Cucumber and Melon Salad

Second salad in a week.  I'm really trying here.  I even got down Salad Freak and flipped through half of it before finding a version of this recipe.  I knew it was in there somewhere.  I'm making this recipe less fussy, aside from using the V-slicer on the produce.  Because, seriously, it's just sliced cucumber and cantaloupe with lime juice.  Any herbs or seasonings are just to make it more interesting, and can be altered to suit one's taste.

Once it was on the plate, I added "breakfast" as a label.  A scoop of yogurt and a pastry would turn this salad into brunch.  That's pretty much what I did with the other half of the melon.  You could even serve this salad as a diabetes-friendly dessert.

1 large cucumber or one package of Persians
1/2 of a cantaloupe 
*2 Tb lime juice
Handful of fresh or dried herbs such as mint, basil, or tarragon
Lemon or lime zest, optional
Sprinkle of sumac for a floral hint, or chili powder for bite
Salt to taste

1.  If using a regular cucumber, peel first and seed if desired.  Slice cucumber thinly.

2.  Cut melon in half and remove the seeds from one piece.  Reserve the other half for another use.  Cut off the end and remove the peel with a knife, leaving just the fruit.  Cut in quarters or smaller wedges, then slice each wedge thinly.  I used the thinnest setting of the V-slicer for the cucumber, then flipped over the plate to get slightly thicker melon slices.

3.  Plate the cucumber and melon slices however you like.  I tried different designs each night.  Drizzle with lime juice, then garnish with herbs, spices, and salt.  Add a bit of citrus zest if desired.  Serve chilled.

Serves 4-6, depending on produce size

Difficulty rating  π

Tortilla de Patatas Vegana (Spanish potato omelette - vegan version)

I've been watching a little of Spain on a Fork.  Most of his recipes are more than I feel like making, and tend to be potato-heavy, but this looked like something We Cook Vegan would make.  With fewer ingredients.

Basically, it's a chunky latke.  This version uses a chickpea batter in place of eggs, making this version vegan and slightly less expensive.  I had been thinking of making a socca that day, so I was already in the mood for something like this.  I made it as part of dinner, but it really works any time of day.  Hot for breakfast.  Leftovers would make a great cold lunch.  A small slice at tea time.

It does take time to make.  Potatoes have to be thoroughly cooked, and this one doesn't use the oven.  You could make the onion and potatoes ahead of time, then mix with the batter when ready to cook.  All in one shot, you're looking at a minimum of an hour.

1 C diced onion (1 small or 1/2 large)
1/4 C olive oil, plus more as needed for the pan
1 lb dense potato, such as Yukon or red
salt and pepper to taste
*1 C chickpea flour
1 C water

1.  Stir together chickpea flour and water until most of the lumps are gone.  Set aside while you prepare the rest, or up to 8 hours.  For longer, refrigerate.

2.  Warm the oil in a 12" skillet that has a lid over medium heat.  Add diced onion and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir often so it doesn't get fried and crispy.  You may need to turn down the heat.  We're going for a slow caramelization.

3.  While that's happening, peel potatoes if desired.  I skipped that.  Slice into bite-sized pieces about 1/4" thick and uniform size, so they cook evenly.  I chose to set the cut potato in water because I didn't know how long it would be sitting around.  Not a necessary step.  Add to skillet and turn up heat to medium-high.  Lightly fry potatoes with the onions until cooked, stirring every 5 minutes or so.  This will take up to half an hour.  Once easily pierced with a fork, remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes, or refrigerate as a do-ahead.

4.  Stir together potato mixture with its oil and the chickpea batter.  Season with salt and pepper.  I used about half a teaspoon of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, but these are the only seasonings.  Use your best judgment.

5.  Place the skillet back over medium heat and lightly coat the bottom with more oil.  Add potato batter and arrange in a neat layer.  Cover and cook until set, about 10 minutes.  The top can still be a little uncooked.

6.  Use a spatula to loosen the pancake from the bottom of the pan.  Keep going until you can shake it.  If it's really stuck, it probably isn't cooked yet.  Set a plate on top of the pancake, commit to the flip, and turn everything over.  Place the skillet back on the stove, coat with a touch more oil, and slide the tortilla back into it.  Cover again and cook another 6-8 minutes.

7.  Transfer to a serving pate and cut into wedges, with anything from sour cream dip to hot sauce as a dressing.

Difficulty rating  :)

Tomato and Avocado Quesadillas

These turned out prettier than I expected, so they're getting a post.  I also realized that the relatively bland guacamole from the previous post was exactly what I wanted on them, so that made me happy.

