Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

My parents moved us into a cramped 2-bedroom apartment, all 5 of us. And, I couldn’t be happier.
They’d just sold our first house and were waiting for escrow to close on our new one.

Mom didn’t usually let us have junk food. EVERYone knows Oreos stunt your growth.
That explains my mammoth height.

Hey…5’5″ is tall for an Armenian girl, ya know? 

Despite living in a shoebox, we were so happy. Maybe it was because Mom let us have Oreos.
The bag would sit on the kitchen counter and wave hello to me every time I walked by.
So, I’d grab one here, another one there.

Years later, cookies still make me smile. Maybe it’s because they remind me of Mom and how she’s willing to bend
her rules every now and then.

Although Oreos are irresistible, I prefer to bake my own choco-chippers.
But, who has the perfect recipe?

The classic Nestle Tollhouse is a true classic. Good, but can we do better?

There’s my neighbour’s best friend’s Aunt Hattie’s,
passed down for generations and guarded as a family secret
til I managed to enter the circle of trust.
Hmmmm good, but a bit too sweet and too buttery.

Wait. Why am I complaining? 

Then there’s a man named Rick.

He is one of the most interesting men in the world.

He’s a cheerful soul
who makes his own Hawaiian shirts (no joke) and the very best chocolate chip cookies.

They look like gorgeous li’l scoops of chocolate chip ice cream.

And taste like heaven.

My nephew swoons overs them.

But, these days, LA’s in the running for a starring role as Hell with
the temp tapping 108*F (42*C). That means it’s hibernation season for the old oven.

Course, I’ll never deny the li’l guy his fav cookies.I’ll make a batch of the dough for my sister, let it nap in the fridge til sundown.
Once the cool night breeze shows its face, she cranks up the
mini-toaster oven and starts baking.

The recipe is based on Rick’s perfect cookies and  is so damn easy.
In fact, I’m willing to bet you could whip up a batch first thing in the morning when you
throw yourself out of bed, wobbling to the kitchen, in a pre-caffeine state of semi-
consciousness.

You know I did.

Coconut Choco-Chippers

Enough for 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup b. sugar
1 cup shortening (Butter-flavored Crisco)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla (the good stuff)

1 cup shredded coconut
3 cups flour
1 tsp b. soda
pinch salt
1 tsp instant coffee or ground espresso
2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions
Cream shortening with sugars, then add eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and coffee.

Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into the shortening mixture, but
do not overwork the dough.
Gently mix chocoloate chips and coconut into the dough.

Store in a recycled yogurt container in the fridge for up to a week
or freeze up to 2 months.

 

Ready to Bake?

Preheat @ 375*F

Use a small cookie scooper to lift teaspoon-sized balls of the chilled dough
and set onto a cookie sheet lined with foil.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown.

Use a spatula to gently lift the cookies off of the baking tray and
set onto a rack to cool, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy with a tall glass of ice-cold milk!

You’ve gotta be crazy to bake in this heat.
But, I’d do anything for my nephew.

Isn’t he a cutie?