Cowboy Cookies

There are some food pairings that just seem to go well together: peanut butter and jelly, garlic and onion, tomato and basil- you get the drift. Though these food couples are fantastic, there seems to be no two foods that compliment each other as well as coconut and chocolate. While fruit and chocolate are no strangers, there is something about the slight smokiness of coconut that coaxes out the deep richness of chocolate. 

The following recipe for Cowboy Cookies, adapted from Martha Stewart, was originally supposed to contain pecans and oats in addition to coconut and chocolate. However, in an effort to display the flavors  of the two feature ingredients, I added an extra handful each of coconut shavings and chocolate chips, omitting the pecans and oats all together. The result caused quite a stampede of roommates in the kitchen!

Cowboy Cookies

makes around 3 dozen

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 sticks butter

3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cups light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 oz of chocolate chips

3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. 

Cream the butter with the sugars until very pale. Add eggs on at a time. Add vanilla. 

Slowly add the flour mixture, chocolate and coconut. 

Drop rounded spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet spaced around 3 inches apart, (they spread!)

Serve warm around a fire. Eat and yee'haw!