Coconut Cookies

After my first (and failed) attempt to make coconut macaroons, I found this recipe by Martha Stewart, which had great reviews, and was described as a "cross between a coconut macaroon and a chewy butter cookie."  I was right to try this recipe, as it was exactly what I was looking for.  I think it'd be great drizzled with chocolate after baking, or with some shaved almonds mixed in at the end, but that's for next time.

Although the recipe calls for sweetened coconut, I only had unsweetened in the apartment, so I simply added an additional 1/4 cup of sugar to the dough, and a few tablespoons to the coconut mixture that I rolled the cookies in before baking.  I was also out of vanilla extract, but almond extract was nice as well.

Ingredients

14 oz shredded sweetened coconut, about 5 1/2 cups.  You'll need 3 1/2 for the cookies themselves, and 2 cups for rolling the cookies.

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick butter, cut into small pieces and cold (as in refrigerator temperature)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used almond extract, as I had no vanilla)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet.  In a food processor, add 3 1/2 cups coconut, salt, and baking powder, and process until finely ground.  Add butter pieces, and process until all of the butter lumps are gone.  In a small bowl, beat egg, and then add to the dough along with the vanilla extract and process until smooth.  Add flour and process until it starts to form small lumps of dough-- do not over process the dough, as overworking things that have flour in them tends to toughen them; you want the cookies to stay light and fluffy.

Use a tablespoon to form the cookies (a rounded measuring tablespoon, not the silverware).  I did this by scooping the dough with the spoon, pressing it slightly on the sides of the food processor, and then banging it in my hand to release the cookie from the spoon.  Place it on a plate containing the remaining 2 cups of coconut.  Try to pack the coconut into the cookie lightly, but not so hard that you deform the cookie.  Place them on the baking sheet.

Bake for 23-25 minutes, checking after 20 minutes.  Bake until golden brown.  Remove from oven, and let them cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.