Quesadillas are an easy 10-minute meal.  I usually just throw some shredded cheese on a tortilla, toast it in a dry pan, and slice up an apple for a balanced lunch or afternoon snack.  For dinner, I went to a little more effort and had beans on the side to up the protein and veggie factor.  I wasn't very hungry and only made one the day I took the photos.  They were small tortillas, and other days I made two for a dinner.  For the sake of the recipe and quantities of ingredients, we'll pretend that there are two 6" fajita tortillas per serving.

*8 6" flour tortillas
*1 C guacamole
*2 C shredded "Mexican" cheese
1 C diced Roma tomatoes
1/2 C cilantro leaves, chopped (optional)

1.  Preheat skillet or griddle over medium-low heat while you top the tortillas.

2.  On a work surface, lay out as many tortillas as fit on the griddle.  Spread 2 Tb of guacamole on each, like it was pizza sauce.  Sprinkle evenly with about 1/4 C cheese, then a generous sprinkle of diced tomatoes on one half.  It will make it easier to fold later.  If using, scatter with cilantro.

3.  Place topped tortillas on griddle.  Toast until cheese melts and underside of tortilla is lightly crispy, about 5 minutes.  Fold over into a half-moon shape (non-tomato half over tomato half), press lightly to make sure all the cheese is melted, and remove to a cutting board.

4.  Cut quesadillas into wedges and serve hot.  Optional to have salsa and/or sour cream on the side.

Difficulty rating  π

Apple Honey Cake

I've been wanting to make a honey cake for Rosh Hashanah for several years and never got around to it.  I don't know that I've ever had one.  If I had resorted to the kosher market for a pomegranate, I would have bought one to find out what they're supposed to taste like.  Avoided that madhouse and started looking for a recipe.

As expected, none of them were exactly what I wanted.  I had no idea there was coffee in a honey cake.  Then I looked for honey cake with apples, and that opened up a lot more options.  The upside-down ones looked intriguing, and closer to what I had in mind.  In the end, I settled on Tori Avey's Bundt recipe, scaled it down to a 6" round pan, and added an almond crumb topping instead of icing.

Tori's recipe calls for a Granny Smith apple.  I have Galas at home.  When I cut the recipe, I rounded down all the sugars to account for the natural sweetness of the Gala.  Just make sure you're using a cooking-type apple and not a Red Delicious.  They aren't dense enough.  Gala and Fuji are kind of pushing it.

I don't think I've ever used the grating plate in the blender's food processor, but one apple isn't worth getting out the big guy, and I wasn't in the mood to do it by hand.  There's only one plate for slicing and grating.  You flip it over to switch between them.  That's different.  I didn't peel the apple, because me.  Have a blast.

Crumb

2 Tb flour
*2 Tb almond flour
1 Tb light brown sugar
*2 Tb sliced or slivered almonds
*1 Tb shortening

Cake

1 C flour
1/3 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
dash allspice
dash cloves
1 egg, room temperature
6 tb vegetable oil
1/4 C honey
3 Tb sugar
1 Tb light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 apple, cored, peeled, and shredded
powdered sugar for topping, optional

1.  To make the crumb, combine flour, almond flour, brown sugar, and slivered almonds in a small bowl.  Cut in shortening to make coarse crumbs.  Set aside.

2.  Grease a deep 6" or regular 8" round cake pan.  The cake would have overflowed a standard 6", so I'm thinking this is really an 8" recipe.  I also lined the bottom with parchment because I don't trust myself.  Preheat oven to 325º.

3.  In a small bowl or pie pan, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

4.  In another bowl, beat egg until frothy.  Add oil, honey, both sugars, and vanilla and beat until smooth and thick.  If you use the 1/4 C measure for the first 4 Tb of oil, the honey will come out easier.

5.  Stir shredded apple into the wet ingredients.  Gently stir in flour for several strokes, let it rest a minute, and stir again until mostly wet.  Do not over mix.

