Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

These are quite amazing cookies.  Buttery, rich, perhaps a little oversweet for my present tastes; I often use 1 1/2 cups brown sugar and cut out the white sugar entirely.  I've cut it down by half--unless you have a large crowd to feed.  When I was little, I disliked coconut, but here, it's wonderful.  If you can get hold of the large curly flaked version--not the thick shredded kind--it's even better.  Don't worry if you don't like coconut--there's lots of other yummy stuff you can substitute.
This is another oatmeal cookies recipe that requires a fair warning:  the dough is particularly wonderful, and large numbers of potential cookies may vanish without a trace.
The original recipe was from the Farm Journal Cookie Book, where several variations were suggested, and I've continued to experiment with it--it's a lovely basic recipe that tolerates changes in nuts, spices, fruits, and more.


Mine
 Original

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed		 1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs 2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract  
Mill together on finest settings:
175 grams soft white wheat berries
 50 grams rice
2 inches of vanilla bean, cut into 1/4 inch or shorter bits

 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour 
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
3/4 cup unsweetened dried coconut , lightly toasted		 3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
3/4 cup dried coconut flakes


Lightly toast the coconut:  bake about 10 minutes at 300 degrees.  You want the coconut to be just starting to color up.  If you can find it, the very thin curly flaked coconut, often available in Indian groceries, gives a particularly pleasing texture.

Sift or whisk together the flour, soda and salt.  

Cream butter and sugars together.  When light and fluffy, beat in the vanilla and eggs.

Stir in the oats and coconut.

Drop by teaspoons on a greased or nonstick baking sheet.  They do spread, so give them at least than an inch between the drops of dough.  Bake 350°F until turning gold at the edges, 12-15 minutes.

Notes:  the quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant) really do better here than the regular oats.   They absorb liquid faster and the dough has proper consistency for baking right away.  If you must use regular oats, let the batter sit, refrigerated, for several hours or overnight before baking; the cookies will still be a bit heavier and coarser. 

If you don't like coconut, substitute chopped toasted nuts of your choice, up to 1 cup.
I also like this very spicy variation, but note that the afterburn is considerable, and you should be careful when first nibbling on the dough; also delicious without the habaneros:
Mill together on finest settings:
175 grams soft white wheat berries
 50 grams rice
2 dried habanero peppers, seeded, and broken up into bits 
few pieces of dried mace
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole coriander
1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds

 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour

2 dried habanero chiles, seeded and crushed as finely as you can manage; or 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 teaspoon mace powder or freshly grated nutmeg
 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups quick cooking oats
2/3 cup chopped toasted cashews
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1 cup dried mango, finely chopped
3 cups quick cooking oats
2/3 cup chopped toasted cashews
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1 cup dried mango, finely chopped

Another variation, fruitier and less spicy
Mill together on finest settings:

175 grams soft white wheat berries
 50 grams rice
1 teaspoon whole coriander
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
6 long peppers (optional)

 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (optional)

 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1 cup dried apricot, finely chopped
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1 cup dried apricot, finely chopped
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

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