Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

Only in recent years have I come to love coconut. As a kid, I associated coconut with two things: tropical scenes in movies like Swiss Family Robinson and the sad pile of rejected Almond Joys left behind during Halloween candy sorting. Of course the Swiss Family Robinson association is a positive one! I put that movie on a pedestal, but the reality of coconut, in Almond Joy form, was too much for this kid.

Luckily my tastes have matured - somewhat - and I find coconut desserts delicious which makes the combination of my favorite cookie and coconut the perfect marriage of traditional and tropical. The flavors really work well together. The toasted coconut provides just enough coconut flavor and a really nice texture.

Best part of baking? Tasting the dough.

And this cookie dough is almost better than the cookies.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

     original recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 cup flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1 cup flaked sweetened coconut

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°.

To toast the coconut, scatter the coconut in a thin layer on a cookie sheet and heat in the oven for 3 minutes, stir, and return to the oven for about 2 minutes. These times will vary depending on your oven so keep an eye on the coconut. Remove from oven when the majority of the coconut is a soft golden color, do not burn it!

In a small bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a standing mixer cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the coconut and chocolate chips. Eat dough.

Spoon the dough out onto your cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. 

Learn from my mistake and make these cookies larger than I did. 

When it comes to cookies, bigger is better.