Besitos de coco. A favorite treat in the Spanish speaking Caribbean islands, these Coconut Kisses can bring the tropics to your home even in the dead of winter. Or if you’re living in Texas in July, like I am, they can bring the tropics to the tropics.
I didn’t find a good history on this particular cookie, but I did find alternate recipes galore. About half use eggs whites, as seen here, and the other half uses egg yolks. The latter is doughier, but BH&G must have decided that they liked the meringue approach better. If you’ll notice, this recipe is almost exactly like the Coconut Macaroons I made, except this one has added corn flakes, nuts, and a 1/3 cup more sugar. So I’m expecting a sweeter, heartier version of the macaroons. We’ll see…
I also noticed that the instructions were written differently than the previous recipe, even though the first few steps are essentially the same. Surely the writer wasn’t that scatterbrained, so that only leaves one thought - These recipes must be written by various authors! Duh! I don’t know why I assumed that this cookbook was written cover to cover by one person, but I did. I take a look at the 2nd page in the cookbook and there is a letter written from the Foods and Equipment Director to the “Homemaker”:
“This Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book is really your very own as it is made up of the recipes you and your friends – our readers from coast to coast – have shared with us. We believe it represents the finest cooking in the homes of America. Within these pages are the best of the thousands of recipes found excellent in our Test Kitchen in the past 20 years…Of course you’re a busy lady…Let this cookbook help you with those three meals a day.”
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| beat til "foamy" |
So, two things. One, this is a best of the best collection of recipes sent in by everyday people. So that’s why I’ve noticed little disparities between how each recipe is written. And two, this passage reaffirms my original sentiments on the kitchen 50 years ago – that it was a place for “busy ladies”, not men, and that women were expected to be much more domesticated than today. How often do you actually cook three meals a day? I LOVE to cook, but only accomplish that feat on rare occasions. Today, I have girl friends who NEVER cook and I have guy friends who are quite handy in the kitchen (those lucky wives!). There is no question that roles have changed in the last half decade, so now let’s continue to see if our taste buds have changed as much.
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| You don't need this bag of pecans do you??? |
First off, the batter is awesome! I could've sat down with a spoon and eaten it like ice cream. The finished product kinda taste like Cracker Jacks, but with coconut. The extra sugar and longer cook time gives it a caramel flavor. Combined with the pecans (my choice of “chopped nuts”) and cornflakes that give it a popcorn-y touch, this would be a fun ballpark treat. Or at least a good cookie to serve with a ballgame on. It’s chewy, it’s crunchy, it’s dog-gone-good. Even my husband likes them, and he “doesn’t like coconut.” I appreciate the extra tips that the recipe offers, like to soften the cookies in the oven if they happen to stick to the pan, but did not go with the suggestion to drizzle chocolate over them. A) because I wanted to try the recipe purely as-is, B) because I don’t care for chocolate. Some recipes online even have you dipping the entire cookie in chocolate to make it like a candy bar, which I admit, does peak my interest. John, my chocoholic hubby, covered a few cookies with chocolate syrup and reports that they are divine.
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| look at all that texture! |
Cookie Grade: A = apparently, we can’t go wrong with coconut! I’d kiss this cookie good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night…
What I was jammin’ to: my bhangra mix cd, or as my husband calls it, “What the heck are you listening to?”
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