Nutty coconut Cookies

Christmas is all about coconut in many respects.  My Nutty Coconut Cookies come together so easily for anyone. I am trying to give you as many options as possible for the holidays and beyond.  If you have nut allergies, you can replace the nuts with some candied fruit in this recipe.

The original coconut cookie is the macaroon and it has quite the history.  The original macaroons came from the Arab Empire and they brought cookies of honey and nut flour to Sicily.  Of course.  Coconut was introduced to macaroons in the 1500’s.  More of this fabulous history and a place to buy some at https://dannymacaroons.com/blogs/macaroons/where-do-macaroons-come-from

You might also like these coconut cookies https://recipesatmytable.com/little-coconut-chocolate-clouds/

Ingredients

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup butter( room temperature)
• 1/2 cup each of brown sugar and white sugar
• a large egg
• 1 TBSP Sambuca liqueur
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup  walnuts or mixed chopped nuts
• some icing sugar for dusting

Process

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Now add in the egg.

Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Add this by 1/4 cupfuls to the wet ingredients.  Mix well after each addition.  You will end up with a soft dough.

Now add in the coconut and the chopped nuts.

Using a teaspoon drop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper.  Leave room between the cookies.

Bake for 12 minutes at 350 F.  Take out of the oven to cool.

Dust with sugar just before serving.

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Nutty Coconut Cookies

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

• * 2 cups of all purpose flour
• * 1/2 tsp baking soda
• * pinch salt
• * 1/2 cup butter room temperature
• * 1/2 cup each of brown sugar and white sugar
• * a large egg
• * 1 TBSP Sambuca liqueur
• * 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• * 1/2 cup walnuts or mixed chopped nuts
• * some icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Now add in the egg.
2. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Add this by 1/4 cupfuls to the wet ingredients.  Mix well after each addition.  You will end up with a soft dough.
3. Now add in the coconut and the chopped nuts.
4. Using a teaspoon drop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper.  Leave room between the cookies.
5. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 F.  Take out of the oven to cool.
6. Dust with sugar just before serving.

Shortbread Roca Cookies

I love any kind of shortbread.  It’s the richness and melt-in-your mouth texture that I want. Shortbread Roca Cookies kick Christmas up a notch.  The little bit of DiSaronno adds that “what is it?” moment to the taste.  The Roca gives it texture and sweetness.  I think you will be in heaven.

Roca is an almond butter crunch covered in chocolate.  I buy it by the large box from Costco on line.  Some of the candy has a coating of chopped almonds.  Sometimes I just eat Roca with a good glass of wine for dessert.  LOL  It’s that time of year.  I do enjoy it all year too.

You may double this recipe.  I used rounded tablespoons for the larger cookies, but teaspoons makes a nice dainty cookie.  Adjust the cooking time form 20 minutes for the large cookies to 15 minutes for the smaller ones.

Shortbread is Scottish and if you are interested in reading about its origins go to https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Scottish-Shortbread/

Another great Christmas Cookie on my blog https://recipesatmytable.com/glazed-fruit-coconut-drops/

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 10 roca cookies, about 1 cup ground
• 1 tsp DiSaronno liqueur
• some icing sugar for dusting

Process

This is the Roca Candy I use.

Set the paddle in your mixer and on high speed whip together the butter and sugar. 

In a medium bowl mix the flour and cornstarch.  Add it in 1/4 cup at a time to the butter mixture. 

Lift up the paddle and scrape the rest of the dough into the bowl before adding in the Roca. 

With a food processor grind the Roca. 

Add the Roca and the DiSaronno liqueur and mix by hand. 

Drop by tablespoons or teaspoons on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Make sure they are one inch apart.  

Bake in a 350 F oven for 20 or 15 minutes depending on size.  Remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool.  

Dust with some icing sugar before serving. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Balls

These are retro and probably made all over the world, but I had to show you my spin on them.  My Chocolate Chip Cookie Balls aren’t covered in chocolate, I roll them in coconut and crushed amaretti cookies. This doesn’t skimp on flavour, but adds texture.  Of course I add my secret weapon, some Baileys liqueur.

I like these little balls because they are like truffles to eat.  The only problem is that they disappear quickly.  As an Italian, I wasn’t introduced to baking with cream cheese until the 70’s when I made my fist no-bake cheese cake. Then we fell in love with cream cheese.  Loved it on toast with jam.  Today, I use it in both savoury and sweet cooking.  The Italian equivalent of cream cheese is mascarpone.  For an interesting and well-written article on cream cheese go to https://mashable.com/article/cream-cheese-history/

This recipe is very versatile.  Choose your cookie and add the cream cheese and then choose your toping.  Flavour with your favourite liqueur.  Add some warm spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.  You are the artist!!

For a nice savoury dish from my blog, try this dip for your Christmas parties https://recipesatmytable.com/sausage-peperonata-cheese-dip/

Ingredients

• 21 Chocolate chip cookies
• 1 brick 250 grams cream cheese softened
• 2 tbsp Baileys
• 10 crushed amaretti cookies
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

I place my chocolate chip cookies into a food processor and pulse.

Pulse until there are fine crumbs.

Then add the softened cream cheese.

Place into a bowl and add in the Baileys.

Roll half in coconut.

Roll the other half in crushed amaretti cookies.

Place on a tray and freeze. Once frozen, put into a container and keep in freezer.

So pretty!

Lauren’s Genetti Puffs

My daughter Lauren loves these traditional Italian cookies that are a showstopper any time of the year. Lauren’s Genetti Puffs are simple cookies that show up very pretty on any baking tray.  We can’t all be together this year, but Lauren is coming to do an outside walk with us soon.  I am getting all her favourite things ready.  She is truly a darling and during these troubling times, she makes an effort to call every day and sometimes twice a day.

When Lauren was ten years old, we moved to Iqaluit, Nunavut.  Both of us seemed to end-up at the same school.  I was very lucky to watch her grow into the strong, smart and savvy woman she is today.  A communication specialist by trade now, she had to endure this lady as an English teacher. LOL  We have many funny memories.

Today’s recipe dedicated to Lauren is her favourite and may become yours.  I did an earlier Christmas version of these cookies, but this is our traditional recipe.  For my other version with some jazzy spices see https://recipesatmytable.com/genetti-special-occasion-cookies/

I made the drop version of the cookie today, but if you want to braid it you can.  You need extra flour for dusting and that’s it.  This will be covered in the process portion. Also to note that some of these recipes call for butter, well real Italians always use oil.  LOL

With my daughter Lauren in Sicily.  We both love to travel and have a sweet tooth. 

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp Sambuca or anise flavouring

Icing

This is more of glaze and freezes well.  If you want a thicker icing, then decrease the amount of liquid.

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp sambuca

Set your oven at 350 F.  In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar until frothy.

Mix your vegetable oil and anise flavouring.

Slowly pour this liquid into the eggs and sugar and keep beating until very pale and velvety in colour.

In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt.Add the dry ingredients by 1/2 cupful to the wet ingredients.  Mix well between additions.The dough will looks sticky but luscious.

I used my small meatball scoop from Pampered Chef.  I spray it with my own canola oil spritzer.

Drop the cookies onto a parchment lined baking pan.  If you don’t have a scoop, use heaping tablespoons.  This is where you can choose to make braids instead of puffs.  Take a tablespoon full of dough and drop it onto a floured surface.  Roll the dough into the flour and then roll between your hands to make a rope.  Place the rope back down and twist.  Press the bottom of the twist.

The cookies go into a 350 F oven for 10 minutes.

Remove and let cool before icing.

Iced and pretty!