Yes, I have been on a coconut kick, but this should be the last one I needed to blog. It is another one from the Smitten Kitchen blog. I had to order the unsweetened coconut flakes on Amazon for these because I couldn't find them online at any of our local grocery stores, and at this point I am not about to drive around going to stores looking for them. It absolutely went against my rule of being environmentally conscious by having someone drive out here just to deliver some coconut. It came in a 4-pack so I looked for recipes to use the coconut and not feel so guilty (of course I'm telling myself that as opposed to just wanting to continue baking sweets, and why not coconut?!) The only other time I broke my rule was to order Lyle's Golden Syrup for the Tuxedo cake, and can I just say my mouth waters when I think of that cake! Anyway my HEB quit carrying it, and I couldn't find it anywhere so I broke down and ordered it. It came from Las Vegas!!! When I think of all the people and trucks and planes that went into me getting that one little can of syrup I still feel guilty. So, back to these cookies. My family thinks they are a lighter version of the Ranger cookies which are their all-time favorite cookies. I wanted to make them because of the brown butter, and I must say I could have eaten the whole bowl of dough. I literally moaned when I ate the dough, and those of you that know me know that I do love to moan when I am eating! I didn't moan when I ate the baked version, but I did like it a lot and everyone else did as well. So if you make them be sure and taste the raw dough.
1 c. unsalted butter
2 TB water, approximately
1/2 c + 2 TB granulated sugar
3/4 c. packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1-1/4 c. + 3 TB all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
Slightly heaped 1/2 t. flaky sea salt or 1/4 t. table salt
4 c. dried unsweetened coconut flakes or chips (I used Bob's Red Mill Unsweetened Coconut Flakes, as did SK)
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don't take your eyes off the pot as it seems to take forever (more than 5 minutes) but then turns dark very quickly. Once it is a almost a nut-brown color, remove from heat and immediately pour the butter and all browned bits at the bottom into a measuring cup. Adding 2 TB water should bring the butter amount back up to 1 cup.* Chill browned butter in the fridge until it solidifies, about 1-2 hours.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment or nonstick mat like Silpat.
Scrape chilled browned butter and any bits into a large mixing bowl. Add both sugars and beat the mixture together until fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Add vanilla. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Pour half of flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined, then add remaining flour and mix again, scraping down bowl if needed. Add coconut flakes in two parts as well.
Scoop dough into balls (I use my scoop that measures a little over a TB). Give them plenty of room on the baking sheet because they will spread a little; slightly press them down. Bake them 11-12 minutes or until they are deeply golden all over. Cool cookies on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cookies keep for up to one week at room temperature. Extra dough can be stored in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for a month or more.
*Not all types of butter contain the same amount of water. Most standard American grocery store butters have 1 TB of water per stick of butter. However, should you find that your first batch of cookies is too thick, a little extra water is all you'll need to get the texture right.
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