Margie's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup vegetable shortening, such as Crisco

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 large eggs

1½

teaspoons baking soda

1½

teaspoons salt

1½

teaspoons vanilla extract

½

cup dry powdered milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

½

cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup soy flour (see note)

¼

cup ground or milled flaxseed

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups chocolate chips or 2 cups raisins (see note)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream Crisco, butter and both sugars. Beat until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly. With mixer still running, add soda, salt and vanilla.

Turn off mixer, and add powdered milk, all flours and flax. Mix on slow until thoroughly mixed in. Dough is very dense.

Stir in oats and chocolate chips (and/or raisins, if using). Use a cookie scoop or shape dough into cookie-size balls (about 2 tablespoons of dough each), and place on a non-greased cookie sheet. (There is a lot of dough. Refrigerate or freeze extra dough between shaping/baking.) Bake 11-14 minutes, depending on texture preference; shorter baking produces a chewier cookie; longer produces a crisper cookie.

Makes about six dozen cookies.

Cook's note: If soy flour is unavailable, substitute 1/2 cup additional whole-wheat flour (for 1 cup total whole-wheat flour). Dough can be divided into two bowls before adding oats and chocolate chips. Add raisins to the first bowl, and into the other, add chocolate chips to taste. (Or add, to taste, up to 2 cups of either raisins or chips for the entire batch.) This dough is quite forgiving. Refrigerate for up to 3 days before baking or freeze for up to 1 month.

@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per cookie (with chocolate chips): 119 calories (46 percent from fat), 6 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 14 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein, 13 mg cholesterol, 94 mg sodium.