abracadabra, hoss!

it was pointed out to me last week that my past several treats have been some form of muffin or cupcake… which reminded me that i have been neglecting all the other types of goodies out there that arent shaped like a cup! this means that my strawberry lemonade cupcakes and strawberry tartlets will have to wait another week or two… sorry to anyone looking forward to them.

i generally decide what i will be baking the day of or day before, so when i decided mid-week last week what i wanted to make this time it caused a torturous wait, especially since it is a long weekend! i even contemplated baking something to take the edge off. alas, i have persevered and staved off my addiction (okay, so making breakfast foods helped).

in any case… i thought about making magic bars, but decided to adapt them into cookie form, which would yield a higher quantity without being so heavy and messy…which are all pluses for the office. this does not, however, mean that i wont be making magic bars for the office one of these days! (if you want’em–or anything else– please let me know in the comments or requests section). i considered just adding pecans and coconut to my chocolate chip cookie recipe, however i like to try new things, so i searched the web for a recipe intended for these decadent treats.

and find one i did! i have to admit i was a little concerned that it called for two bags of chocolate chips as opposed to my usual one, but who am i to question someone telling me to add more chocolate. for the sake of my coworkers, i did not spare a single chip… except the ones that accidentally found their way into my mouth (they can be pretty sneaky). it is safe to say that if you are allergic to anything these are not the cookies for you… they contain wheat, eggs, dairy, nuts, coconut, and pretty much every food allergen except shellfish (bleh!)

now i am sorry to disappoint those hoping that magic cookies would contain the *special* ingredient of magic brownies, but the only thing magical about these cookies is how fan-freakin-tastic they taste! now, you may be saying to yourself “self, this sounds kind of familiar, i have had a cookie with all of these things before…” and you would be right. these are pretty much cowboy cookies without the oats!! for those who know me, i fancy myself a bit of a country girl so i had to muster up some self control to stick with this recipe and not turn on some george strait and throw the oats on in (i will have to make those at some point in the near future)

i am happy to announce that the baking of these cookies was without incident… however i did manage to nearly slice my toe off earlier today by dropping a utility knife onto it. actually, i would say it was closer to throwing since it was from chest height with quite a bit of force from the box i was trying to cut through– there goes my career in dagger throwing. needless to say, i will be getting a tetanus shot tomorrow…woohoo!! i am pretty sure the only change i will make next time i use this recipe is toasting the pecans for less time and perhaps add some more coconut, otherwise, i must say i am quite pleased!

i wasnt kidding about how much chocolate is in here!

that looks much more reasonable

it's not a trick, or even an illusion... they really are magical

Recipe:

Chocolate Chip, Toasted Pecan, Coconut Cookies (Inspired by Amanda Hesser’s recipe in Cooking for Mr. Latte)
Makes 4 dozen large cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of sea salt
24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups toasted chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 325°F

In a mixer cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until smooth.

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer, beating on low until blended.

Pour in the chocolate, pecans, and coconut. Fold them in by hand with a spatula.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes.

Using an ice cream scoop, drop the dough onto a well greased baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned on the edges and cooked in the center. Cool on a rack.