I know you'll all agree...after shoveling 20+ inches of snow for 4 hours, a couple of cookies aren't going to kill a girl. Hence, these beautiful, decadent cookies, whose original recipe comes from my favorite baking book, flour, by Joanne Chang.
I've adapted the recipe slightly, combining pecans and walnuts (because I didn't have enough pecans on hand), but other than a few procedural adaptations, I've stayed true to the recipe. These cookies are wonderfully crisp, full of nutty, chocolaty, coconuty flavor - and, the addition of oatmeal counter-balances any "I should be eating healthy food" guilt you may have. Hope you dig them as much as we did!
Dig These Bittersweet Chocolate, Pecan and Coconut Cookies (Adapted from an original recipe- Chunky Lola Cookies - in flour)
1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup unbleached white flour
2/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats (quick is okay if it's all you have)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/4 cups pecan halves, toasted and chopped (I used half pecan, half walnuts because that's what I had)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stop the mixer a few times to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Beat the eggs and vanilla on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined, being sure eggs and butter are well incorporated.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Add the chocolate, pecans (and/or walnuts) and coconut and toss to combine. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-flour mixture and mix just until the flour mixture is totally incorporated and the dough is evenly mixed.
Drop the dough in 1/4 cup balls onto a baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand.*
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center. Let cool on the baking sheet for 15- 20 minutes or until they can be easily lifted with a spatula.
For best results, the flour cookbook suggests scooping the dough into an airtight container and letting it rest in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.**
*I dropped them by tablespoon, and they still came out beautifully
** I didn't do this because we all wanted the cookies NOW, and they came out perfectly - next time I'll plan better!
