Coconut Pistachio Cookies, Tweaked

These cookies are very good and very sweet!  A harmony of flavors comes boldly together to form a dense, crunchy fat little cookie.  I found them to be very satisfying.  They freeze nicely and can be easily packed for holiday shipment.

Coconut Pistachio Cookies, Tweaked

Yield:   5 dozen cookies    

Ingredients

• ¾ cup white sugar

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 2/3 cup shortening

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened

• 2 large egg(s)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon coconut extract

• 1 teaspoon almond extract

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¾ cup lightly chopped pistachios, more to taste

• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted*

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2. Beat white sugar, brown sugar, shortening and butter.  Blend in egg(s), and extracts in a large bowl until smooth.

3. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl; slowly beat into shortening mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in pistachios and coconut flakes.

4. Roll 1 ¼” balls, flatten slightly, place 1 ½ inches apart onto parchmentedbaking sheets.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are light golden brown, 11 to 12 minutes.

*A note about toasting the coconut:  You don’t have to!  But, when you eat coconut that’s not been toasted, it lacks that certain WOW factor.  When you toast it, it bombards your taste buds with crispy sunshine!  It’s really simple to toast:  just make a foil pan about 10 minutes before you’re ready to put the dough together.  Spread the coconut on the make-shift pan and throw it into the oven.  Toast at 350° until you can actually see the white shreds turning brown around the edges, (about 7 to 9 minutes.)  Take the pretty coconut out and cool it for a few minutes, then usein the recipe as directed.