Soft Zucchini Cookies

There are more vegetables in these cookies than there is sugar (!), which is why the Little Prince was allowed to have a second one when he asked for it. I’m sure I must have made something similar in the past, but this particular recipe is from here. They worked great with zucchini and had a nice, pleasant texture, but I think they would also work with grated apple or even pear, if you wanted to try it. This recipe makes something like 3 dozen, so I put some in the freezer for a quick dessert when the need strikes. If you wanted, you could use raisins or nuts instead of (or with) the chocolate chips, but I prefer chocolate! Note that for the second batch, I made my cookies slightly bigger than the ones pictured, and we preferred them to the first batch. Perhaps aim for spoonfuls of dough slightly bigger than golf balls…

½ cup shortening (I used ¼ cup non-hydrogenated shortening and ¼ cup margarine)
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups grated zucchini (I eyeballed it and used 2 zucchinis)
2 ½ cups flour
2 cups quick oats (I used rolled oats)
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat (I made three batches in all).

Cream shortening, sugars and eggs until fluffy; stir in zucchini.

Sift (or whisk together) flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add to zucchini mixture.

Stir in oatmeal until well blended. Add chocolate chips (and nuts or raisins, if using).

Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until barely golden around the edges.