My sister told me she often makes cookies with vegetable oil instead of butter, margarine, or shortening – that sort of thing. Intrigued (as I’ve usually used those latter three forms of fat), I’ve decided to try some of my own experimenting. So far, with very good results!

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Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies – made with canola oil

1/2 cup canola oil
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 – 1 tsp. salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Stir together oil, butter and sugars and beat. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla and stir in. Add flours, quick oats, baking soda and salt. Stir until well combined. Add chocolate chips and stir in.

Drop by spoonfuls on ungreased or lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes at 350*F, just until set. Store in covered container.

Notes: These cookies will not brown overly much by the time they are done because of the use of mostly oil (instead of butter) and not too much baking soda, both of which increase browning. I used not quite 3/4 tsp. salt in my batch, and though they were good, they could use a smidge more, according to my taste buds. (Since canola oil is used primarily instead of regular salted butter, the salt content is a little lower than usual.) I kept some butter in the recipe to keep a little of that buttery taste, but you could also make these with all vegetable oil (or all butter). And although I used half whole wheat flour and half unbleached, you could use all whole wheat (or all unbleached for that matter!).