Coconut Cookies with Chocolate Ganache

I am cookie challenged. I can bake up a storm, and I have a good handle on pie crust, but when it comes to cookies, I can make a disaster out of few good ingredients. These Twix cookies are a good exception to the rule, but when my son needed Valentine's Day treats, my poor husband ended up at the market close to 9pm as I scraped what looked like chocolate brittle off a baking pan. Anywho, these little gems are perfect and SO easy! Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside. 5 ingredients and 30 minutes and voila - gorgeous little cookies!

Coconut Cookies with Chocolate Ganache - adapted from Donna Hay
Makes 12 cookies and 1/3 cup chocolate ganache
Preheat oven to 350

For the Cookies
1 7oz bag sweetened flake coconut
1/4 cup of sugar
1 egg white

For the Chocolate Ganache
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons heavy cream

In a medium sized bowl, mix all cookie ingredients. The coconut mixture will be loose and seem kind of dry. Roll a tablespoon at a time in your hands until the coconut sticks together. All of a sudden it will seem much more wet. Place the ball on a parchment or silpat covered baking pan and press the ball to flatten it. 

Bake cookies for 15 minutes and then flip carefully. Bake another 3-5 minutes until golden and toasty all over.

While cookies bake, make the Chocolate Ganache. In a small pan, heat 2 tablespoons of heavy cream until steaming, but not quite boiling. Turn off heat and add in chocolate chips. Let the chips sit in the hot cream for at least two minutes and then stir to melt. Let the chocolate cool until warm.

When the cookies have finished cooking, let them cool on the baking pan and dollop on the chocolate. Let the chocolate cool and enjoy!!

A few things about this recipe...
The original recipe calls these cookies macaroons - but I'm not able to make them thin enough sandwich. 
Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't! Some slivered almonds on top of the chocolate is amazing. 

Things made this time last year...
Pecan Crusted Salmon - oh my goodness this is good!

 

Bacon and Cheddar Quiche - breakfast, lunch or dinner - awesome!

 

Twix Cookies

I have a very hard time making drop cookies. I don't know what my problem is. Lack of a Sunset magazine looking, Bon Appetite magazine tasting cookie and I'm troubled. I tried again this week and while following the directions exactly, I ended up with definitely delicious, not quite as good looking cookies as I'd hoped to get. C'est la vie. 

These are chocked full of Twix candy bars and milk chocolate chips. They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and honest to goodness rivers of caramel flow through these bad boys. They are good. And I think they would be great with any other fave candy bar... Butterfingers, I'm looking at you.

Twix Cookies - from Averie Cooks
Makes 24-30 cookies
Needs 2 hours for dough to cool - after cooling, preheat oven to 350

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt - about 1/4 teaspoon
4 Twix candy bars diced up (8 individual Twix bars)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Sorry my picture has two eggs. I was mistaken. 

In a stand mixer or with a hand beater, cream butter, eggs, sugars and vanilla. Beat until butter and sugar are light in color and fully incorporated - about 5 minutes. 

While the butter mixture creams, in a small bowl mix together flour, corn starch, baking soda and salt. Add flour to butter mixture and mix until just incorporated. I mixed this by hand to make sure I didn't over-mix the flour.

When flour is incorporated, mix in candy bar pieces and chocolate chips. I also folded these in by hand to avoid over-mixing. 

Line two baking pans with parchment paper and drop small balls of dough onto the paper. I used a 1.5 tablespoon ice cream scoop. Press the cookies down a bit to flatten them some. When cookies are flattened, place the baking pans in the fridge and let the dough cool for at least 2 hours. 

Pull baking pans out of the fridge and preheat oven to 350. Bake one pan at a time for 8 or 9 minutes. I liked the cookies better after 9 minutes. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

I really do think this would be great with all sorts of candy bars, but Butterfingers are high on my list of things to try.

Things made this time last year...
Pumpkin Spice Cookies - Antoinette has no problem making gorgeous cookies!



Husband Chili and Skillet Cornbread - nice for cold nights and busy days