6.  Pour batter into prepared cake pan.  Sprinkle crumb on top.  If using, add wet cake baking strip to the pan.

7.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until center passes the toothpick test.  This one takes a while because it's baked at a lower temperature.  Plus, it's really more of an apple quick bread than a cake.  Let sit in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.  I did that by inverting it onto a plate, removing the parchment, then re-inverting onto the rack.  If desired, dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Makes one cake, 6-8 servings

Difficulty rating  :)

Kale and Tomato Quiche

No, seriously, this kale is never going to die.  I thought a week of 90º was going to take care of it.  I have four gallon bags of it in the freezer.  I did find a recipe for canning greens, but the point of freezing is that it takes the place of kneading the tough kale to break down the fibers for raw eating.  There is one salad recipe I want to try which will use at least half a bag.

If kale isn't your thing, this works with fresh spinach or other greens.  It will taste different, but the general idea and quantities are the same.  You could also defrost leaf spinach if you squeeze it dry.

I had really hoped I would be using my own tomatoes for this.  How did 90º not ripen them faster?  Well, I have more recipes coming up that incorporate them.  I did get some gorgeous Campari salad tomatoes that I hated cooking down for this, but they were yummy.

1 Tb olive oil
*3 C chopped kale
1/2 lb tomatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp celery salt
*1 tsp dried herbs of choice (I used thyme and savory, but I get that it's hard to find savory)
1/4 tsp white pepper
*1 unbaked 9" pie crust
3 eggs
*1 C milk
*3/4 C shredded Swiss or havarti cheese

1.  If you bought a frozen pie crust, start defrosting it in the fridge.  If you made your own or use refrigerated, put it back in the fridge to keep firm.

2.  Heat oil in a medium skillet.  Add kale and cook over medium heat until it starts to wilt.  Add diced tomatoes, garlic, celery salt, white pepper, and herbs and cook until all the veggies have given up their water, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.  Set aside to cool.

3.  Preheat oven to 375º.  In a bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.  Place pie pan on a lined baking sheet in case of overflow.

4.  To assemble the quiche, spread cooled vegetable mixture on bottom of pie pan.  Top with cheese (yes, I used sliced instead of shredded, because that's what I had).  Pour egg custard into pie shell and allow it to settle a moment.

5.  Bake 40-45 minutes, until custard is set and crust is a medium brown.  Set on a rack to cool at least 15 minutes to serve warm, or an hour to serve at room temperature.  Quiches can also be served cold.

Serves 6-8, depending on sides and whether this is for a smaller meal like brunch or tea

Difficulty rating  :)

Vegetable Strudel

I really thought I had a post of this, and have been trying to avoid making it for a couple of months.  Can't find one, so here we go.

I had half a package of puff pastry taking up freezer space and a can of mushroom gravy that was a good idea when I bought it.  Somehow, this inspired a very good meal.  While I had it for dinner, it's also excellent for lunch, brunch, tea, an appetizer, or as a side.

This does generate a wee bit of dishes, since you have to cook the vegetables first.  On the other hand, you could cook them earlier in the day or the day before and split up the work.  The vegetables need to cool a bit before going on the pastry, so it's the same amount of time.

This was another fly by the seat of my pants recipe, even though I did research.  Pepperidge Farm's recipe (that I now can't find) was kind of close to what I did.  A lot of the recipes have you mix an egg into the veggies, to form kind of a casserole.  Others use shredded cheese as the binder.  My vote is for the cheese approach.  I used slices, and it was hard to roll the filling into the pastry.  Once I broke up the cheese, everything fit, so that's what I'm posting.

Sorry, I didn't realize how many ingredients this was.  I was mostly clearing out the crisper and last year's frozen broccoli.  The result is very nice, so it's absolutely worth it.

1 Tb olive oil
1 Tb butter
1/2 tsp salt
*1 yellow or sweet onion
*1 C chopped broccoli
*1 C chopped spinach or other greens
*1 carrot, peeled and chopped
*2 Tb chopped sun dried tomato, either from oil or soaked if dry
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
*1 sheet puff pastry
flour for rolling the pastry
4 oz shredded cheese of choice (about 1 C)
egg wash

1.  Heat the oil and butter over medium low in a wide skillet.  Peel the onion and French it, which is slicing stem to root ends instead of in rounds.  Separate the layers, sprinkle with salt, and slow cook for 15 minutes.  Stir, come back 15 minutes later again, and come back every five minutes after that until the onions are as caramelized as you like.

2.  Add the broccoli, greens, carrot, and tomato pieces.  Stir in oreganto and basil.  Cover and cook on low until the greens are wilted and the carrot starts to soften.  Turn off the heat and allow to cool.  This part can all be done ahead and refrigerated.

