The Recipe transcribed

Laurence Roberts' Fabulous Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies with Chips with apologies to Betty Crocker. Specially for Nancy
Ingredients:
1/2 coup water
3/4 cup soft shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar (brown?)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or half white/half whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon baking pow(d)er
dash salt (optional)
1 tsp cinnaman
1/2 tsps cloves
2 cups rolled oats (oatmeal)
1/2 cusp chopped nuts
lots of chocolate or carob chips (1/2 to 1 cup) (I use 2/3)
Instructions: Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in water. Dump in the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and lots of spices; stir in. Add rolled oats & nuts and chips. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake: 8 to 10 minutes at 400*
Yield: for those who don't eat dough, 6 to 7 dozen. For others, a few dozen less.

My addendums. While the instructions mention soda, it is not in the ingredients list, and I don't believe I've added it. I tend to skip the nuts, and add nutmeg and ginger. The other day I added the zest of an orange and cranberries.