Kitchen Sink Cookies

I saw Martha make these one year on her show. She was sending them to her nephew in college for the holidays (mmm hmmm). I tried them and they became one of my very favorite cookie recipes. And they really do hold up very well if you're planning on giving them as a gift.

The name really says it all. You can add (or omit) just about anything from this recipe and it will still taste great (well, anything that belongs in a cookie...you know what I mean). For instance, I usually take out the raisins and some of the chocolate chips and add toffee chips. I buy the Heath bar kind that's already crushed up in a bag. And most of the time, I have pecans on hand instead of walnuts, so I use those. You could add different dried fruits, nuts, white chocolate...everything but the kitchen sink! I've been wanting a little something sweet in the evenings lately, so I decided to pull out this favorite of mine and my husband's and have them for the weekend.

I hope you try them and tell me what you think! Enjoy.

Makes about 4 dozen

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup sweetened flake coconut
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl with a wooden spoon, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir into butter mixture until well blended. Add oats, chips, coconut, raisins, and walnuts, and stir until well blended.
4. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons or with a 1 ounce ice-cream scoop onto silpat about 2 inches apart. Press tops down with the bottom of a glass to flatten cookies evenly. Bake until golden, about 16 to 18 minutes. Cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove from pan, and finish cooling completely on wire rack.