Toasted coconut shortbread cookies

A fun spin on a favourite treat!

I love shortbread cookies because they generally are less sweet than other varieties, plus they have that irresistible melt-in-your-mouth texture. I recently wanted to come up with a dessert to pair with a tropical-themed meal and these cookies proved to be the perfect thing. Note that you can easily halve the recipe if you want to make a smaller batch. Also, if you are a fan of coconut you might enjoy these exceptionally delicious no-bake lemon coconut squares.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (170 g) unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup (227 g) butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (75 g) powdered (confectioners’) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
• Few drops coconut or almond extract
• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour

Method

• To toast the coconut, preheat oven to 325F. Spread coconut into a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 3 minutes, stir, and then bake for 1 to 3 more minutes or until light golden brown. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn! Set aside to cool completely.
• In a large bowl (use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer if you have it), beat the butter until creamy. Blend in the powdered sugar, salt and extracts. Beat for a minute until smooth then, with mixer on low speed, add the flour slowly, mixing until just incorporated. Add the cooled toasted coconut and mix until evenly blended.
• Working in the mixing bowl, shape the dough into a ball then divide it in half. Shape each half of the dough into an 8-inch (20 cm) long log, about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Tightly wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, until firm enough to slice. Wrapped dough can be placed in a storage bag or airtight container and frozen for longer if not baking the same day. Note that if you chill the dough for longer, you’ll need to remove it from the fridge about 30-40 minutes before slicing.
• Preheat the oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one log of dough from the fridge. Cut the dough into ¼-inch thick slices, re-rolling the log every few slices so it stays round and cookies appear uniform in shape. The edges may crumble a little as you cut them, but you can re-shape the cookies by hand if needed.
• Lay the sliced dough rounds on the prepared baking sheet; bake until cookies are a light golden in color (10-11 minutes). Remove trays from oven and let cookies cool completely.
• Repeat the steps with the second log of cookie dough (or place remaining dough in an airtight bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw thoroughly before cutting and baking).
• Once the cookies are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.