Coconut Sandwich Cookies
Kenan Thompson joins Martha to bake the best coconut sandwich cookies.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Whisk to combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup coconut. Place remaining coconut in a food processor; pulse until coarsely ground.
Beat butter and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add flour mixture and ground coconut; mix until just combined.
Drop dough by level tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 to 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until lightly golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dividing evenly, spread filling on flat sides of half the cookies; sandwich with remaining cookies. Roll edges in 1/2 cup reserved coconut, and chill until ready to serve.
Cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days.
I wanted smaller cookies for Christmas cookie trays, so I didn't sandwich them (way too big). Instead, I frosted each cookie with the icing, then dipped the tops in a mix of chopped coconut to which some red and green sprinkles were added. They are delicious, moist, and very pretty with a bit of color against the snow-white coconut. And best thing is that they freeze very well after icing, and up to a month with no decrease in flavor or texture. Awesome.
Now that the holidays are over... I now have the time to do some baking (lol) I have this issue Oct. 2010 I made theses for my boyfriend for an early Valentine's Gift and my dad did a test drive and said "YUM>>>Good Cookies".
My husband and I really enjoy this recipe and I don't even like like coconut that much.