Coconut Butterscotch Cookies from The Daring Gourmet

Coconut Butterscotch Cookies - made dough May 17, 2024 from The Daring Gourmet 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sweetened dried coconut flakes

1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda nad salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed until pale yellow and fluffy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until smooth and combined, 3-5 minutes.
4. Add egg and vanilla; beat on low speed until combined.
5. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in coconut and butterscotch chips until evenly disbursed. Portion into golf-ball size dough balls and evenly space on prepared baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw.

I was in Thailand earlier this year for vacation, on a tour. One of our stops just outside of Bangkok was a coconut sugar farm where they showcased various coconut products. My main souvenir shopping when I travel to new places, when possible, is to buy local ingredients I can use for baking later on. I bought this bag of coconut chips to try out in a future recipe of coconut cookies.

I hung onto the bag for a couple of months, trying to find *the* recipe to use it in and decided on this one from The Daring Gourmet. To my recollection, I hadn't tried a coconut butterscotch combination and thought it would be interesting to see how it turned out.

The results are slightly mixed. The dough handled beautifully and didn't spread much in baking. In fact, I worried they wouldn't spread at all. This is one of those doughs you want to pat the cookie dough ball into a slightly thick disc for even baking. I baked it from frozen dough to keep the thickness but you may be able to skip the chilling and freezing step without too much risk of spreading.

The flavor itself was amazing. Good brown sugar caramel overtones and the butterscotch paired beautifully with, in this case, the more neutral flavor of the coconut. The only jarring note is I don't think using the coconut chips I brought back from Thailand was the right addition to these cookies as the chips were a little too chewy and bland. Regular sweetened flaked coconut might have been better, albeit you risk adding a little too much sweetness to the cookie.

But still, I enjoyed this cookie and will have to make it again with regular coconut. I think the brown sugar caramelization of the cookie along with the sweetness of the butterscotch chips and the chewiness of the coconut make this one a winner.