Recipe: Chewy [Pumpkin] Coconut Cookies

I put "pumpkin" in brackets because the original recipe does not call for pumpkin. But I didn't have any butter on hand, and pumpkin puree can be used as a butter substitute (as can olive oil, applesauce, etc.).

Ingredients (double the recipe if you want to make more cookies!)

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter (or a little more than 1/3 cup pumpkin puree)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut       

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually blend in the flour mixture, then mix in the coconut. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly toasted. Cool on wire racks.

I did double this recipe, so there were almost fifty cookies! If you do use pumpkin, the batter will not get "light and fluffy," but that's okay. And I would recommend using parchment paper on the cookie sheets; you can remove the cookies immediately from the cookie sheets onto the rack, but the dough does stick a little bit. And 10 minutes was good in my oven, since the cookies were still pretty wet at 8 minutes.

Enjoy these tasty treats!