Tuesday, August 7, 2012

oatmeal-coconut cookies


One of my dad's greatest mottos in life is this: You can never have too many desserts in the house. While some people claim to have a sweet tooth, my dad most definitely has an entire mouth full of them. And because of this, cookies have always been an unquestionable staple in my parents' house. In fact, some of my greatest childhood memories include time in the kitchen with my mom and sister, baking and decorating cookies and eagerly presenting them to my dad for his enthusiastic - and inevitable - taste of approval.

Throughout those years and even to this day, this recipe remains an utmost family favorite. Soft and chewy with the perfect marriage of oatmeal and coconut and the delightful whisperings of vanilla extract...they're.just.so.good! During my recent vacation/trip home, while looking through my mom's beloved, falling apart, stained, and tattered church cookbooks on my search for a certain marinade, I spotted this recipe...and got an immediate craving. So I acted in the only way I new how...I preheated the oven. And my dad's reaction after his first bite? Just as enthusiastic and approving as it was when I was little.

Oatmeal-Coconut Cookies
Yield: about 4 1/2 dozen

1 cup butter, softened but still cool
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cup oats, preferably old-fashioned
1 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter on medium-high speed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Stir in oatmeal and coconut until well blended.

Drop heaping teaspoons of dough, 2 inches apart, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the perimeters are lightly golden brown and the centers are set but still puffy. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

15 comments:

  1. oh yum! i want to make these now! guess tomorrow will suffice ... if i have everything, which i should! ;o)
    too bad Nathan doesn't really like coconut ... ha ha

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    1. Let me know what you think of them! Nathan not liking coconut = more for you...I don't see that as a bad thing at all! :)

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  2. oh ... and can't these be breakfast? i mean, they DO have oatmeal, afterall! :o)
    have you tried to throw in some white chocolate?? just wondering!

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    1. Ummmm...YES! I really like the way you think, Leanna! ;-) Oh, and I LOVE the addition of white chocolate idea!! I've never done that before (yet!), but I think it would be amazing!

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  3. ah! am about to make these and realized you had butter on there twice ... was the one supposed to be white sugar??

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    1. Ahhh! Sorry about that! Apparently I shouldn't watch Olympics gymnastics while I'm blogging, because I'm pretty sure that was the reason for my lack of proofreading. ;-) Fixing it now!

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  4. this recipe is pretty close, so i'll go with it!
    http://southernfood.about.com/od/oatmealcookies/r/blcookies9f.htm

    can't wait!

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    1. Soooo?? How did they turn out?? :)

      By the way...congrats on your new niece!!! :)

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    2. They turned out great! Made them Sun. with Miriam when she wouldn't nap and they were gone yesterday ... In my defense, we did a have a family of 6 over twice (visiting from out of town) as well as Laura and family, so I didn't eat them all. ha ha
      Oops - haven't asked Nathan what he thought of them, but they weren't that coconut-y, so I'm sure they were acceptable, at the very least. ;o)
      did you check out the above recipe?? you posted 2 c oats and 1 cup coconut and that recipe had the amounts flipped! interesting, huh? i went with your way.
      they were yummy! thanks!
      i did half without wh. choc. and half with ... both ways were yummy. thanks
      isn't my new niece ADORABLE?!
      ok ... this is WAY too long! ha ha!

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  5. UM, let's have these instead for my birthday. Can we add some chocolate?! :) Look delicious!

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    1. Absolutely!! Instead of coconut cake?? :) Or peach pie??

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  6. do you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut?! just curious before I try them out!

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