Mediterranean Cookies

I came across this recipe and I was very interested. I don’t find too many recipes with dates, and this recipe combined dates, coconut, and nuts, which sounded amazing. I cut this recipe in half, since the quantities listed here made a lot of cookies. Even a half recipe made about 3 dozen cookies.

This recipe called for walnuts, which makes sense as that is what you’d find in the Mediterranean, but I prefer pecans. Just use what you have! Coconut also varies a lot, as there is sweetened and unsweetened, larger and smaller shreds. I use unsweetened coconut, that is shredded very small. This is what is found in the UK, and I find that since it is dry to start with, it lasts longer.

These came together easily and I was really happy with how they looked when they came out of the oven. I let them cool and ate one, and something was…off. Something tasted stale. The oats? The nuts? The dates? I am quite sure the dates were too old. I remade them with newer dates and that made all the difference! With the proper ingredients, these cookies were lovely, and I even forgot to top them with a dusting of powdered sugar!

Mediterranean Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts/pecans)
1 cup flaked coconut
8 ounces chopped dates
Powdered sugar

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix on medium until smooth. Add the vanilla, olive oil, and eggs and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and oats. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flout/oat mixture and stir until combined.

Switch to a spatula and fold in the chopped nuts, coconut, and chopped dates, stirring until the ingredients are incorporated evenly throughout the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Shape the dough into 1-1/2” balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until browned along the edges. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Recipe from South Your Mouth

German Chocolate Cake Fudge

This summer when my husband and I were on holiday, we had some German Chocolate Cake fudge. German Chocolate Cake is one of my favorites and to have it in fudge form was lovely. I knew that I wanted to try making a similar fudge, and I found a couple of different recipes to consider. 

The fudge that I had was a two-tone fudge, with a chocolate nut base topped with a white chocolate, coconut, and pecan topping. I did find that I could piece together a couple of different recipes to make a similar fudge, but I also found recipes like the one below that was more all-in-one. Going with my theme of not-too-difficult recipes, I chose that route.

Ideally, I would make my own coconut pecan frosting, and you can do that if you have the time. This fudge only takes a few minutes to assemble, as you melt things in the microwave then stir in the extras. I use British-style unsweetened desiccated coconut rather than American-style sweetened coconut because I figured this is already sweet enough! This fudge set up beautifully and cut in lovely little squares. This was very easy and very tasty!

German Chocolate Cake Fudge
12 ounces dark chocolate chips
7 ounces coconut pecan frosting
⅓ cup Nutella
½ cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon salt
Additional coconut

Line a 8” or 9” square pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium/large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, coconut pecan frosting and the Nutella. Microwave for 1 minute and then stir. Microwave for an additional 30 seconds, stirring again. Continue heating in 30 second increments until the mixture is smooth. 

Add the pecans, ¼ cup coconut, and salt and stir to combine. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Sprinkle with additional coconut. 

Refrigerate until firm, at least several hours. To serve, lift the fudge from the pan and peel away the foil. Cut into squares.

Recipe from Cooking with Janica

Coconut Guava Bars

When I think about the things that I bake, there are a lot of flavors that I return to time and time again. I love oats, cinnamon, and anything with ginger. Apples are always great, and hazelnuts are my favorite. But there are some ingredients that I don’t use often, and it isn’t because I don’t like them, but I don’t actively look for recipes with those ingredients. I guess I don’t like pumpkin much, the texture isn’t my thing, so there aren’t many pumpkin recipes here.

This recipe originally called for apricot, which I love but just don’t use very often. Even with this recipe that called for apricot preserves, I knew full well when I saved it that I would try and think of a different sort of preserves to use. I had to figure out what would go well with coconut, and I was at a store with a lot of unusual and international products, and I found guava preserves. Giving this bar a Hawaiian twist sounded great.

This recipe calls for a 9” x 13” pan but gives the option of using a smaller 7” x 11” pan, and that was what I used. It seemed like the bars would be too thin using the larger pan. It was easier to spread the dough in the smaller pan, and my jar of guava preserves was slightly smaller than what the recipe originally called for, so I think it was the right choice. These bars were sturdy and cut beautifully and have a wonderful fruity flavor. They were the perfect choice to remind you of the upcoming spring.

Coconut Guava Bars
¾ cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 ⅓ cups coconut
½ cup slivered almonds
1 jar guava preserves
Additional slivered almonds

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13”  or 7” x 11” pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light. Add the egg and vanilla and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder and then add it to the mixer with the mixer running on low. Stir in the coconut and slivered almonds.

Press 2/3 of the dough into the prepared pan. Top with an even layer of guava preserves. Crumble the remaining 1/3 of the dough over the preserves. Top with additional slivered almonds.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Recipe adapted from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Pina Colada Fudge

One of my favorites of all the different types of fudge that my dad used to make was his pina colada fudge. I didn’t really know a lot about fudge, although I do recall the fantastic flavors. I also remember that you can only have a small amount of this fudge as it is so sweet. I found his recipe for this fudge and knew I needed to make it.

