coconut melt aways

So I was hoping to have a 'coconut melt away' story to go with the post, but I have none.
My thoughts are with the Boston Marathon today; praying that everything goes just right.
The weather in Boston is perfect for a marathon!  We've got blue skies, full sun, about a high of 55-60 degrees, and very little wind--a runner's dream really.
I pray that God watches over every single person at the marathon today.
So excuse me if I don't have a lot to say, my mind is elsewhere....

I've been on a coconut kick lately, so expect more--a lot more coconut recipes to come.
I know I have a few fans that are in love with coconut just as much as I.

As you read through the recipe you'll see a little bit of crushed white chocolate was added.
I did this to help "brighten" the coconut flavor.  Just a little bit.
Of course you don't have to do this, you can leave it out.
If you do, maybe add a bit more toasted coconut into the dough (1/4 cup).
I also point out in the cook notes (below) that I made an extra batch of these with the addition of fresh lemon juice. Really good with lemon juice, but not as coconutty (sp?).
Reminded me of the key lime melt aways I made back in 2012.




coconut melt aways
print recipe

13 TB unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar
¾  TB pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup crushed white chocolate chips
1 ¾ cups of toasted coconut
2 TB cornstarch
¾ ts salt

cook notes:
Make sure to crush the white chocolate chips into fairly small bits.
Why do this? It makes the chips dissolve into the melt aways better, so there are no large chunks, and it’s not over sweet, letting the coconut really shine through.
I just crushed them in a plastic bag using a hammer or you could use a food processor.
Make sure to really toast the coconut to a nice golden brown.
I also made a batch of lemon-coconut melt aways and they were just as good.
If you want to do this, simply add in the juice of one large lemon into the cookie dough.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl beat butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy (if adding the lemon, this is when to add it in). Add the vanilla and beat the mixture until fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined—once you add the flour do not overmix.
By hand, fold in the crushed white chocolate and toasted coconut.
Ready a two 8"x12" pieces of waxed paper or parchment or plastic wrap—whichever you’re more comfortable using.  Divide the dough into two equal portions and roll into two 1.25" diameter logs.
Wrap the dough tightly in the waxed paper or parchment.  Once they’re wrapped, I just roll them gently to get them more circular.  Chill for at least an hour before baking. If wrapped tightly, they can be left overnight.  But I wouldn’t go past 24 hours as the dough might start to dry out.
Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Slice the cookies ½ -inch thick and place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until the bottoms take on some color.
The tops of the cookies will not brown, but the bottoms will.
Should make 25-35 cookies depending on how you slice them.

Congrats to the winner of the CakeSpy contest: #17 Colette Joseph!