"Healthy" Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup dry powdered milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup soy flour*
1/4 cup ground or milled flax seed
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups milk chocolate chips or 2 cups raisins*
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream Crisco, butter, and both sugars. Beat until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly. With mixer still running, add soda, salt and vanilla.
Turn off mixer and add all flours and flax. Mix on slow until thoroughly mixed in. Dough is very dense.*
Stir in oats and chocolate chips (and/ or raisins, if using*). Shape dough into cookie-size balls (about 2 tablespoons of dough each) and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Or use a cookie dough scoop. (There is a lot of dough. Refrigerate or freeze extra dough between shaping/baking.) Bake 11 to 14 minutes, depending on texture preference. (Shorter baking produces a chewier cookie; longer produces a crisper cookie.)
Yield: approx 6 dozen cookies

* Notes

If soy flour is unavailable substitute 1/2 cup additional whole wheat flour (for 1 cup total whole wheat flour).
Dough can be divided into 2 bowls before adding oats and chocolate chips. Into first bowl add raisins and into the other, add chocolate chips to taste. (Or add, to taste, up to 2 cups of either raisins or chips for the entire batch.) This dough is quite forgiving. Refrigerate for up to 3 days before baking or freeze for up to 1 month.
Recipe courtesy of  Kitchen Scoop!