These may be the best cookies ever but after all the shredding, chopping, mixing, parchment-papering, dolloping and dish-washing, I was forced to inform Mitch, "We have cookies but no dinner."

The cookies are slated for the book launch party of Mom's book, Wild Apples: Reflections of a Thoughtful Life, tomorrow night, 7 p.m. at The Bookery Nook. (Hence the addition of apples into the traditional oatmeal batter.)

Come for the bon mots and the bon bons. It should be fun.

P.S. I swapped butter for shortening in the above recipe and upped the cooking time by a few minutes.