutes]
1.5 cups coarsely chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, filberts, pecans, pistachios, and/or cashews) or seeds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1.75 cups 60% cacao (or higher) bittersweet chocolate chips [**if making gluten/dairy free version see note]

HOW TO

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Stir flour, oats, coconut, and baking soda together and set aside.

With an electric beater, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Mix thoroughly after each addition. Gradually blend flour mixture into butter mixture.

Stir in nuts until combined. Stir in chocolate chips last, to avoid breaking them up.

Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-11 minutes or until golden brown. If you want chewy cookies, take them out around 8 minutes. For crispier cookies, take them out around 11 minutes.

Allow to sit on cookie sheet for two minutes to set up. Then move cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before eating. I’m always tempted to eat them warm, but I promise that these are best when they’re totally cooled!

**NOTE: If you’re making the gluten and dairy free version, then you might consider using 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips, since the dough and the chocolate chips don't like to stick together as well as with the regular dough. Or start with 1 1/4 cups and slowly add more. We usually form the dough into rough balls with our hands and then push some of the chips that fall out into the top of the dough ball while they're on the cookie sheet before baking.