My son, Robert, has a severe dairy allergy and always has an Epipen on him. He is now 22, and I gave him a great cookbook for Christmas and came up with the idea of switching out butter for coconut oil. I have never liked the way cookies bake up without butter, but I tried substituting out butter with coconut oil in my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe (given to me by Mary Carolyn Puckett more than 15 years ago) and was amazed with the results.  

• 1 cup of coconut oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar

Beat all of the above ingredients until creamy, then add:

• 2 eggs

Beat some more, then add:

• 1 ½ cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp soda

Beat again, then mix in:

• 3 cups of oatmeal
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 tsp vanilla

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.