Two Faced Chef

I feel like all women fall into a trap of dieting for an event.  I ate as healthy as possible until my cousin’s wedding in which I was the maid of honor, and then once the ceremony was over, I started eating everything in sight.  Luckily, I have not been in my parents’ house for the past week, because my mom has started her baking for Rosh Hashanah.  From 22 years of experience, I have gotten very good at sneaking my fingers into the bowl to try all the goodies when my mom isn’t looking.  If I did it in front of her face, she would probably slap me out of the kitchen.  Below is the recipe for the Chocolate Coconut Cookies she is making.  They are chewy on the inside with a crunchy crust, and her use of Belgium chocolate really makes them taste amazing.

Here I am right before walking down the aisle.  See ladies, this is the trick.  Put your hand on your hip, and your arms look thin!!  I suggest practicing your picture smile or pose in the mirror, so you don’t look like the Joker’s cousin.  However, don’t do it in the bridal suite when the photographer is wandering around and tries to catch “candids.”  I’m sure the wedding photos will be a numerous display of me+mirror+vanity.

Ingredients:

Adapted from Carole Walter’s Great Cookies cookbook.

• 2 2/3 cups (7 ounces) sweetened flaked coconut
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup good quality cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter
• 9 ounces good quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups superfine sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.  Pulse coconut in food processor fitted with steel blade until chopped; set aside. Mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside. In medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate just until melted, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.

I want this mixer.  I NEED this mixer.  I would even give up watching my crappy VH1 reality love shows for this mixer.  Actually, I take that back.

In electric mixer using whisk attachment, beat eggs on medium speed until light.  Add sugar very, very slowly.  Pour chocolate mixture over egg mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.  Add vanilla.

Reduce mixer to low and mix in dry ingredients.  Remover whisk from bowl and let batter sit for 5 minutes or until batter begins to thicken.  Sprinkle handfuls of coconut over batter folding in each addition.  Do not combine thoroughly.  Some coconut flakes should still be visible.

Drop batter by heaping teaspoonful onto cookie sheets spacing about 2 inches apart.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are just set, but cookies are soft to the touch.  Cookies will firm as they cool.  Let stand on cookie sheet 2 minutes.  Transfer to cooling racks.  Makes 48 cookies.  May be stored in an airtight container, layered between strips of waxed paper, for up to 5 days.

By the way, superfine sugar is finely pulverized, granulated sugar that dissolves more quickly than granulated sugar. You can make your own superfine sugar by processing granulated sugar in a food processor or blender until powdery. 

Remember singing girl?  From the treadmill?  My personal kryptonite?  Well this morning, she was telling her friend that she wanted to make low calorie cookies last night–so she left out the sugar, but wasn’t sure why the cookies didn’t work.  I wish my apartment building was a game of Survivor, so I could vote her off the island.