We know I have a baking weakness for shortbread and sables. So, I couldn’t resist this recipe. Shortbread and toasted coconut? I’m in. The smell of coconut toasting in the oven is a beautiful thing. Along with the nuttiness you would expect come a heady, floral scent that makes me think of warm sand and salty breezes.
Simple dough, a hallmark of shortbread.
Two logs. One for now, one still in the freezer for a later post.
Seriously good stuff!
Toasted Coconut Shortbread
adapted from Christmas Cookies, Better Homes and Gardens, 2011
Ingredients
- 1/2 C sweetened flaked coconut
- 1/2 lb unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/4 C confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 1/4 C granulated (I like to use superfine)
- 2 1/4 C all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the coconut evenly on the lined sheet. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle (or electric hand-mixer), beat butter, coconut and sugars until creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Add flour and salt and mix until just combined. Turn dough out onto a work surface, split in half (I like to weigh it out using a kitchen scale for even logs) and form dough into logs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- With the tip of a sharp knife, cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices of the dough and place slices 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake until the cookies are just beginning to brown on the edges, about 20 minutes.