This recipe comes from a Pillsbury Bake Off, which tells you a bit about the ingredients. When the competition began in the late 1940s, people used standard ingredients such as flour and sugar. Since this recipe is from the 2002 contest, the requirements are different. Typically, recipes need to include one or two premade or specialty ingredients. This recipe uses Pillsbury vanilla frosting, which is unusual in fudge but explains why this fudge is so sweet.

I do use slightly different recipes from my dad, and I could tell the difference. I use desiccated coconut, which is smaller cut and less sweet than American-style coconut. I also wasn’t sure about the dried pineapple, as what I found was slightly darkened due to the drying process. In the end, the fudge looked as expected, so the pineapple I used was fine. The coconut, since it is a smaller cut, is very prevalent. I like this since I love coconut so much. This tastes a lot like Dad’s, but slightly different. And yes, it is still very sweet.

Pina Colada Fudge
2 cups white chips
3.25 ounces chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
16 ounce can Pillsbury vanilla frosting
1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Line a 9” square pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the white chips in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring frequently, until the chips are melted and smooth.

Reserve ¼ cup of chopped macadamia nuts. Fold in the remaining macadamias, vanilla frosting, dried pineapple, coconut, rum and coconut extracts. Mix until thoroughly combined and then spread in the prepared pan. Top with the ¼ cup reserved macadamia nuts.

Refrigerate until firm, at least an hour, before cutting into small squares.

Recipe from Michelle Grosella, BakeOff 2002 via Pillsbury

Frosted Graham Cracker Bars

Each summer I try and identify a couple of no-bake recipes that can be made without turning on the oven. I’m never quite sure what to think of no-bake recipes because you typically have to heat or melt ingredients on the stove and that can be worse than the oven. Thankfully I made these when the house wasn’t too warm, so I didn’t mind working with the stove. This recipe did come together very fast, so that was another bonus.

I did halve this recipe, making it in an 8” square pan. That slightly changes the quantity of graham crackers you need, but I found that 9 graham cracker squares fit the pan with little extra room or space between the crackers. The filling comes together fast, as the butter is quite warm and the mixture comes to a boil quickly when you add other ingredients. You technically should use ½ egg so I used the egg yolk. Using a full egg wouldn’t be the end of the world.

I topped the crackers with the filling and added more crackers. The dish is warm at this point so I put it in the refrigerator to cool about 30 minutes before I added the frosting. The frosting is simple but I needed more milk that expected to get it to a spreading consistency. I topped it and let it refrigerate for just over 24 hours. The time softens the crackers and I was worried they would be soggy, but that wasn’t the case at all! You get a sweet cookie with a crunchy filling that people
would never guess were a no-bake cookie.

Frosted Graham Cracker Bars
18 square graham crackers, divided
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs  

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
About 1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
⅛ teaspoon almond extract
About 2 tablespoons milk

Line an 8” pan with foil. Layer the bottom of the pan with graham crackers. You may need to break them apart to make an even layer.

Make the filling: in a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the sugar, milk, and beaten egg. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium high heat until the mixture boils. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the coconut, pecans, and graham cracker crumbs. Spread the mixture over the graham crackers in the pan. Top the bars with eight additional graham crackers, making another even layer.

Allow the bars to cool for an hour before topping with the frosting.

Make the frosting: in a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, milk, powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond extract on medium until combined. If required, you can add additional powdered sugar to thicken the frosting. Spread the frosting over the bars.

Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, which softens the graham crackers. Once fully refrigerated, cut into bars.

Recipe from Six Sisters’ Stuff

Caramel Anzac Slice

ANZAC Day, a day of remembrance for Australian and New Zealanders, is celebrated on April 25. I have made ANZAC biscuits before, but came across this bar cookie version and couldn’t wait to try them. Noting that ANZAC Day isn’t celebrated until April 25, I had to wait to make these cookies. Since the 25th doesn’t fall on a Friday this year, I had to either post them early or late, but I figure I am pretty close. As an uninformed American, I had never heard of ANZAC Day prior to my first trip to the UK, but have learned that the world is full of celebrations.

The original recipe, as it comes from Australia, has some difference. If I see “slice,” I know that it is an Australian bar cookie. I expect the measurements to be by weight rather than volume. Also, this recipe uses desiccated coconut, which is different from the coconut you get in American stores. It is unsweetened and a finer cut, and can often be found in health food stores. You can always put the coconut you have on hand into a food processor to make it a finer cut.

