Which is why, less than a week after returning from Nashville, I found myself in my kitchen with a mission to make a buttery coconut cookie that embodied everything the version found south of the Mason-Dixon had. Thankfully the ever-reliable Deb at Smitten Kitchen had already done all of the work for me. Her coconut brown butter cookie looked to be the thing my dreams were made of.
And it was. It was everything and more. A cookie composed of massive amounts of butter and coconut and just enough flaky sea salt to make them impossibly addicting. Crispy edges and a slightly chewier center - it's my kind of textured cookie-nirvana.
And while Deb does not suggest a drizzle of bittersweet chocolate, I can't help but think she wouldn't be opposed to such an idea. (It really is a brilliant addition if you ask me.)
Coconut Brown
Butter Cookies
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 1 dozen (if you make the massive bakery size),
about 2 dozen of a medium size (about 2T dough each) or 4 dozen of a small size
(1T each).
1 cup (2 sticks or 225 grams) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (145 grams) packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Slightly heaped 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
4 cups (240 grams) dried, unsweetened coconut chips
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (145 grams) packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Slightly heaped 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
4 cups (240 grams) dried, unsweetened coconut chips
See note about chocolate at the end of the recipe.
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 deeply fragrant, almost
nut-brown color, remove from heat and pour butter and all browned bits at the
bottom into a measuring cup. Adding 2 tablespoons water should bring the butter
amount back up to 1 cup. Chill browned butter in the fridge until it
solidifies, about 1 to 2 hours. You can hurry this along in the freezer, but
check back and stir often so it doesn't freeze unevenly solid.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with
parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
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, then 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 chips in two parts as
well.
Scoop dough into 1, 2 or more (Rubin recommends a 2-inch
wide scoop for bakery-sized cookies) balls and arrange a few with a lot of room
for spreading on first baking sheet; use the back of a spoon or your fingers to
flatten the dough slightly. Bake first tray of cookies; 1 tablespoon scoops
will take 10 to 11 minutes; 2 tablespoon scoops, 12 to 14 minutes, the 2-inch
scoop used at the bakery, 14 to 16 minutes; take the cookies out when they’re
deeply golden all over.
Cool cookies on baking sheet for 1 to 2 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.
Note: If you are like me and enjoy some chocolate with your
coconut – melt some bittersweet chocolate in the microwave (watch carefully so it doesn't burn!) and drizzle over the
top (about 2 ounces) or more if you feel like being really generous.
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