Somewhere pigs are flying

And hell has frozen over. Really, look!


Why, you ask? I baked! Baking: that thing I never do because it seems fussy and stresses me out. I seriously baked...cookies in fact. From scratch. And they were delicious. And come to find out - not all that fussy or stressful. But I did discover reason #1b that I don't bake...because most baked goods are simultaneously delicious and unhealthy. So maybe all along I was avoiding becoming a skilled baker because more breads, cookies and cupcakes in my life would mean I'm never gonna lose the lingering baby weight.

Regardless, I got the urge to bake when I came across a recipe that called for both coconut and dark chocolate. How could I resist? They were just as perfect as I had hoped, with a soft but chewy texture. I will definitely have to go on another sweets splurge and make these cookies again...the next time there's a blue moon and I get the strange urge to bake something!

Dark Chocolate and Coconut Cookies (adapted from Cooking Light, April 2010)

Ingredients:

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

Preparation:

Sprinkle the coconut onto a baking sheet in a single layer and pop it into a 350 degree oven for 6 minutes or until it's toasted.

I'd recommend checking on it about halfway through and "stirring" it a bit with your fingers. Once it's nice and golden, take it out of the oven and set it aside so it can cool.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder & baking soda). Remember when measuring the flour just to spoon it into the measuring cup and level off the top with a knife - don't pack it in there!

Put the brown sugar and softened butter into a large mixing bowl and beat at a medium speed until it's blended together well. If you don't want to use a combo of light and dark brown sugar you can just use 3/4 cup of light. Similarly, you can just use a hand held mixer if you don't have a stand mixer.

Next beat in the vanilla and egg.

Then start adding the flour mixture, a little at a time, beating on a low to medium speed. Only mix until all the ingredients are combined...over-mixing is bad news.

Now stir in the toasted coconut and 3 ounces of dark chocolate chunks.

Here's the yummy cookie dough! (Important note: now's the time to exercise will-power and avoid eating all of the dough before it ever sees the inside of the oven. The finished product is worth it, I promise!!!)

I used a (heaping) tablespoon for each of my cookies and ended up with 15. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and the bottoms are starting to get golden.

Let the cookies rest for a few minutes and then move them to a wire rack to cool.

All that's left to do is enjoy.

Next time you're in the mood for something sweet, I highly recommend you give these cookies a try.