Chewy, sweet coconut butter cookies.

Some people count down by crossing off days. Up here in the village, the days are often counted in “sleeps.” This week, we’ve been counting in eggs. These cookies contain the second to last egg remaining in our refrigerator before we leave for the summer.

One egg, three days, two sleeps to go…

My mom cooked with fresh ingredients whenever she could, and so I have many memories of cracking coconuts and drinking the milk. Afterwards, we’d use fresh coconut shavings in various recipes.

Out here in bush Alaska, we’ve been using powdered coconut milk (obtained from our favorite Asian grocery store, New Sagaya, in Anchorage). Shredded coconut is also on our annual shopping list.

A few weeks ago, I made chocolate dipped macaroons. The coconut lovers around here gave them high marks. Others (those who couldn’t handle the coconut – you know who you are) diplomatically rated them “a-little-too-coconutty.” In an attempt to mellow out the coconut in this cookie, I mixed it into a tried and true butter cookie recipe. The coconut flavor and chewiness of these cookies goes perfectly with the butter-cookie sweetness. I was tempted to dip them in chocolate but resisted, thinking that might have made them too sweet. These cookies are already perfectly sweet!

Coconut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• dash salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups sweetened coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, mix sugar and butter until smooth and pale colored.
4. Mix egg into sugar mixture.
5. Mix vanilla into sugar mixture.
6. Blend in flour mixture to create a dough.
7. Incorporate coconut into dough mixture.
8. Drop dough by tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking sheets leaving 2 inches between cookies.
9. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are toasted lightly on the top and golden brown on the bottom.
10. Cool on wire racks.