Coconut Cream Cookies

I am in love....

with a grocery store.

San Antonio was lucky enough to finally get a Trader Joe's!

Yay!

It just opened in October and I have already found a few favorites that I can not live without. On my first trip I found these roasted coconut chips and knew I had to have them. I also found a coconut cream, which is like regular coconut milk only thicker and richer. I thought it would add great moisture to baked goods so I grabbed one up.  For those of you that do not have a Trader Joe's, I feel for you. I have been going at least once a week and sometimes twice since it opened. I am addicted to some of their products already. I think I find something new every trip.

For these cookies I really wanted that creamy coconutty taste. The coconut cream made them super moist, and I can't wait to try it in a cake. I used chocolate chips and pecans in mine, which was great, but feel free to add whatever mix ins you'd like. I wouldn't skip the coconut though.

Coconut Cream Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour (sifted)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 stick butter (softened)

1/2 cup coconut cream (Trader Joe's)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract

1 pkg roasted coconut chips (Trader Joe’s)

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup pecans

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar, and coconut cream about 4 minutes until light and fluffy.

3. Then beat in eggs 1 at a time, and then beat in vanilla extract.

4. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture and beat until just combined, then stir in coconut chips, chocolate chips, and pecans. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.

6. Drop tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheet, allow about 2 inches for spreading. Bake 10 - 12 minutes until edges start to brown. Allow cookies to cool 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Store cookies at room temperature in sealed container or resealable plastic bag.

Happenings

Hey guys! Sorry I don't have something sweet this time, but soon I promise. Since Thanksgiving it has just been busy busy, but I am loving it!

For the first time in my life .EVER. I have finished my Christmas shopping early. In fact, I even put the tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving. I never do that.

No stress, I'm diggin' the Christmas music, I'm just totally in the spirit.

I got THE cutest tree skirt ever.

  

The other half and I ran our first half marathon a few weeks ago. We ran in the San Antonio Rock 'N' Roll Marathon. We had been training for about three months, and the farthest I had ran in training was a little over 9 miles. The half is 13.1 so I was nervous, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it. Turns out it was a lot easier that I thought, it was a great day, a great run, and I really enjoyed myself. I was able to run the whole way, wasn't the fastest time, I have short legs, but I never walked. I finished in 2 hours and 37 minutes. Never in my life did I think I would be running for that length of time.

Last weekend on Saturday we went to a tamale festival downtown. The city renovated an old brewery and turned it into condos and The Culinary Institute of America, where they had Top Chef when they were here. The area is located right next to the riverwalk and it's full of restaurants, bars,  and shops. It was great, there were restaurants from all over the city selling all different kinds of tamales. I even met a couple. Yes, these are tamales with sombreros and their names are Paco and Lola, only in San Antonio.

Then on Sunday we participated in a 5k called Color Me Rad. It was a fun run where they throw paint at you. It was so much fun. Like my "rad" tattoo?

Now I've got to get ready for another race this Saturday called the Gladiator Rock 'N' Run. It's a mud run and it scares me. I can't say I have ever been totally covered in mud and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I hope I survive, but I've got to do something if I'm going to eat all these sweets that I bake. :) Priorities baby!