1 1/2 c  Shortening
     4 lg Eggs
     5 c  Flour
     3 c  Quick cooking oats
     2 c  Buttermilk
     1 c  Granulated sugar
     1 c  Firmly packed brown sugar
     5 ts Baking powder
     1 c  Chopped walnuts
     1 c  Raisins
     4 ts Cinnamon
   1/2 ts Cloves
   1/2 ts Allspice
     2 ts Vanilla
optional: butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, pecans for walnuts
 Pour 1 cup boiling water over the raisins and add 1 t baking soda. Stir
 well and set aside.
 Bring the shortening to room temperature then cream well. Add the sugar one
 cup at a time and cream well after each addition. Add the eggs in the same
 manner. Sift together the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, flour and baking
 powder.  Add the vanilla to the creamed mixture. Drain the raisins and
 sprinkle one tablespoon of flour over them and shake to coat. Alternately
 add the flour mixture, the milk and the oatmeal. Mix well after each
 addition.  There will a lot of dough and it should be fairly thick. With a
 heavy wooden spoon stir in the walnuts and the raisins and the flavored
 chips–you can use any amount of the flavored chips you want.
 Grease the cookie sheet.  Drop the dough by teaspoonful on the cookie
 sheet.  I usually get about 20 per sheet–but then I have very, very old
 cookie sheets and they are larger than my new ones. Bake at 350 for 10-12
 minutes.  They will be golden on the bottom and dry on the top. Remove and
 place on wax paper until cool. Keep in an airtight container–Tupperware is
 great.
Makes about 10 dozen.
 Variation – you can save the water from soaking the raisins and cut down on
 the milk by the appropriate amount. this adds a very good flavor to the
 cookies.
Enjoy Diane M. Ferrell Colorado dmferrell@happy.uccs.edu
 From 
                
                 Yields       
                120 Servings