I am going in to the office for the first time in over a year, so I decided to bake for my coworkers. I’ve had this recipe in my big binder for quite some time, but I haven’t tried it, because I’m not a huge fan of coconut. I used to love it when I was a child, but as I got older, I just lost my taste for it. When I looked at the recipe, it kind of reminded me of a Snickerdoodle, so I knew it would be a fast and easy recipe to make in addition to my Hazelnut and Toffee Blondies. I decided to give coconut another try.
I’m not sure what magazine I originally cut this recipe out of, and I have tried looking online to see if I could find the exact recipe, but have had no success. The recipes all have the same ingredients, but differing amounts. The original recipe calls for Bakers’ Ammonia to be dissolved in boiling water. This is not something I keep in my pantry, but I used the substitution suggested of 3 teaspoons of Baking Powder.
The recipe called for almond extract, which I didn’t have. I had also used up all my vanilla extract in the previous recipe, so I once again used Chocolate bitters. Chocolate and coconut go very well together, just think Mounds and Almond Joy, but you could also substitute almost any citrus extract or juice.
Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat. You want to bake these light cookies until they are just beginning to brown. They puff up just like Snickerdoodles and as they cool, they will also sink in on themselves. Because they are so light and airy, you need to let them cool a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack so they firm up a bit; otherwise, they may actually fold down over the rungs.
I was pleasantly surprised that the coconut flavor was very subtle, but it did add to the chewy texture of the cookie. Next time, I believe I will try a citrus version of this Swedish Dream.
Ingredients
Credit: Unknown
- 1 cup plant butter
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp chocolate bitters
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 3 1/4 cup sifted all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream together the shortening and plant butter until fluffy, then add sugar and chocolate bitters.
- Mix for 10 minutes on medium speed.
- In a separate bowl, sift the flour and then measure out 3 1/4 cups. Add baking powder.
- Stir in the flour mixture and coconut into the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper and scoop out dough one inch apart.
- Bake 8 – 10 minutes, until just starting to brown.
- Cool for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Variations
- Replace chocolate bitters with vanilla extract.
- Replace chocolate bitters and coconut with lemon or orange zest and juice.