A simple oat and coconut cookie drizzled with white chocolate and topped with toasted coconut. Perfect for entertaining!Yield: 3-4 dozen
Source: Paula Deen contributed this recipe to the Food Network website.
First, no frosting. Not that I am opposed to frosting in any way, mind you. It's just that I was getting a little tired of frosted cookies. I needed a break. I wanted something that didn't require that extra step.
Second, for similar reasons, something that didn't involve chocolate or peanut butter. I wanted something kind of classy, something you don't normally make for your grade-school kids, something really nice.
I definitely think I accomplished these small goals, especially the second. Paula Deen's White Chocolate Coconut cookie was a perfect fit for this week.
Here's the recipe:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup quick oats
3/4 cup shredded coconut
Topping:
8 oz. white chocolate, melted
3/4 cup toasted coconut
I think the dough turned out nice. It reminds me a little bit of cobbler crust. Personally, I am a big fan of coconut, so it made my cobbler-crust cookie even better!
Paula Deen calls for the oats and coconut to be folded into the dough. I can see why. Honestly, I think I over mixed my dough just a touch, and I think I overdid the flour as well. They turned out kind of heavy, and looking not at all like Paula's. Disappointing.
Roll (or, more appropriately, squish) the dough into walnut-sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. I did flatten some of mine, and left others unflattened (which Blogger tells me is not actually a word. But you get the idea.) . I like them better flat. It's easier to do the next step.
Once I was done baking the cookies, I used the cookie sheet to toast the coconut. It only took a few minutes, with the oven still on 350.
Melt the white chocolate (I gave mine 2 minutes in the microwave, stirring after the first minute). I started by dipping the cookies into the chocolate, but honestly, I just made a big mess doing that. I then moved to using a wooden spoon to drizzle it onto the cookies. That seemed to work a little better. Once your white chocolate is drizzled on, top it with the toasted coconut.
The plain cookie reminds me a lot of this Coconut Crispies recipe. Of course, Paula Deen's cookie doesn't use Corn Flakes! However, I do like this cookie a lot, precisely because of the addition of the white chocolate. It really adds a new layer to the flavor. Plus, it makes these cookies really, really pretty!
