Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Grandma AnnaLou's Recipe

1 scant cup butter (scant?  I just used 1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon soda
1/3 cup boiling water*
2 1/2 cup flour
2 cups oats
1 cup each raisins and nuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Blend fat,** vanilla, sugar, salt and eggs.  Dissolve soda in water,*** mix with egg/fat mix.  Mix flour with oats.  Add to fat mix.  (Hmmm, this must be where you add the raisins, nuts, and chocolate chips.**** And notice the last sentence in parenthesis!)  Drop onto sprayed cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes.  (Let dough chill for 30 minutes).

*I wonder why it needs to be boiled?  I was a little concerned that it would "use up" the magic properties of the soda (I admit to a lack of any chemistry knowledge whatsoever), or that it might "cook" the eggs or something, so I drizzled it in slowly (on low speed or you're going to have water flinging everywhere and in your eye--thank goodness I wear contacts!).  It did look a little curdly at first, but ultimately mixed in well.

 **This must be an old recipe--using the word "fat" without fear that anyone might object. 

***Great Grandma Ruth's Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies call for the soda to be dissolved in applesauce.  I wonder if this ensures even distribution or something.

****Of course you can pick and choose which add-ins you want.  If you are Dad, it's just raisins and nuts--the chocolate is an abomination.  If you are the little girlies, chocolate chips only.  If you are me, chocolate chips and toasted walnuts--but really, the raisins are quite tasty in this cookie, so maybe I'd say 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup toasted walnuts, 1/2 cup raisins.