This recipe called for a 20 x 30-centimeter pan, and I do have a 20 x 29-centimeter tart pan that works. Thankfully these bars are fairly thin! The original recipe also had you make your own caramel from sweetened condensed milk, but mine burned so I ended up buying some caramel sauce to use. Perhaps it was more fluid, but it worked. These bars cut easier if they are cold, but that may be because of the sticky caramel sauce. While these are messy, the flavors they contain can’t be beat. The caramel is a good addition to traditional Anzac biscuits, and this bar cookie version can’t be beat.

Caramel Anzac Slice
125 grams butter
120 grams golden syrup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon boiling water
80 grams oats
150 grams flour
60 grams brown sugar
60 grams desiccated coconut
Caramel sauce

35 grams desiccated coconut
40 grams oats
50 grams brown sugar
30 grams butter, melted

Heat the oven to 320 degrees. Line a 20 x 30-centimeter pan (or something close) with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and golden syrup over low heat. Once the mixture is melted and smooth, dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water to dissolve. Stir the baking soda into the melted butter mixture and remove from the heat. In the same saucepan, stir in the oats, flour, brown sugar, and desiccated coconut. Press the mixture into the base of the prepared pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Once the bars come out of the oven, spread with an even layer of caramel sauce. In a separate bowl, combine the desiccated coconut, oats, brown sugar, and melted butter. Stir to create a crumb-like mixture. Sprinkle the topping over the caramel, pressing down slightly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly. Allow the bars to come to room temperature and then place in the refrigerator to chill for several hours. Once the bars are cold, remove from the pan and cut into squares.

Recipe from The Annoyed Thyroid

Italian Cream Cake Cookies

I have been digging through some recipes that I have pinned, and it seems like if I don’t make a recipe soon after I pin it, I forget that it exists and sometimes by the time I go back to check the recipes the links don’t work anymore. This recipe isn’t all that old, but I did pin it a bit ago. I have wanted to make these for a long time, and this week was the right time.

This is a version of a thumbprint cookie, but quite a bit different. This cookie is simple and crumbly, mainly butter, powdered sugar, and flour. You do need to mix them a bit to have the dough come together, but they are affable to shaping. You roll the cookies in chopped pecans and coconut. The dough isn’t super sticky, so you have to work to get that to stick. You’ll have more pecans and coconut than you need, but it’s like frosting: I’d rather have too much than too little.

These are small cookies, but they bake low and slow. They don’t turn golden brown, so you just need to check and see if they are set. You do need to cool the cookies before filling, but that only takes 15 minutes for that to happen. The filling is, again, simple just cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar. I whipped the filling a lot, so it was the consistency I wanted. Piping the filling is the easiest way to finish these cookies, and they are so petite that to spoon in the filling would be nearly impossible. I love these cookies, so crumbly, but simple and beautiful with the cream cheese filling.

Italian Cream Cake Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup flaked coconut

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar on medium until light. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour and cornstarch, stirring until the dough comes together. You may need to do the last bit of shaping with your hands.

Place the pecans and coconut in a small bowl. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and then roll in the pecan/coconut mixture. Place on the prepared baking sheets.

Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand and then make an indentation in each cookie with your thumb or similar tool. Reshape the balls as needed.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until set and barely browned. Allow to cool before making the filling

In a large mixer bowl, bear the cream cheese and butter on medium until combined. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla. If the filling is too stiff, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk to thin. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag and pipe the filling into the indentations of the cooled cookies.

Recipe from Something Swanky

Nanaimo Thumbprint Cookies

A couple of years ago, my husband and I visited the town of Nanaimo, British Columbia, the home of the Nanaimo Bar. It was a lovely little city to visit, and you could get a Nanaimo cheesecake, a Nanaimo martini, Nanaimo fudge, and any number of other tasty treats. I came across this recipe for Nanaimo thumbprint and it is exactly the type of cookie I enjoy making. I get to bake wonderful cookies and I am reminded of places we have visited.

This version is a baked cookie, which is atypical for a Nanaimo Bar, but many items fair better when they are baked. The filling is a little different, and I think I would likely tweak that in the future. The original recipe had you dip each cookie into the melted chocolate, but only covering half the cookie. While my father has excellent candy-making skills, I don’t and that sounded messy. I ended up drizzling melted chocolate over one side of the cookies and that looked perfect.

For me, the quintessential part of a Nanaimo Bar is the use of custard powder in the filling. I’ve seen recipes where it suggests substituting cook and serve pudding for the custard powder, but I always have this on hand and use it frequently. This filling uses just powdered sugar, but next time I would reduce the amount of powdered sugar and add a few tablespoons of custard powder. That would provide that extra flavor that I am looking for. Don’t get me wrong, these are super tasty, but they’d be just a touch more authentic with custard powder!

Nanaimo Thumbprint Cookies
1 cup flour
½ cup graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup shredded coconut
½ cup finely chopped pecans

⅓ cup butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

1 cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing on medium to fully combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Fold in the coconut and chopped pecans with a spatula.

