Cocomac Dreams

Let's face it.  Christmas is a time of indulgence.  A time when you buy special ingredients, a time when you make once a year treats.  These cookies qualify as special.  And indulgent.  They are soft cookies filled with coconut, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips.  If those three ingredients together don't scream "special" to you, then I don't know what does.  (Except maybe gross amounts of dark chocolate.)

So, go find the ingredients in this recipe and make these cookies.  You will not be disappointed.

 

Cocomac Dreams

2⅓ cups all purpose flour
1 package (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup vegetable shortening
⅔ cup sugar
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped roasted macadamia nuts
 

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, stir together flour, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined. Stir in coconut. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Scrape down sides of bowl. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating just until blended. By hand, stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.

Using a tablespoon, drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges of cookies are light brown.

Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes. Remove cookies to cooling rack and cool completely.

Yield: 4 1/2 dozen

Notes: Do not make the mistake I made and buy whole macadamia nuts.  Only because they cost so much more than already chopped macadamia nuts.  I did not have time to shop around and had to buy what the one store I went to had, 4 oz. of whole macadamia nuts.  That bottle cost me $8!  A few weeks later I went to another store and they had 4 oz. of chopped macadamia nuts for almost half that price.  

In my opinion, these cookies actually taste better a day after they are made.  The flavors have time to meld and come together when they sit a day in a tightly closed container.

Only 9 more recipes and 18 days until Christmas!