Coconut Oatmeal Chewies

Hi. My name is _______ and I have a cookie addiction. You laugh, but this is a serious thing! I grew up only knowing a few scrumptious cookie delights (i.e. chocolate chip, peanut butter and my grandma's snickerdoodles). My world has since been opened up to an endless number of tempting creations. (i.e. Oatmeal Cherry Chocolate Chip, Double (and Triple) Chocolate Cookies, Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip, Lemon Crinkle Cookies, Nutella Crinkle Cookies, Cookies and Cream, Malted Milk Chocolate Chip, and the list goes on and on. I dream about cookies. I eat cookies almost every night before I go to bed, and I wake up thinking about which kind I'll make that day. Yes, I have a cookie addiction. It's a long hard road, but I'm learning to live with it successfully in my size 2 jeans (depending on the store of course). I'm taking it "one day at a time." And if I have to be addicted to something (besides chocolate, but that's another story) I'm o.k. with it being cookies. :) On that note, I have another beautifully chewy and delectable cookie variety to share with you today. Coconut Oatmeal Chewies.
   This is my adoring husband's favorite cookie. I have to say, it's one of mine too - even though it is devoid of chocolate (gasp!). It's a variation of a recipe I discovered online from The Dough Will Rise Again. The cookies she pictured are really flat, whereas mine bake up more poofy (is that a word?). Oddly enough, though, when I bake them from frozen they end up being flat too. I'm not sure what the reason is, but it doesn't matter - if you like coconut and chewy cookies you are going to LOVE these!
   Hold my hand as I show you one of the many reasons for my cookie addiction. (I'm so excited! These really are amazing.)

Like most cookies, it starts with butter. 2 sticks, or 1 cup (or if you buy your butter in bulk from Costco like me, then it's 1/2 of one of the bricks). Softened.

Brown sugar,

and white sugar are added and blended together.

1 egg is added and then mixed again.

A second egg is added and everything is mixed again. (Seeing a pattern?)

Next come the flavorings. Some pure vanilla extract,

and some coconut extract. (I haven't been able to find any "pure" coconut extract, but the imitation works very well.)

Baking soda,

baking powder,

and salt are added to the mixed, and everything is blended well.

Next come the oats. Most people add these at the end, but I never feel like they get fully incorporated that way, so I add them earlier.

The coconut is added also.

When the oats and coconut are mixed in well, then I add the flour.

Adding a little at a time until it's all mixed in.

When it comes together it will look something like this:

Nothing left to do now but scoop and bake. (I usually make my cookies at night, so pardon the shadows. The fluorescent kitchen lights aren't the best for photography.) I like to use my smallest scoop for cookies. It's about 1 1/4 inch across. The cookies bake to about 2 1/2 inches across.

Make sure to give them a couple inches to spread out when baking.

After 8-10 minutes (depending on your oven) they will look something like this. The edges will be just lightly browned.

Of course, I can't have an entire recipe's worth of cookies baked up and waiting to be devoured, so I always just bake one batch (which I usually eat in it's entirety) and then I scoop and freeze the rest. I just scoop them out onto a plate or cookie sheet and then put them in the freezer. When they are rock solid I put them into labeled freezer zip-lock bags for later consumption. I like doing it this way because I can bake up as little or as much as I'd like. Just the other night I had some family over for dinner and I baked cookies from my freezer stash. It only took 10 minutes (the oven was warm from dinner) and I served 4 varieties (these Coconut Oatmeal Chewies, my Triple Chocolate Chip cookies - with semi sweet and white chocolate chips -, my Lemon Crinkle Cookies, and my Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies). It's was great having such a variety and having it done so fast.

These are the cookies in their deserved sunlight, aren't they beautiful?

Don't you just want to take a bite?

The coconut is calling you. . . . It's calling me too. I think I'll go answer!

Here's the recipe:
adapted from Brown Sugar Oatmeal Coconut Chewies

Coconut Oatmeal Chewies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine the butter and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Add the extracts, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix well. Add the oats, and shredded coconut. Mix to combine. Add the flour, a little at a time until it's mixed thoroughly. Scoop onto a parchment (or silpat) lined cookie sheet. Place 2 inches apart and cook 8-10 minutes. (The edges should just be just slightly browned.) Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before moving.