Shape the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand and then make a thumbprint/indentation in the center of each cookie using the end of a wooden spoon or similar implement.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet half way through the baking time. Once the cookies come out of the oven, reshape the thumbprint, ensuring that there is room for the filling.

Make the filling: In a mixer bowl beat the butter, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt on low to combine. Add the powdered sugar and beat until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the filling into a piping bag and pipe the filling into the indentation in each cookie.

Make the chocolate drizzle: in a medium bowl combine the chocolate chips and vegetable shortening. Microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until the mixture is smooth. Drizzle the chocolate over the left half of each cookie. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.  

Recipe from Redpath Sugar

Lemon Coconut Slice

When I try to decide what to bake, I look to see if I have any random ingredients that I need to use. Last week, I made a no-bake cookie which called for a partial can of sweetened condensed milk. Trying to find a recipe that uses less than a full can of sweetened condensed milk is a challenge. I have gotten smarter about it, and I now know that if I need a recipe that requires a smaller quantity of sweetened condensed milk, I look at Australian and New Zealand recipes.

In this case, I was able to find a handful of recipes that used ¾ cup or less of sweetened condensed milk. Some were no-bake recipes, others were baked. My house is cooler, so I was open to turning on the oven. I do prefer baking and I was actually thrilled that the house is cooler, so I chose these Lemon Coconut Slices (Bars). They only bake for 15 minutes, so that isn’t too bad, and it’s quick as you prepare the icing as the bars bake.

These cookies require fairly standard ingredients, the only unusual item is desiccated coconut, which is like a dry and finely shredded coconut. It’s common in British and Commonwealth recipes, but you could substitute any type of coconut that is easy to find. The icing layer is thick and in end the end I didn’t use all of the icing. I scooped it onto the baked base and the biggest challenge was spreading the icing on the bars in a pan that was straight out of the oven! It’s best to firm these up in the refrigerator before cutting, but I didn’t feel the need to store them there. They have a wonderful coconut flavor, with a lovely hint of lemon. That’s hard to beat!

Lemon Coconut Slice
100 grams butter, melted
140 grams flour
110 grams sugar
42 grams desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon hot water

25 grams butter
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
140 grams powdered sugar
85 grams desiccated coconut
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar, coconut, baking powder, and hot water. Press the mixture into the base of the prepared pan.    

Bake for 15 minutes.

While the base is in the oven, take the icing. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and the sweetened condensed milk. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted. Add the powdered sugar, coconut, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

As soon as the bars come out of the oven, spread the icing on top of the base in an even layer. Allow the icing to set in the refrigerator before cutting into bars.

Recipe from The Kiwi Country Girl

Samoa-Inspired Bars

I know that it’s a long way from Girl Scout Cookie season, but I see recipes and I am always curious how they will turn out. Usually, I end up not making Samoas (aka Caramel DeLites) because of having to roll out dough or some other complexity like that. This is a bar cookie, and I figured I could handle that a little better. In the end I did make some changes for simplicity sake, to make the cookies more “true to form,” but yes, I really just made the change as it was easier.

This is not a quick cookie to make. You end up making them over two days, with lots of time for the bars to chill between steps. You also get to make caramel, which can be fussy. This made a larger quantity which works better, plus I had some heavy cream to use up. I had a newer candy thermometer that works great, and that has helped a lot with my uncertainty in making caramel. It doesn’t rest on the bottom of the pan and give a false reading, and is otherwise easy to use. It doesn’t fog up like my old one did!

The original recipe had you cut the bars and then dip the base in melted chocolate, then flip them upside down to set the chocolate. That seemed needlessly complicated, especially since Samoas are known for the chocolate stripes on top. Since it is difficult to cut chocolate stripes, I cut the bars and then drizzled with chocolate and that was perfect. Do store these in the refrigerator; some of the edges were on a plate on the counter and they became a big, caramel mess. (Still tasty though!) They are the perfect combination of shortbread, caramel, coconut and a hint of chocolate. While I don’t equate them to eating a Samoa cookie, they are still wonderful.

Samoa-Inspired Bars
1 cup butter, room temperature
113 grams powdered sugar
240 grams flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup butter
170 grams heavy cream
300 grams sugar
156 grams light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
50 grams coconut flakes

¾ cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vegetable shortening

Line a 9” square pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium mixer bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat on medium until smooth. With the mixer running on low, mix in the flour, salt, and vanilla. Press the dough into the prepared pan and prick the dough with a fork. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Bake the shortbread for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool completely before moving on to the next step.

Make the caramel: in a medium saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter. When the butter is nearly melted, add the heavy cream to warm it. Set aside. In a separate saucepan, combine the sugar and light corn syrup over medium low heat, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Do not stir, instead swirl the pan to encourage even cooking. After about 10 minutes, the mixture will turn an amber color. At the point, remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the butter/heavy cream mixture.