3.  Defrost puff pastry according to package directions, usually on the counter for 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400º.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

4.  Roll the pastry out to about 14" x 10", dusting with flour as necessary.  Stir cheese into the now-cooled vegetable filling.  Place filling in a log on the long side of the pastry, slightly off-center.  Roll the filling so you have a clean side for sealing.

5.  Transfer the log to the baking sheet seam-side down and seal the ends of the log.  Cut vents in the top, then brush with an egg wash if you would like a shiny crust.  Bake 25 minutes, or until well browned and the pastry is cooked.  Allow to sit 10 minutes before slicing.  Serve hot or room temperature, with gravy on the side if desired.

Serves 4 as a main, 6-8 as a side

Difficulty rating :-0

Puff Pastry Chicken Cordon Bleu

I can't remember the last time I had Cordon Bleu.  We used to get those frozen ones at Costco, back when it was still called Price Club.  Or maybe Costco bought Price Club.  Anyhow, the breaded, filled chicken cutlets made it to dinner about as often as their Chicken Kiev.

I wanted something along those lines by taste, but not so much effort.  Puff pastry is fantastic cheat.  It looks elegant and all you did was defrost it.

I don't think I've ever bought The rectangular pressed ham slices.  Did not realize they're 1/3 water and additives.  Probably the same as deli slices, but I'm not used to seeing it so bold on the package.

This recipe was when I realized I'm out of homemade mustard.  I have some basic French's, so that's what we're using today.  I would have preferred some of the Dijon that I shouldn't open for a month.  You can use any kind you have on hand, or omit it if you want only creaminess and no tang.

This came out so elegant.  It would make a great item for brunch or tea, or even game day.  I made main dish-sized slices, but you could definitely slice it thinner for a party.

*1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
flour for the board
*1 boneless/skinless chicken breast, about 12 ounces
4 slices deli ham
4 slices Swiss cheese
Mustard or BBQ sauce (optional)
1 egg, beaten, for glazing (optional)

1.  Defrost pastry sheet until pliable, about 30 minutes.  Roll on a lightly floured board until almost as long as a baking sheet.  Line the baking sheet with parchment and carefully transfer the pastry.

2.  Thinly slice the chicken, no more than 1/2" thick, so it will cook in the same amount of time as the pastry.  Start preheating the oven to 400º.

3.  To assemble, make a line with the Swiss down the middle of the longer side.  Top with the ham, and then add any sauce you might like.  I'll admit, I used too much French's.  Keep the sauce light.  Top with the raw chicken.

4.  Fold the sides of the pastry over the filling, then bring up the two ends.  Flip the whole thing over and make sure all the loose ends are underneath.

5.  Cut slits in the top of the pastry for vents, then brush with egg wash, if using.  Bake 30-35 minutes, until well browned and the chicken temps at 165º.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before slicing.

Difficulty rating  π

Torta Caprese

Ok, I first saw this on Mediterranean Living, so we're going to pretend it's on my diet.  Man, it's a lot of butter.  My doctor did say not to be afraid of using butter.  I'm not sure she had 11 tablespoons in mind, even for an 8-serving cake.  No matter what recipe you research, it's going to have way more butter in it than you think it should.

I planned to make a smaller 6" one for my first try.  There was a rather annoying 3 eggs in this recipe, so I went in search of one with easier math.  Chef Dennis's version has the advantage of using a standard 10" springform, so we're going with that one.  I made a third, and it fit nicely in the 6".  I cut the cake in quarters, based on the original serving size, but it really could have been six slices.  10 out of a 10" cake is a very generous serving.

This torte is naturally gluten-free.  It's kosher for Passover (dairy) if you omit the powdered sugar topping and go for a side of sweetened whipped cream instead.  Vanilla ice cream and berries are also welcome garnishes.

It is very important not to over-bake this cake.  The edges will be crispy regardless, but you want the center to just barely pass the toothpick test.  Otherwise, it will be like an overdone brownie.

6 eggs, room temperature, separated
1 C sugar, divided
10 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
10 oz unsalted butter (2-1/2 sticks), softened
*3 C almond flour
1 Tb *Sabra, vanilla, or chocolate liqueur, optional
powdered sugar for dusting (unless for Passover) and/or whipped cream

1.  Grease a 10" springform with butter.  My 6" has a weird, textured bottom, so I also lined it with wax paper and buttered that.  Set on a rimmed baking sheet in case/when butter leaks and preheat oven to 350º.

