I’m always looking for new, interesting cookies. I stumbled upon these AK Cookies in the late and lamented Lucky Peach magazine. The ingredients seemed like ordinary items you might have in your pantry and I loved the idea of adding shredded coconut to the dough. Turns out these are more than just your ordinary cookies with chocolate, oatmeal and nuts. The coconut adds the je ne sais quoi that turns on otherwise common cookie into something special. This is a cookie that is equally appropriate with your morning coffee or served for dessert along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The curious name of the cookie appears to be a play on the place where Peter Meehan and his wife Hannah Clark first had these cookies while visiting friends in Anchorage, Alaska (hence AK). Whatever the name, these are cookie perfection. There is an ideal combination of nuts, coconut, oatmeal, and chocolate in each bite.
If you want to make bigger cookies, by all means go for it. The recipe calls for using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop to make squash ball sized dough rounds. I used my Oxo Good Grips medium cookie scoop to make 40 smaller cookies. These guys freeze well.
- 2 sticks Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (or unsalted butter)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (1 teaspoon if using unsalted butter)
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (dark chocolate for lactose free)
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the Buttery Sticks and sugars on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale tan and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix for another 4 minutes. Add the dry ingredients in order, mixing them in on low speed, just until each is incorporated into the dough.
- Use a medium scoop (I use Oxo) or a larger one for bigger cookies, to scoop all the dough onto a cookie pan and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before baking.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, space them well on a parchment-lined cookie pan (or use a Silpat) and bake for about 10 - 12 minutes. Bigger cookies will take a little longer to bake. Test cookies after 10 minutes of baking. They should be deep golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies are best when fully cooled.
