A Coconut Cookie that’s Perfect for the Holidays

(NC) This coconut-studded milk chocolate cookie with two layers of buttery dough – one with an added hit of cocoa – makes these slice-and-bake cookies an instant holiday hit. Incorporating milk chocolate with toasted coconut makes them irresistible.

“This recipe makes a large batch, but don’t feel like you have to make them all at once – simply thaw frozen dough and then slice and bake,” says Michelle Pennock, executive chef for the President’s Choice Test Kitchen.

Two-Toned Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Makes: 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 mL) unsalted country churned butter, softened
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 ½ cups (625 mL) all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
Half bar (300 g bar) PC Milk Chocolate Coconut, finely chopped (about 1 ¼ cups)
2 tbsp (25 mL) cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Line bottom of 8-inch (2 L) square glass baking dish with parchment paper, leaving 1-inch (2.5 cm) overhang on two opposite sides. Set aside.
2. Beat butter with sugar in large bowl using electric hand mixer until fluffy. Beat in egg, scraping down side of bowl. Set aside.
3. Whisk flour with baking soda in separate large bowl. Stir half of flour mixture into butter mixture just until combined. Stir in remaining flour mixture and chocolate just until combined. Remove half of dough to separate large bowl; stir in cocoa powder.
4. Press cocoa dough evenly into bottom of prepared baking dish; press white dough evenly over top. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
5. Lifting with parchment, remove dough from baking dish and transfer to work surface. Cut dough in half; invert one piece over the other piece so that both white strips are in centre of stack (you should have two thin strips of chocolate dough with one wide white strip in between). Press gently to adhere. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate two hours or up to 24 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Cut dough in half lengthwise to make two 2-inch (5 cm) wide logs. Cut each log crosswise into scant 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick slices. Arrange, 1/2 inch (1 cm) apart, on non-stick cookie sheets or parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
7. Bake, one sheet at a time, until pale golden and tops are no longer shiny; 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets.

Chef’s tip: If the dough crumbles when you slice it, let it stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes to soften, then try slicing again.

Nutritional information per cookie: Calories 70, fat 4 g (3 g of which is saturated), sodium 15 mg, carbohydrates 9 g, fibre 0 g, sugars 4 g, protein 1 g.