2.  Whip egg whites and 1/2 C sugar to firm peaks.  Chill for the few minutes you're working on the rest of the batter.

3.  Melt the chocolate, either in a double boiler or in short bursts in the microwave.  Stir in liqueur or extract, if using.  Set aside to cool slightly.

4.  In a stand mixer with the whisk, whip butter and remaining 1/2 C sugar.  Scrape down bowl and whip in egg yolks one at a time until smooth.  There will be a lot of bowl scraping.

5.  Fold in almond flour by hand.  Rewarm chocolate a little if too stiff and stir it in until you get an even batter.

6.  Go get the egg whites from the fridge.  Gently fold in a spatula full at a time, taking care not to work the batter too hard and deflate them.  Once the big streaks are gone, pour batter into prepared springform.

7.  Bake until lightly set and it passes the toothpick test, 40-50 minutes.  That's a large variance because there are so many ways to build a springform pan.  Start checking when the cake no longer jiggles.

8.  Allow pan to cool on a rack for 10 minutes.  Run a knife or offset spatula around the rim, then release spring.  Let the cake cool another half hour on its base.

9.  Ok, here's what I should have done... Place a second cooling rack on top of the cake and invert.  Remove base and wax paper, if using.  Once bottom of cake is cool, invert serving plate and position for serving.  Invert again, and you've hopefully transferred the cake without breaking it.  I only lost a small chunk.  Remember, gluten-free torte.

10.  Dust with powdered sugar, if using, or garnish as desired.  Serve slightly warm or room temperature.

Serves 10-14

Difficulty rating  :)

Peanut Butter Protein Balls

 

This weight loss thing has to stop.  I'm still eating carbs, just half as much as I used to, and this is ridiculous.  I must have been eating soooo much bread and sugars in a day.

Um, also, when you cut your bread intake, you are probably cutting major sources of fiber, too.  I've been sprinkling chia seeds on things when this becomes a problem.  The better choice is to eat things that include fiber so it doesn't become a problem to start with.

To that end, this recipe uses cooked beans as the "flour" binding otherwise no-bake treats.  Various versions of the protein balls exist on the internet, many using chickpeas as the bean to make them kind of like raw peanut butter cookie dough.  I'm headed in a slightly different direction to make them a little South Asian.

Adzuki beans can be hard to find.  I get mine at Sprouts.  Asian markets carry them.  Whole Foods probably does too.  I suppose you can use the pre-made adzuki paste for dim sum filling.  That has a lot of sugar in it already, so you wouldn't be adding more.

I'm using date syrup as the sweetener here, because I have it.  The majority of recipes use honey or maple syrup, since they are much easier to find.  Date syrup is lower in sugars than the other liquid sweeteners.  If you don't care about sugar, you can also use chocolate syrup as an option.  They will get messy, but yummy.

I didn't add chopped nuts or chips to mine, but that is an option.  Rolling the outsides in dry coating is also optional.  They do get sticky if you don't, but you don't have to.

1/3 C dry adzuki beans, or 1 C cooked
1/4 C peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
*2 Tb date syrup or other liquid sweetener
1/4 C instant or rolled oats
mix-ins such as mini chips, crushed nuts, chopped dried fruit
cocoa powder, crushed nuts, sprinkles, or coconut for rolling

1.  Soak beans 8 hours, then drain.  Simmer for 2 hours in fresh water, until very tender.  Drain well.

2.  Mash beans while still warm.  Heat peanut butter and syrup for 20 seconds in microwave, just to get them warm and runny.  Stir into beans.  Stir in oats and any mix-ins.  Let sit 2 hours in the fridge, for oats to thicken the mixture.

3.  Scoop out tablespoons of the dough onto wax paper.  By my math, I should have gotten 16, but ended up with 15.  I wasn't going to take out 1/4 tsp from each to make one more.  Close enough.  Once portioned, roll into balls.  If desired, roll balls in a dry coating.  Chill to firm.  Keeps 4 days in the fridge, or in the freezer for longer storage.

Makes 16

Difficulty rating  π

Balanced Porta-Snacks

Ok, reducing carbs when you work at a bakery is a little harder than I was expecting.  This is why I took off the whole holiday of Passover.  It's way too easy to put something that is all gluten-y carbs in your mouth when you run out of snacks in your lunch box at the end of the day.  There are only so many egg white omelets you can whip up before they start to get repetitive.

