Best Coconut Oatmeal Cookies You Will Ever Taste

I have been searching for the prefect versions of all the basic baking recipes. When it came to oatmeal, I found a coconut oatmeal recipe that wasn't bad. With a few tweeks and additions, I have come upon the best cookie known to man. They are soft and just barely crispy on the outside. For this instructable, I am not adding any mix-ins. I have tried milk chocolate chips and craisins(seperate and together) with success, though.

Step 1: Ingredients

-3/4 cup brown sugar
-1 egg
-1/2 cup shortening(I have a bunch of butter flavored Crisco, but 1/2 cup real butter works fine)
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 cup a/p flour
-1 cup oats
-1/8 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 cup coconut flakes(I use unsweetened, but I'm weird like that)

(This recipe makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies)

Step 2: Sugar & Wet Ingredients

Cream together shortening(or soft butter), brown sugar, and egg. Mix untill smooth.

Step 3: Flavorings

Mix in the vanilla extract and cinnamon. Of course, these flavorings are a good opportunity to mess around and customize the cookies to your taste.

Step 4: Flour & Whatnot

And now comes the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Mix that all together.

Step 5: Mix in the Rest

Mix in the oats and coconut.

This is also where you would add anything like chocolate chips or dried fruit.

Step 6: The Actual Baking Part

And finally it's time to bake cookies. This dough will be stiff enough so that it doesn't need to chill. Simply spoon onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes. Look for the bottom edges to brown a little and you know it's time for the cookies to come out of the oven.

Remember to let them cool for a few minutes before biting into one. ;)