Add a candy thermometer to the pan and return the pan to medium-high heat. Stir the mixture frequently until the thermometer reaches 248 degrees. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the caramel over the shortbread base and the sprinkle with the coconut, stirring gently to distribute them evenly. Allow the bars to come to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.

To finish: remove the bars from the pan and peel away the foil. Cut the bars into small squares.
Melt the chocolate and vegetable shortening in the microwave, stirring the mixture every 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag and cut off a small piece of the tip. Drizzle the chocolate over the bars in a diagonal pattern. Refrigerate the bars until the chocolate is set.

Store the bars in the refrigerator, but allow them to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Sloane’s Table

Gluten-Free Cowboy Cookies

I feel like I have gotten quite used to baking dairy-free cookies. There are a couple of recipes that I can’t adapt to dairy free, items with toffee or cream cheese, but even those items are easier and easier to find using dairy alternatives. I need more practice with gluten-free recipes, although I feel like I am learning. So far, I have been focusing on the gluten-free recipes that I find, rather than converting recipes. I feel like that is a good start, and the gluten-free flour blend that is available at the store works well.

Cowboy Cookies are one of my favorites, sort of like a chocolate chip cookie but with extra bits added. These have oats, nuts, coconut, and chocolate chips, but you could certainly add crispy rice cereal, other types of chips, dried fruits, etc. Make sure that you don’t add too many mix-ins for the amount of dough you have! The ingredients listed here reflect slightly more add-ins than the original recipe, but not too many. I think the dough would fare even better if it were chilled, so I suggest chilling the dough if you have time.

Although it may seem like this recipe calls for many specialty items, it isn’t too bad. Oats are naturally gluten-free but may be processed in a plant that handles gluten. I have unsweetened coconut, but if you don’t have that you can use regular sweetened coconut. I try to keep dairy-free chocolate chips on hand but if you only need gluten-free, then any type of chip will work. I find that gluten-free cookies tend to be quite thin, and I do wonder if chilling the dough would help. The recipe specified that this would make 24 cookies, but I made about 40. Perhaps larger cookies would spread less? While they are thin, the cookies have great flavor, and it would be interesting to try these with a different combination of mix-ins.

Gluten-Free Cowboy Cookies
½ cup vegan butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4 cup gluten-free oats
1-1/4 cups gluten-free flour blend
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the melted butter and brown sugar on medium until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla, mixing until smooth. Stop the mixer and add the oats, gluten-free flour blend, and coconut. Stir on low for about 30 seconds. Add the pecans and chocolate chips and stir on low until the mixture forms a soft dough.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, using a 1-1/4” scoop.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies may seem slightly under baked when removed from the oven but will set as they cool.

Recipe from Fearless Dining

Coconut Cherry Drops

I had the greatest plan to make these cookies early and take them to work on Valentine’s Day. Well, that didn’t happen, which is too bad as these are the perfect Valentine’s cookie. I know that some folks don’t care for maraschino cherries, but in a month where I am baking with berries or cherries, it seems wrong to not use them in a recipe. For the record, I like maraschino cherries and am happy to use them at any time.

I realized that these cookies have the same coconut and cherry combination as last week’s cookies, but they are very different. The original recipe called for walnuts, but I prefer pecans, and I have those on hand. I wonder if there are regional differences in the preference between walnuts and pecans? Maybe it is just easier to find walnuts at the store, I’m not sure.

These cookies are easy to make and draining and drying the cherries takes the most effort. I was curious about the baking temperature, as cookies often bake at 350 degrees. I baked one tray at 375 and another at 350. While 375 is a different temperature, it worked better for these cookies. At the lower temperature, the cookies spread more and browned too much along the edges. These cookies have nice nooks and crannies, with the pecans, coconuts, and cherries, but overall the cookies remain soft.

Coconut Cherry Drops
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, dried and chopped

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium until light. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again to incorporate. With the mixer running on low, add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the coconut, pecans, and maraschino cherries with a spatula.

Scoop the dough by tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden around the edges. The cookies will set as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Mother Thyme

Cherry and Coconut Flapjacks

I’ve made a couple of different flapjack recipes, but they are not at all common in the states. They are simply an oat-based bar, typically made on the stove and then cooked in the oven. Occasionally you find ones that aren’t baked, but I don’t like those as much. There are some differences between the British ingredients that the recipe specifies and what you can get in American shops, but you can substitute as needed. I keep a decent supply of British baking items on hand, which helps tremendously.

Flapjacks are quick and easy. They are naturally gluten free and by using vegan butter they are also dairy free. Thankfully I had just received a shipment of glacé cherries from the UK, but you can find candied cherries in the states. If you don’t have desiccated coconut, which is more finely ground, you can always use the shredded coconut you can find at the store. I suspect their oats, which are “porridge oats” are different than what I used, but they worked!