I considered picking up packages of those Balanced Breaks.  I got them when they were new because I had a freebie coupon.  Essentially, they're cheese, nuts, and a little dried fruit.  Then I saw that even the best multi-pack deal is over a dollar each.  My co-worker got a larger snack box at some supermarket and it was almost $5.  It probably doesn't sound like much to most people, but for those who do not make a habit of convenience foods, that's a lot.

So, I took a visit to Sprouts and looked around for alternatives.  They cater to all sorts of fad and "healthy" diets, so I figured I could find paleo and keto alternatives.  I've also gotten sugar-free chocolate chips out of their bins that taste normal.  There's a warning on them against "excessive consumption" due to a slight laxative effect, but that encourages portion control.

I decided that what I needed to pack was one ounce each of two kinds of proteins and one fruit or vegetable.  That could be dried or fresh fruit and fresh, pickled, or chips for veggies.  Protein could include meat, nuts (or nut butter), cheese, hummus (or other bean dip), and egg.  That's the model for the Balanced Breaks and most of the little snack boxes that Sprouts and Starbucks sell.  I was just skipping the cracker part, since I could add some kind of bread product at work if necessary and just cut it down to a smaller portion.  I am also growing a ridiculous amount of celery for one person, so now it has a use as a cracker substitute.

I did not buy any nuts on this particular grocery trip because I have a couple of pounds of various nuts in the freezer.  Once I go through them, I'll restock from the bins.  Many of the nuts I like are around $7 a pound.  Peanuts are much cheaper, but I have peanut butter.  16 ounces in a pound makes it less than 45¢ per portion.  But, I rarely pay full price and instead wait for the 25% off sales and stock up.  That's how I ended up with two pounds of sliced almonds in the freezer.  I have also started bulk buying cheese at the market once a month when the app coupon is half off, making one ounce 25¢.

I'm going to have to learn new combinations of this nutrition concept, to keep it interesting.  Yes, the dried fruit has carbs, but far fewer than an apple hand pie, which I had been snacking on a few times a week.  I'm going to be so upset if my cholesterol goes through the roof from replacing bread with eggs and cheese.  This whole recalibration of how I approach nutrition has been eye opening.

Crispy-Chewy Coconut Cookies

 

I wanted cookies.  No idea why, but I really wanted to make some as an easy snack.  And I was not all that convinced they needed to have dark chocolate in them, which is pretty unusual for me.

When I opened the mix-ins box to decide what I wanted, there was more coconut in there than I was expecting.  Coconut is mostly saturated fat, which will go rancid if you don't use it.  So, there was my theme.

I found a recipe on The Café Sucre Farine that looked like what I wanted.  Generally soft and chewy, but with a bit of crispiness around the edges.  They aren't hard enough to require dunking, but if you want to dip them in coffee or hot chocolate, they would probably soak up just a touch of flavor.

I'm modifying the recipe slightly and using the unsweetened shavings in the body of the dough and rolling them in sweetened flakes.  There's a lot of sugar in the cookies, so they don't need all sweetened coconut.  Since I have coconut extract, I used that instead of vanilla.  And instead of toffee as a topping, which I do like but don't have on hand, I'm using some white chocolate micro-chips that live in my fridge.  You can use any flavor of chips, preferably minis, that you like.  If you don't have any chips, a coarse sugar, crushed nuts, or even a sprinkling of brown sugar will top these nicely.

1/2 C (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
*1/2 tsp coconut extract (or 1 tsp vanilla)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/4 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
*1-1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes
*1/2 C sweetened grated coconut
chips, nuts, toffee, etc for garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment or baking mats.

2.  Cream together butter and both sugars.  The original recipe says you can do this by hand with room temperature butter, but it was about 60º in my kitchen the day I made these, so in the mixer it went.  Once smooth, beat in egg, extract, and baking soda.

3.  Stir in flour and salt just until mixed, then add unsweetened coconut shavings and beat until combined.

4.  I used a 2 Tablespoon (one ounce) cookie scoop to portion these, which is larger than I usually make my cookies but works better here because you're rolling and topping them.  Form dough into 2 tablespoon balls, about 1-1/2 inch, and roll in the sweetened coconut before placing on prepared cookie sheets about 2" apart.

5.  Bake 12-14 minutes, until browned around the edges but not 100% baked in the middle.  Pull from oven, sprinkle with topping, and put back in for another 2 minutes to melt in the topping and finish baking the cookie.  Cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes, until they firm up enough to be moved, then cool on a rack.  Stores room temperature about 3 days or in the freezer for a month.

Makes 20

Difficulty rating  :)