A Step In The Right Direction
I remember the good old days of walking into a bakery filled with a variety of butter cookies, cakes, pies and breads. Now it seems as though bakeries have become specialty shops, excelling in one or two of the aforementioned treats rather than one stop shopping. Not a bad thing, mind you, but different from the ‘good ol’ days.’
These memories came to mind recently in a conversation with a friend of mine. We reminisced about all the butter cookies we used to know and love and found ourselves longing for them.
After that chat I decided to bake a butter cookie with a twist. I had a taste for coconut, so the choice was easy.
The only unanswered question was which way I should incorporate my coconut, plain or toasted, in the cookie or on top of it. I opted to include both toasted coconut and lightly sweetened coconut and to bake the cookies without any topping.
I loved the cookies when they came out of the oven but wanted more opinions. I had a meeting at Samuel’s school and brought a container of the cookies with me. I am very happy to report that everyone who tried these had the same reaction as I. All thumbs up!
My favorite response was from a fellow baker who said, “I am so surprised that they are this moist.” The look of the cookie is a bit deceiving. Rather than the flat butter cookie of days gone by, Coconut Butter Cookies are round because they are scooped onto the baking sheets. I thought about pressing each cookie down but wanted to find out first how they tasted.
Once I realized that they were delicious, I figured there wasn’t a reason to flatten them. I decided that just as bakeries have evolved, so have Coconut Butter Cookies. I wouldn’t say they’re exactly, “One Giant Leap For Mankind,” advancement, but they most definitely are a step in the right direction.
| Coconut Butter Cookies | | Print |
- 1¼ cups sweetened coconut flakes, divided
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- confectioners sugar for dusting
- Preheat oven to 325°. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Toast ¾ cup coconut and set aside.
- Whisk together flour and baking powder and set aside.
- Place butter and sugar in large mixing bowl. Beat for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add eggs, one at a time. Blend in almond and vanilla extracts. Mix in ¾ cup toasted coconut and ½ cup coconut. Lastly, blend in dry ingredients.
- Use a 1½ teaspoon cookie dough scoop to transfer dough onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake at 325° for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Cool completely on pans before dusting with confectioners sugar.
