[Recipe] Almond Coconut Cookies

Hello~  I have not been posting much lately.  I have truly been in a slump, especially when it comes to baking and cooking.  With Mr. H always gone, I don't really have anyone to cook/book for anymore, and I absolutely hate eating alone.  Before when I was baking a lot, I would send the treats off to work with him for his coworkers to enjoy, but lately I have been doing absolutely nothing.  I didn't even notice until this weekend.  My cousin baked my Nutella Cookies and it totally inspired me to get back to work in my kitchen!  I made these Almond Coconut (like Almond Joys) cookies yesterday morning with only ingredients I already had because I was too lazy to go to the store (it was very hot out).  Also, I may or may not be currently consumed by Diablo 3.  ;)  Oh, and also, before we get into the recipe, I finally got glasses (hence the photo to the right).  My poor eyes have been suffering and struggling to see for the last 4-5 years, but now the world is in HD and it is amazing!  I'm having issues with prescription contacts though, which is weird because I'm completely fine wearing circle lenses.  Anyone else have that problem?

Let's make some cookies!  These come out fairly small, light, and fluffy.  Almost similar to the texture of a scone or shortbread, but much more soft.

What You Need:

•  2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 tsp. imitation coconut extract
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 egg white
• 1 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Nestle Semi-Sweet Mini Morsel)

 

Separated egg yolk and white.

Let's Bake:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).
• Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, cream together your sugar and melted butter.
• Add in egg yolk and white.  Mix well.
• Add in all three extracts.  Mix well.
• Slowly incorporate your dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl.  Do not dump the entire contents into the large bowl.  It will be very messy.  Use a spatula and stir in 1/4 - 1/2 cup at a time.  Use your hand mixer at the end to make sure the ingredients are well combined, but do not over mix.
• Use the spatula to stir in chocolate chips.
• Scoop your dough onto the parchment paper in rounded tablespoons.  They do not spread out too much, so you only need to leave about a half inch space in between.
• Bake for 11-12 minutes.
• Enjoy! 

 

Click here to print this recipe.

Mr. H's Birthday Weekend [Part 1]

I have been quite absent lately, I know.  Forgive me for not posting in so long.  But now I have some photos to share with you guys from Mr. H's birthday weekend, which we spent in Santa Cruz and Monterey.

I got to leave work early on Friday because we celebrated a late Administrative Professional's (Secretary's) Day.  We all went out for a nice fancy lunch at Il Forno and I got a little smashed too early in the day (oops!).  I ended up going home and taking a nap with my husband who was already sleeping, since day time is his night time.  It was nice to be able to sleep next to him for a change.  We woke up and caught happy hour at Elephant Bar.  I was still feeling really sick from all the booze earlier, so I didn't drink anything there.  After that we went to Glass Turtle (a bar) to meet up with some friends.  I decided to be bold and take a shot because I wanted to celebrate with Mr. H.  It was a bad idea.  I barely made it to the bathroom before getting sick again. Once all the old liquor was out of my system, I did ok and was able to stomach a couple shots and dance a little bit.  We left the Turtle, went to the casino, and stayed there until around 3:00 a.m.  On the way home we decided we'd wake up early in the morning and head out to Santa Cruz, and then go to Monterey on Sunday.  We always enjoy our spontaneous trips together, so we said "fuck it, let's go."

The only photo I have from Friday. :(

We got up after about 4-5 hours of sleep, did a horrible job of packing, and then headed out for the day.  We were both starving, so we stopped in South Sac for some lunch.

Mr. H glued to his phone, as usual.

Lunch at Huong Lan.

Next stop, Santa Cruz!  :)  Mr. H's cousin had rented a home right next to the beach, so we stopped by there to hang out with them and be beach bums for a while.  The weather was wonderful and we daydreamed about owning our own summer beach house when we are older.  We ate sandwiches and chocolates, collected seashells, soaked in the sun, and enjoyed feeling much younger than we actually are.  Mr. H and his cousin even built a sweet sandcastle.  It was a damn near perfect day.

Don't judge me!  I was not bikini-ready this weekend! :(

My husband does not like smiling.  Hahaha.

After hours on the beach, and after almost everyone else had left, we headed back to the house to say goodbye.  We made the 20 minute drive to Watsonville, where one of our friends live and where we would stay for the night.  Once we got there and got situated, we headed back to Santa Cruz to check out the Boardwalk while we waited for another friend to get off work.  Almost everything was closed or about to close, so we found a pizza place/bar and stayed there for dinner.  It was a good choice because the pizza was delicious and Facebook offered a 10% discount if you check-in!  Sweeeet! 

Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

Crazy drunk husband.

I'll do Part 2 later this week.  Uploading all these photos from my phones is somewhat of a hassle.  Haha.  I can only do so many before I get burnt out.  I also need to catch up on all my blog-reading, which I'm sure is going to take a decent chunk of time since I haven't been on here for almost two weeks.  

It is getting warmer and warmer each day here in Sacramento, and I can feel summer is fast approaching.  Summer is ridiculous here where I live and I am not ready for it yet.  Spring is almost non-existent, so I have to enjoy it while it lasts.