Coconut Caramel Cookies

These cookies are quick and easy to mix up in a food processor. They can be stored in the frig for a few days or in the freezer. Enjoy!

COCONUT CARAMEL COOKIES

3 cups dried shredded coconut

1 cup pitted soft dates

3 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg

pinch sea salt

In a food processor combine dried coconut, dates, almond butter, honey or maple syrup, coconut oil or olive oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt. Process until well combined. The dough should be moist but able to hold a shape. Add a bit more coconut if the dough is too moist.

Make approximately 30 balls (about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough each). I scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop to make the cookies uniform in size. The scoop is too big for the size of balls I want so I cut the scooped dough in half. Top each with a small piece of chopped date or coconut flakes, if desired.

Kathy's notes:

Coconut - I use unsweetened, desiccated coconut from Bulk Barrel. I only had 2 1/2 cups of coconut to use today and the cookies turned out fine.

Dates - I use Parnoush honey pitted dates from Food Basics. I soaked 1 cup of dates in about 1/2 cup of water and added the soak water to the cookies.

Almond Butter - I buy almond butter at Bulk Barrel. It is also available at grocery stores near the peanut butter.

Coconut Oil - I buy coconut oil from Bulk Barrel. It is also available at Health Food stores.

lemon-ginger drop cookies

I got this recipe from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (thanks Cassandra!) and these cookies are Jarom's new favourite treat! So good and so easy!

ingredients

8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 C + 2 T sugar (plus more for sprinkling)
1 large egg
1 T grated lemon zest
1 1/3 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 C finely chopped crystallized ginger

directions

Preheat the oven to 350F with two racks centered. Line two baking sheets wtih parchment; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 mintues, scraping down the sides of the bowl twice. Add the egg; mix on high speed to combine. Add the zest; mix to combine.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, salt, and crystallized ginger; add to the butter mixture; mix on medium-low speed to combine, about 20 seconds.

Using two spoons, drop about 2 teaspoons of the batter on the prepared baking sheet; repeat, spacing them 3 inches apart (about 6 drops per sheet). Bake for 7 minutes. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar, rotate the sheets between the oven racks, and bake until just golden, about 7 minutes more. Cool the cookies on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

notes

I used a wooden spoon do do all my creaming and mixing because I don't have an electric mixer yet, and they still turned out fine. I think I forgot the extra 2 T of sugar too, so these aren't very finicky. You can add extra lemon zest if you want these to be more lemon-y.

Cookie Jar Ginger Snaps

These are some of my absolute favourite christmas cookies! They are really flavourful and a little crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

ingredients
2 C white, all-purpose flour
1 T ground ginger
2 t baking soda
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground cloves
3/4 C softened butter
1 C dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/3 C molasses
granulated or coarse sugar for rolling the cookies in; you can also use coloured sugar

instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and molasses, mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix until the dough comes away from the sides and the flour is completely mixed in. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Roll into 3/4 inch balls and roll in a sugar. Cook on an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet for 8-9 minutes. Transfer immediately to a cooling rack.

notes
The dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days before baking, although I prefer to use it within a day of making it. These cookies store well in an air-tight container, and also freeze well. You can adjust the baking time to make them softer or crunchier without ruining them.