It’s rare that I bake two recipes in one day. I made this one on the same afternoon I made the Simply Chocolate Chip Cookies. I wanted to try my luck with coconuts–an ingredient I’ve grown to ‘like’ over the years, thanks to my older son Brendan who loves his German Chocolate Cakes. I found this recipe from a book I also bought for myself, along with another one, for my friend’s niece birthday. At the time, my friend’s niece recently purchased a Kitchen Aid Mixer, and by the same token her birthday was coming up real soon. So I thought, it would be a nice gesture to grab her a cookbook.
The cookbook itself, The Cookiepedia Mixing, Baking, and Reinventing the Classics is perfect for me because I rarely bake! It is nicely bound like a binder, but not large in size, and inside the recipes are effortless for beginners like me. You can also add your own notes with each recipe. Of course, a neat freak like myself would never write on a book; I just note things in my head. But if you don’t mind as much, then it’s a neat, little journal-type cookbook with hand-drawn illustrations and beautiful photographs. It features 50 classic recipes such as Animal Cookies, Blondies, Florentines, Mint Thins, French Macarons, Madeleines, Oatmeal Raisins, Thumbprints (which, coincidently, were the first cookies I’ve ever baked perfectly), Gingerbreads, Snickerdoodles, Caramel Nut Bars, Pistachio Cookies, and so forth. On that note, I give you another classic must have in your baking repertoire…the classic coconut macaroons, with my own twist to it, of course.
Yields 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
- 3 cups sweetened coconut flakes (I used the entire bag)
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Flour, for rolling
- Lollipop sticks (optional, if you want to make it a cookie pop like I did)
Directions:
Preheat oven at 350°F
- Combine the coconut, egg whites, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and set over medium-low heat. Continue to let cook until the batter looks firm enough to hold shape, about 10 minutes total.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Run a spoon into the batter to gather about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mix.
- Then working with the fingers that have been dipped in just a bit of flour, form the coconut into little domes and set them on to the cookie sheets. The cookies will not expand so you can space them about 1 inch apart.
- Bake cookies 13 to 15 minutes, until the tops have started to turn golden brown. Try not to let them over bake so they don’t lose their moist, chewy texture.
- Let them cool completely on the sheets, then gently peel them off.
Tips:
If you’re in the mood for gift-giving, especially for the holidays, a great way to dress these up are by making ‘Cookie Pops’! Simply place a lollipop stick in the centre after the cookies have cooled down, then wrap them in plastic wraps, place them in a nice jar, box, cookie tin, etc. and voilà! you’ve got an instant holiday gesture!
Variation:
- These chewy, coco-nutty cookies are delicious dunked in chocolate! Simply break up bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolates into a bowl and set it over a small pot of simmering water. Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water to avoid burning the chocolate. Add 1/4 cup of butter and stir until it’s finally melted and looks glossy and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- One by one dunk cookies in chocolate, pulling away to let the excess drop off. Lay them on parchment-lined sheets (or wire racks with parchment underneath) to set.
- Lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar or other toppings like chopped toasted almonds before laying it to dry.