Tuckers

Is there a coconut hound in your life? When you make a steak, do they casually suggest that you use dried coconut flakes as a crust? Do they buy coconut rum and then endlessly try to foist in on you? Then I have the cookie for you. It's got, like, four ingredients, it has a fun, unusual method of preparation, it's adorable and surprising in its shape and presentation, and it will get snapped up before you know what's happening. This little helped endear me to Peter's dad when I went to his house over Christmas; apparently the coconut fiend gene is hereditary.

The beauty of these little cookies is in their simplicity and their adaptability. Leave out the bells and whistles and there's four ingredients, cooked together on the stove, chilled, shaped and baked. If not, you can get a little pink tinge of rose and an extra crunchy layer of finishing sugar. The most fun element of these cookies is their little pyramid shape; a welcome departure from the traditional round, flat biscuit. They're equally wonderful being kept in a cookie jar on the counter as they would be on a Christmas or brunch dessert tray. You could even toss in some colored sprinkles with the sanding sugar, if that's your jam. The possibilities are endless!

Tuckers (Adapted from Bon Appetit) 

2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut 
4 large egg whites 
2/3 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 teaspoon food-grade pure rose extract (not rose water); optional 
Red liquid food coloring, optional
White sanding sugar, optional
 
Cook first 3 ingredients in a medium sauce- pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot, dry to the touch, and starts pulling away from sides of pan, about 10 minutes. Scrape dough into a heatproof bowl. Stir in vanilla and rose extract, if using. Add 1 drop of food coloring if you would like your cookies tinted a pale pink; stir well. (When I asked Peter whether he wanted pink, rose tinted cookies, he very delicately opted out, so just keep your audience in mind when you're preparing them). Press plastic wrap on top of dough. Chill for at least 5 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 300°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and stack it on top of a second sheet (this keeps cookie bottoms from browning too quickly). Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball. With your fingers, pinch the ball to form a 3-sided pyramid that ends in a point. Dip into white sanding sugar, if using (they are equally nice without). Bake cookies until lightly golden on top and slightly firm to the touch, 25-30 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack.