Mary Lou Coble's Coconut- Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup soft shortening 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups sifted flour 1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt 1-1/2 cups regular oatmeal (not quick oats) 1 cup snipped shredded coconut Fruit jam (strawberry, raspberry or peach)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Cream shortening and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract; beat well. Sift flour, soda and salt into shortening mixture. Blend well, then add rolled oats and blend well. Form dough into balls, 1 inch in diameter. (If dough is too stiff, add water as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time.) Roll each ball in coconut. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Make a slight depression in the center of each ball. Fill with jam. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a paper towel over a cake rack. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Notes:
Mary Lou Coble of Rose, Nebraska, placed this recipe in the Jolly Neighbors Extension Club's handwritten cookbook during the early 1960's. I have expanded the directions a little because all the recipes were greatly condensed to fit on one side of a 3x5" recipe card. The Cobles lived southeast of Rose. I was in 4-H with their son, Bob (we called him Bobby.) I think they also had a younger son named Steve.