Rum & Butterscotch Chip Cookies

The Lush Chef was making the Memorial Day BBQ rounds this past weekend and spreading lush cheer.  I didn't have much time to slave away in the kitchen making gorgeous cut-outs or anything fancy, so I turned to Grandma's always delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Hmm...how can I make this boozy?  And then an ad for Pirates of the Caribbean 4 flashed on my TV...

Rum...of course!  And dark "pirate" rum, for that matter.  You can use whichever kind of chip you like, but there's something about the combination of butterscotch and rum that makes perfect sense to me.

Rum & Butterscotch Chip Cookies - makes about 3 dozen

• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2/3 cup softened unsalted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbs dark rum
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 package butterscotch chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

- Cream shortening and butter, then add 2 sugars until fully incorporated
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract and rum and stir.
- Add the dry ingredients and stir.
- Add the chips & walnuts and keep stirring...arrr...
- Drop scoops of cookie batter on an ungreased pan - I like mine at about a 2 inch circumference.  And don't smush the batter down too much or else you're going to get a flat, burnt cookie.
- Bake 8-10 minutes
- Leave cookies on sheet for a couple minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.