The biggest challenge for these flapjacks was this statement from the original recipe, “grease a suitable baking tin.” I had no idea what size of pan that means, but looking at the photo I guessed a 7” x 11” pan. Your flapjacks could be made in any pan, I suppose, but the thickness would vary as would the baking time. Mine were nice and golden after 25 minutes, and I scored/partially cut the bars while still warm. I will say that these bars are incredibly sticky, and I had problems getting them out of the pan. Still, if you don’t mind a little stickiness, these are quite tasty!

Cherry and Coconut Flapjacks
150 grams butter or vegan butter
150 grams brown sugar
90 ml golden syrup
300 grams oats
200 grams glace/candied cherries
40 grams desiccated coconut

Heat the oven to 320 degrees. Spray a 7” x 11” baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and golden syrup and stir, until the mixture comes together. Add the oats, cherries, and coconut and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Remove from the heat and spread evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until the bars are golden. Allow the bars to cool for 10 minutes before scoring into bars. Cool completely and then remove the bars from the pan.

Recipe from What the Redhead Said

Wilderness Place Lodge Cookies

Although it has been a short week, it’s been very busy. All of a sudden, I realized that I needed to bake some cookies this week! I looked through the recipes that I had pinned, and I decided to make these cookies, Wilderness Place Lodge Cookies. They are the “throw in whatever you have in your cupboard” cookies and that is never bad. These are a cross between a chocolate chip cookie and an oatmeal raisin cookie, with chopped pecans and coconut added in for good measure.

The only variation I made to this recipe was that I used maple pecan crumbles rather than chopped walnuts. I don’t care for walnuts, and we buy beautiful pecans from a farm in Georgia. I had about a cup of their maple pecan crumbles, and I figured that adding maple to these cookies would be ok. Of course, that makes them even more of a fall cookie, but that’s ok with me.

Believe it or not, the ingredients that I list here is half of a full batch. I should have known that would still make a lot of cookies, given that half the recipe still has 4-1/2 cups of flour/oats. My recipe still made five dozen cookies, which is a lot to have in your home! These are such tasty cookies, with the flavors of chocolate and maple, plus the crunch of the oats and coconut. These were quick to make (although maybe I would make a quarter recipe) and such a great cookie.

Wilderness Place Lodge Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup raisins
½ cup coconut

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda to the dough and mix on low until the dough starts to come together. Stop the mixer and add the oats, chocolate chips, chopped pecans, raisins, and coconut. Stir until the dough comes together completely. You may need to mix with a spatula at the end, as the dough may be difficult to mix with the mixer.

Drop the dough by tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Kim Brittain via All Recipes

Pineapple Coconut Tassies

Tassies are one of my favorites to make. These little cookie cups can have almost any type of filling, and I have enjoyed finding new and different recipes to try. Most people are familiar with pecan tassies, which are little pecan pies, but this type of cookie can hold just about anything and work for any number of occasions. I like that you bake them all at once, so when the weather is warm you don’t have to work with the oven for too long.

This recipe felt perfect for summer with the combination of pineapple and coconut. The pineapple comes in the form of pineapple ice cream topping. I saw this at the store, when I was checking for something else, but didn’t end up buying it. I then discovered that it wasn’t an item found at the normal places that I shop! I made a trip back to that first grocery store and picked it up since they had a lot. I’m not really sure why it is common some places and non-existent at other spots.

When I went to make these, I realized that the only nuts that I had on hand were pecans, which didn’t seem to fit this recipe. I figured I would be ok with macadamias or almonds, both of which I usually have on hand. Since I didn’t have them, I made these cookies without nuts, and they turned out fine. The only challenge with these cookies is to press the dough into the mini muffin pans, and that’s just a tedious task that isn’t too bad if you just get to it. These cookies are great, with little bits of pineapple coming through from the filling. They are a little crumbly, but that makes them extra tasty!

Pineapple Coconut Tassies
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup pineapple ice cream topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 egg
2 teaspoons cornstarch
    
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (or vanilla)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. You will need about 36 mini muffin cups.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar on medium until light, several minutes. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Shape the dough into balls and press evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the prepared mini muffin cups.

Bake the filling: in a medium bowl, mix the coconut, pineapple ice cream topping, sugar, nuts, egg, and cornstarch. Fill each cup with about a tablespoon of filling.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Allow the cookies to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and extract. Drizzle over the cooled cookies. Allow the glaze to set before serving.

