Crispy Coconut Macaroons

I grew up eating Mother's Coconut Macaroons. You know, the ones with the circus top logo? They were crispy and coconuty and so delicious. I've made macaroons a lot in the last few years, but I have always been dissatisfied. While "traditional" macaroons are the best cookie you can eat if you're looking for a "healthy" cookie, they just seem kind of blah to me. I knew to get to the kind of cookie I was looking for, I was going to have to bring butter and flour into the equation. Sometimes, you just have to make these kinds of sacrifices.

It only took me three tries. Batches, that is. And on the last batch, I had to make some mid-batch alterations. But I've got it now! If you like coconut and a nice, buttery, crispy cookie, then give these guys a try. You won't be disappointed. Unfortunately, as a result of the multiple batch process, most of the pictures I took were not for the final batch (I guess I was starting to get discouraged). So, all I've got to share with you is this one of the final product. Well, at least I can share the recipe with you!

Crispy Coconut Macaroons
Yield: approximately 30 cookies

1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut

Cream the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. Unless you can find unsweetened, "macaroon coconut" which is finely ground, you will need to run it through the food processor a bit. If you cannot find unsweetened coconut, you can use the sweetened, but you will have to adjust the amount of sugar. Toast the coconut in a dry saute pan over medium heat, stirring frequently until the coconut has a nice, light, toasty color. Let the coconut cool.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, cream of tarter, and baking powder. Stir in the coconut and then add the wet batter. Stir to mix thoroughly. Drop batter by tablespoons onto a parchment lined sheet. The cookies will spread quite a bit, so be sure to leave plenty of room between each. Dampen your fingers and press the batter flat.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cookies are flat and nicely golden. Cool completely on a rack before enjoying.