Coconut Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies by Tom
Over the past few months I have been making chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, probably 4 or 5 times now, which I put into sandwich bags, freeze, and pull out in the morning to have with our coffee. Six per bag gives us three each to eat as a snack with our morning coffee.
But for a change of pace, Barbara asked me to make something with coconut. So I did, and this is the tasty result.
This cookie still utilizes the basics of my chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, but with extras like dried cherries, cinnamon and chopped pecans. The coconut and cherries add a bit of a different flavor as does the cinnamon.
I have bagged these up as well and put them in the freezer, six at a time. Still works well with our morning coffee.
---Tom
(adapted from Better Homes and Garden 100 best cookies magazine)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 drops coconut extract
2 drops almond extract
2 cups flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup dried, chopped cherries
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cut up the butter into pat-sized pieces and put into mixing bowl. Add the sugars and cream together.
Next add the two eggs and stir them in.
Add the vanilla, coconut and almond extracts and continue mixing.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, coconut, dried cherries and pecans. Whisk these all together so that everything is well combined.
Add dry ingredients to the wet in the mixing bowl and mix together on a low speed. You will need to scrape the sides of the bowl down.
Add the chocolate chips and mix them in as well. The total mixture now will be quite stiff.
Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, put 12 well-rounded scoops onto each of the prepared baking sheets. The cookie will spread out a bit when baking, so don't crowd the cookies.
Bake for 13 minutes plus 10-15 seconds. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 6-7 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
After completely cooled, transfer to plastic bags for storage.
They freeze well.
---Tom