Recipe from Connie Shuff via Taste of Home

Chocolate Chip Treasure Cookies

Summer is here, and one thing that usually indicates summer is the fact that I have a partial can of sweetened condensed milk to use up. I use what I need and then diligently put it in a container and refrigerate it. Nearly every time, I end up not using it. It’s hard to find recipes that use a partial can! This time, I was determined to find a recipe and use the leftovers. Most searches showed me how to make sweetened condensed milk, but I did find some Australian recipe that used a lesser amount. In the end, I picked this recipe from the makers of sweetened condensed milk, and made a half recipe.

This recipe is fairly close to chocolate chip cookies, which is why it won in the end. I often hear complaints that I don’t make chocolate chip cookies nearly enough, which is fair I suppose. These cookies are different, as it uses the sweetened condensed milk instead of adding additional sugar, but they are sweet enough! The graham cracker crumbs make these similar to a cookie version of 7 Layer Bars. I also used pecans rather than walnuts, as I prefer pecans and I have them on hand.

These cookies, half a batch, makes about 20 cookies. I was worried that they would spread a lot, but they really did not. Whatever shape they are when they go in the oven, is about the shape that they will end up when baked. I ended up flattening the cookies slightly, but they may not be the flat cookie shape that you know. These cookies, because of the sweetened condensed milk, are soft, so they aren’t crunchy like some chocolate chip cookies. I think the combination of chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans are great in this cookie, and the graham cracker crumbs provide a good balance with the sweetness of the sweetened condensed milk.

Chocolate Chip Treasure Cookies
Half of a 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup flaked coconut
1 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and butter. Beat on medium until smooth. Add the graham cracker crumbs, flour, and baking powder and mix on low, until the mixture almost comes together. Add the coconut, chocolate chips, and pecans and stir to combine.

Scoop onto the prepared baking sheets, using a 1-tablespoon scoop. Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned and set.

Recipe from Eagle Brand

No-Bake Lemon Coconut Squares

Every summer, it feels like there is a week when the weather is just so warm that I can’t even think of turning on the oven. I have posted a number of no-bake cookies, and I often have my eye out for new ideas. Our weather was crazy the past week or so (110+ yikes!) and it was pretty miserable in the house. The power went out for a while, too, but we were able to escape the heat for a while. Thankfully, it has cooled down since to get some things done around the house. In fact, sometimes it seems almost too cool!

These lemon coconut squares likely contain ingredients that you have on hand. I simple picked up a lemon and I was good to go. This recipe uses a portion of a can of sweetened condensed milk, so now I need to find another recipe that also uses a partial can. I think the recipe was originally a British recipe, as it calls for desiccated coconut. It’s different than American coconut, as it isn’t sweetened, it’s drier, and is more finely ground. If you can’t find desiccated coconut, American coconut will work, just pulse it in the food processor before using it so that it will be more finely ground.

I do appreciate no-bake cookies that don’t require you to stand over the stove for an extended period of time, as that can be as warm as turning on the oven. These squares are mix and refrigerate, which is simple. I used one bowl and beater, just giving it a quick wipe with a paper towel between making the base and the frosting. These squares have a lovely lemon flavor, and the graham cracker/coconut base is firm yet soft. These are different no-bake, but really excellent! You could likely change up the flavors to fit your tastes, but you can’t go wrong with lemon!

No-Bake Lemon Coconut Squares
2 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup finely shredded/desiccated coconut
Zest of one lemon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Additional coconut

Line an 8” square pan with foil and spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and lemon zest; stir to combine. Add the melted butter and sweetened condensed milk and mix on low until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator.

In the same mixer bowl, combine the powdered sugar, butter, and lemon juice. Mix on low until the frosting is creamy. If it is too thin, add additional powdered sugar. Spread the frosting on the graham cracker base and then sprinkle with additional coconut, pressing down slightly to adhere.

Refrigerate the bars for several hours, until completely set. When ready, remove from the pan and cut into squares.

Recipe from Constantly Cooking

Coconut and Jam Macaroon Bars

The gloomy and rainy weather here makes it hard to get motivated to get a lot accomplished, but I have good days and less productive days. I often think that I just want to bake, but I really don’t need that many baked goods around the house. We’re still working through the last of the Christmas items! I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a while and it makes a fairly small batch. I haven’t made macaroons for a while, and never as a bar cookie.

Desiccated coconut is probably something that you aren’t very familiar with. It’s very common in recipes from the UK, but not so much here in the states. It is a finer ground coconut than you typically find at the store, and it is unsweetened. I have a European market fairly close that carries it, but not everyone is so lucky. If you can’t get desiccated coconut, you can put “American” coconut in the food processor and process it until it’s more finely ground. It may be a touch sweeter, but it will work.

These bars come together quickly, as I was able to mix them up in the time it takes me to make breakfast. Honestly, weighing ingredients and separating the eggs takes the longest and that’s pretty quick. These bars are also easy to make dairy-free, as long as the chocolate you use doesn’t contain dairy. Getting the jam nestled into the bars is…interesting, but don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. They look great when baked. They are on the sticky side, and a little challenging to cut, but they are certainly worth the effort.

