It is waiting for you

I keep three cookbooks on top of my fridge at the moment: Smitten Kitchen Everyday, Small Victories, and Little Foodie, about baby food--which, I have yet to open and "cook" from (couple more months... but I like the reminder). I've been opening the first two more often than I've expected over the past few months. I love to riff, and time and again I don't cook from recipes, but there is something about simplifying the game by picking something printed, leaving it open on the counter, going about your day, and coming back to it when you have a chance. It is waiting for you. I am getting tired of reading recipes on my phone mid-recipe. 😙😙😙 I want to open a book these days.


These coconut meltaways from Smitten Kitchen Everyday! They are so very good. They come together in a couple of minutes with a spatula and whisk, and go right into the oven after a stint in the freezer (during which you preheat the oven). They chip away at my bag of coconut flour in the freezer, which is easy to forget about, and they don't involve butter and granulated sugar which I go through a good amount of. Coconut oil. Coconut flour. Flour. Vanilla. Salt. Powdered sugar. Which makes them vegan, if you care about that. A vegan cookie that earns a spot on the rotation? That's a victory.

Coconut Meltaways
“When I replaced the butter with coconut oil in these cookies, they got even better."

Smitten Kitchen Every Day

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coconut flour OR ¾ cup unsweetened flaked coconut blitzed until fine in the food processor
½ tsp. kosher salt
6 tbsp. powdered sugar
¾ cup solid virgin coconut oil (not melted)
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Finish:
1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1. Combine flour, coconut and salt in a food processor. Process until coconut is finely ground, add 6 tablespoons powdered sugar; process until well-blended, then oil and vanilla and process until clumpy.

OR: If using coconut flour, whisk together the flours and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl cream coconut oil, vanilla and powdered sugar. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until the mixture clumps together evenly.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Scoop dough into balls (1 tablespoon each), and place 1 inch apart on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until firm to the touch, about 10 minutes.

3. Bake until golden brown underneath and relatively pale on top but dry to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes.

4. Place sifted powdered sugar in a large bowl. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar to coat; let cool completely on wire racks, about 30 minutes. Once cookies are cool, roll them in powdered sugar again, or dust it over tops. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.