Coconut Snowballs

By mariannefeldman

kingarthurflour.com
This is a tropical riff on Mexican Wedding Cookies, if you've ever run across that recipe. They literally melt in your mouth.
Recipe summary
Hands-on time:
30 mins. to 40 mins.
Baking time:
12 mins. to 15 mins.
Total time:
1 hrs 42 mins. to 1 hrs 55 mins.
Yield:
50 to 60 cookies
Tips from our bakers
For a very simple finish to the cookies, prepare a smaller amount of coating mix (sift 1/4 cup powdered sugar with 2 1/2 tablespoons coconut milk powder), and sift lightly over the cookies.

Ingredients

• Volume
• Ounces
• Grams
• COOKIES
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt*
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut milk powder
• 3/8 teaspoon coconut flavor
• 2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup toasted shredded coconut (finely shredded, not flaked)**
• If you use salted butter, omit the added salt.
• If you use regular sweetened coconut, you chop it finely.
• COATING
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' or glazing sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk powder
• GLAZE (OPTIONAL)
• 3 cups confectioners' or glazing sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk powder
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon coconut flavor
• 8 to 9 tablespoons milk
• GARNISH (OPTIONAL)
• 4 to 4 1/2 cups coconut flakes, slightly crushed

Preparation

Step 1

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2) In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter and salt until soft and fluffy.
3) Mix in the confectioners' or glazing sugar, coconut milk powder, and coconut flavor. Add the flour and toasted coconut, mixing until well combined.
4) Form the dough into 1? balls; a teaspoon cookie scoop is a real time-saver, and your cookies will be nice and uniform. Place the balls on an ungreased baking sheet.
5) Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes. They should be very light brown on the bottom, and feel set on top.
6) Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes before disturbing; they're very fragile when they first come out of the oven.
7) Sift the confectioners' or glazing sugar with the coconut milk powder and place in a shallow pan.
8) Roll the warm cookies in the sugar/coconut coating.
9) Let the cookies cool completely, then re-roll in the sugar.
10) When completely cool, store them in airtight containers for 1 week, or freeze for longer storage.
11) Optional glaze and garnish: Instead of rolling cookies in sugar, you can dip completely cooled cookies in glaze, then roll in flaked coconut, if desired.
12) To make the glaze: Sift together the sugar and coconut milk powder. Stir in the flavor and 8 tablespoons milk. Add the remaining milk a bit at a time, stirring until the glaze is smooth and the thickness of honey.
13) Dip each cookie in the glaze, roll in the coconut, then put on a cooling rack to harden. Or skip the flaked coconut, and simply dip each cookie in glaze.
Yield: 50 to 60 cookies.