Chewy Coconut-Lime Sugar Cookies - Cooks Country

By norsegal8

For optimal chew, we adjusted the fat in our sugar cookie recipe until it hit a ratio of approximately 1 part saturated fat (butter) to 3 parts unsaturated fat (vegetable oil). Instead of creaming the fat and sugar, we whisked them together. We used extra flour and baking powder for structure and lift, and extra sugar, salt, and vanilla kept the sugar cookies from being too dry. Cream cheese enriched the dough’s flavor without adding too much liquid and baking soda kept our sugar cookies flat and crackly.

Ingredients

• Makes 24 cookies
• 2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 ounces sweetened shredded coconut, chopped fine (1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling
• 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest plus 1 tablespoon juice
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon milk

Preparation

Step 1

1. Grease two 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pans and dust with cornmeal. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking soda in large bowl. Stir in hot milk until combined, about 1 minute. Cover dough with greased plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes, or until dough is bubbly and has doubled.

2. Stir dough and divide between prepared loaf pans, pushing into corners with greased rubber spatula. (Pans should be about two-thirds full.) Cover pans with greased plastic and let dough rise in warm place until it reaches edge of pans, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

3. Discard plastic and transfer pans to oven. Bake until bread is well browned and registers 200 degrees, about 30 minutes, rotating and switching pans halfway through baking. Turn bread out onto wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Slice, toast, and serve.