Cappuccino- Coconut Cookies.... #2 in a series of desserts.

Cappuccino- Coconut Cookies.... I thought the idea of making cappuccino cookies was brilliant... at least for those of us who like coffee:). The recipe contains 3 TBS of instant coffee...so there's lots of coffee flavor. If you want, you can definitely cut the coffee amount down... just use a bit less. But I think the idea behind these cookies is the cappuccino flavor. When the cookies come out of the oven, the coffee flavor is more pronounced... and then it mellows down a bit after a day or two, at least that's what I noticed. But if you are using instant coffee, with bigger flakes, you will taste the coffee bits in each bite. If the instant coffee is more of a powder, it will blend in more with the dough.

I chose to add some unsweetened dried coconut and substituted the white chocolate chips with regular chips. I ended up processing the chips with the coconut... so that I would get chocolate flakes/bits throughout the dough. If you don't like coconut, opt for skipping it altogether. A different cookie that's worth making, as the coffee flavor makes the cookies taste fancy:). So, here is #2 in a series of desserts. Hope you enjoy...

Note: The original recipe uses 3/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup white sugar... I chose to increase the brown sugar and used less of the white sugar... just to have a bit more caramel-y flavor. Feel free to check out the original recipe.

Tip: You can use any add-ins you like... white chocolate, mini chips, pecans, cacao nibs, etc.

To make them even more spectacular, drizzle some white/ dark chocolate...or dip half of the cookie in a melted chocolate and then in chopped nuts/coconut.

Cookies always freeze well.

You will need: adapted from Joy the Baker with a few changes. Makes about 36 ( 1 1/2 TBS) cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tsps pure vanilla extract

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

salt to taste( I used about 1/4 tsp)

3 TBS instant coffee/espresso*

1/3 cup coconut, unsweetened, optional

1 cup chocolate chips

* you can easily decrease this amount, if you don't like them too espresso-ish

Directions:

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and instant espresso powder. Set aside.

3. Using a stand mixer, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes...scraping down mixture as necessary.

4. Add the egg and egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined.

6. Mix in chocolate and coconut, if using... until well combined.

Note: I ended up processing the coconut and chocolate chips in a food processor for about a minute or so...until the chocolate chips were in smaller pieces. You don't have to do this, but I like the speckles....

7. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 45 minutes....while you clean up.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. before you form cookies

8. Scoop cookie dough by the heaping tablespoonful (or using a 1 1/2 TBS cookie scooper) onto the prepared baking pans. I like to slightly flatten the cookie dough a bit.

9. Bake for about 7-10 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven, allow to cool on the baking sheet. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.