Coconut and Jam Macaroon Bars
250 grams sugar
4 beaten egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
300 grams desiccated coconut
25 grams flour
About ½ cup raspberry jam
3 ounces dark chocolate
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 20- by 30-centimeter pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the sugar, egg whites, vanilla, and salt and stir to combine. Add the coconut and flour and mix on medium until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be thick. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Dot the jam over the cookie base with a teaspoon, nestling the jam into the bars.

Bake for about 23-25 minutes, until the bars are golden around the edges. Allow the bars to cool on a wire rack completely.

Combine the chocolate and shortening in a microwave-proof bowl and melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring frequently. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled bars and allow the chocolate to cool before cutting into bars.

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

 I really love fall baking and I think I am just going to transition to the flavors of fall no matter what the calendar says! Our weather has been much cooler, but that’s primarily due to the massive amounts of smoke that is polluting our air. I’m sure the sun wants to come out, but it is trapped behind all of the smoke. We’re doing what we can: closing the windows and not running any fans to move the air. It’s not hot but it’s stuffy and I am certainly looking forward to fresh air.

In preparation for fall baking I had planned a recipe to make and I was all set to go- and then I realized that I didn’t have enough maple syrup. I don’t get to the store very frequently and I suppose I could have run out and got some maple syrup, but I chose to find a different recipe. This recipe called for the same flavors, maple and pecan, so I thought I would give it a try. This recipe also called for oats and coconut, which I like very much. It’s not a bar cookie like the original plan, but that’s ok.

Like other recipes I have made, this one calls for browned butter. While browned butter isn’t difficult, it takes just a second to go from browned to burnt so watch that carefully. In making this dough, it is fairly crumbly, although it was fine to shape into cookies. I would perhaps add an egg, just to help the dough come together. This recipe doesn’t call for eggs, which is slightly unusual, so adding one would be ok. It’s amazing how an egg or egg yolk can improve the dough. While I ended up making these as I had the ingredients, they are FANTASTIC! They are super crunchy with pieces of pecan, oats, and coconut. I will certainly make them again!

Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
1½ cups old-fashioned oats
1⅓ cup flour
½ cup shredded coconut
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
½ cup butter
5 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, coconut, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

Place the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook on low until the butter melts and begins to brown. Once golden brown, remove the butter from the heat and transfer the browned butter to a large mixer bowl. Add the maple syrup to the mixer bowl and mix on medium to combine. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water and then stir it into the butter mixture. The mixture may become slightly foamy; add the vanilla and stir on medium to incorporate.

With the mixer running on low, gradually add the oat/flour mixture, beating until the mixture almost comes together. Add the toasted pecans and stir on low to incorporate. The dough may be slightly crumbly but will shape into cookies with no issue.

Shape the dough into 2 tablespoon rounds and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden. Do not over bake or the cookies will be dry. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Foodtasia

Coconut Orange Sugar Cookies

Like most of the world right now, I am at home. This poses some problems for a library, as many of the services we offer are face-to-face. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have lots and lots of electronic resources, so part of what we’re working on is making sure that folks can connect with the resources that we offer electronically. One idea was to find a cookbook in our e-resource collection and make a recipe. I love a challenge, so I went to find a recipe right away.

Pardon me for a minute, but I am going to go all librarian on you. I did some searching, and if you search for “cookbook” as a keyword, you find all sorts of non-cooking items. No, I don’t want a book on Java or HTML. How annoying! I switched up my search and searched for “cookbook” as a LC subject heading and I got much better results. I bake cookies, so that guided my search. I ended up finding a recipe in our book from the EBSCOhost Community College Collection: The Grit Cookbook: World-Wise, Down-Home Recipes.

I also needed to find a recipe that I had the ingredients on hand, and this recipe calls for simple ingredients. The only change I made was using orange juice (3 tablespoons) instead of orange juice concentrate (2 tablespoons) and milk (1 tablespoon). Who has orange juice concentrate on hand? In my case, the orange was perhaps slightly less pronounced, but you can still taste and smell orange. I used sanding sugar on the top since I had that, but you could also use traditional sugar. These cookies look a bit plain, but they are really flavorful!

Coconut Orange Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Sanding sugar

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and eggs on medium until light. Add the orange juice, and vanilla and mix on medium to combine. Stop the mixer and add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir on low until almost combined. Add the coconut and stir on low until incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Spray the bottom of a drinking glass with nonstick cooking spray and dip in sanding sugar. Flatten the cookies with the bottom of the drinking glass, until about 1/3” thick.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until slightly browned along the bottom edges. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from The Grit Cookbook: World-Wise, Down-Home Recipes by Jessica Greene and Ted Hafer