I love taking an old favorite and messing with it a bit (read=a lot). Today's target: the oatmeal raisin cookie.
I was in the mood for coconut but knew the dried stuff alone wouldn't satiate my need for a cookie that was thoroughly infused with flavor, so I also substituted creamed coconut for some of the butter. And the buckwheat groats aren't for health, folks; they're for crunch. It's a new trick I learned; they maintain their integrity during baking and give cookies a terrific texture.
I was in the mood for coconut but knew the dried stuff alone wouldn't satiate my need for a cookie that was thoroughly infused with flavor, so I also substituted creamed coconut for some of the butter. And the buckwheat groats aren't for health, folks; they're for crunch. It's a new trick I learned; they maintain their integrity during baking and give cookies a terrific texture.
I was planning on taking a batch of them to the weekly lunch my lady friends and I do every Friday, but a certain little someone arose from a nap with a nasty-sounding cough. (Or maybe the cookies turned out so deliciously that I didn't want to share.)
So instead, I spent the afternoon writing postcards to a handful of the people I miss. I love postcards; part of the fun is that you never know how many people see them on the way to the recipient. On one of them, I got a little giddy in the address field:
xxx,
j
crunchy, gingery coconut oatmeal raisin cookies
inspired by Smitten Kitchen
- 1/3 cup butter, softened
- 1/3 cup pure creamed coconut, gently melted (Asian food aisle, often used in curries)
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- 1/8 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup buckwheat groats
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup desiccated (finely shredded and dried) coconut
- 1 cup raisins
- Preheat oven to 350F/165C/150C (fan)
- Beat the butter, creamed coconut, and brown sugar until smooth, then whisk in egg, buttermilk, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, salt, groats, oats, coconut, and raisins.
- Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until combined.
- Roll tablespoons of dough into balls, flatten slightly, and freeze for at least 15 minutes, or until firm. (Once firm, the dough balls can be bagged and kept frozen for several weeks and baked whenever you want a cookie or two.)
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack (or eating).
