Chunky Chocolate-Covered Coconut Candy Cookies

Chunky Chocolate-Covered Coconut Candy Cookies - December 20, 2009

I would simply call these Almond Joy Cookies just to shorten the name. The recipe actually calls for Mounds bars to be used but since I prefer milk chocolate to dark, I use Almond Joys instead. I first made these back in 2005 to use up some leftover Halloween candy. While they have the same basic ingredients as a regular chocolate chip cookie, they're a bit sweeter and using the candy in them not only sweetens the dough but makes the cookies crisp around the edges. When I first made them a few years ago, I cut bite-size Almond Joys into big chunks. This time, I cut the bite-size pieces into smaller chunks. This seemed to make the cookies spread a bit more. I'm not a fan of spread so next time I would probably keep the chunks fairly big. The only issue with these cookies is, depending on where the candy is located in the ball of cookie dough, it'll leak out, as you can see from the bottom right cookie in the picture. It doesn't affect the taste but if you like a more predictable spread, try to keep the candy pieces from the edges of your ball of cookie dough.

"Almond Joy Cookies" - first made November 16, 2005 from Chocolate Chocolate by Lisa Yockelson

6 packages (1.9 ounces each) chocolate-covered coconut candy (such as Peter Paul Mounds), cut into small chunks
1 ½ cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons shortening
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Chill the candy: Place the cut-up candy in a baking pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Refrigerating the chunks of candy will prevent them from breaking up too much when mixed into the dough.)
2. Mix the dough: Whisk the flour and salt in a small bowl.
3. Cream the butter and shortening in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderately low speed for 3 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 1 minute on moderate speed. Add the light brown sugar and beat for 1 minute longer. Beat in the egg. Blend in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently to keep the dough even-textured. On low speed, add the sifted mixture in 2 additions, beating until the particles of flour are absorbed. Mix in the candy chunks, coconut and chocolate chips. The dough will be chunky.
4. Chill the dough: Cover the bowl with a sheet of food-safe plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 325˚F in advance of baking. Line several cookie sheets or rimmed sheet pans with lengths of cooking parchment paper.
6. Shape the cookies: Place heaping and domed 2-tablespoon-size mounds of dough about 3 inches apart on the prepared pans, placing them about 9 mounds to a pan.
7. Bake and cool the cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 16 to 17 minutes, or until set, with pale golden edges. (The tops should not look like glistening unbaked cookie dough.” Let the cookies stand on the pans for 1 minute, then remove them to cooling racks, using a wide offset metal spatula. Cool completely. Store in an airtight tin.

Bake and serve within 3 days