Chewy Coconut Cowboy Cookies

If you've never heard of a 'Cowboy Cookie' before, you have probably never tried one, or perhaps you have and were completely unaware of their peculiar name. Cowboy cookies usually contain flour, oats, chocolate chips and sometimes nuts, they are a chewy cookie with a satisfying array of textures and flavours. The inspiration for these Coconut Cowboy cookies came to me when I was eating a Bounty bar recently and decided I would like to see a cookie that tasted similar yet contained oats and was chewy and sweet. Here's what I came up with..

The original recipe that I followed is here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Oatmeal-Chocolate-Coconut-Chewy/Detail.aspx but check out my version below!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut or almond butter
  
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup sweetened condesnsed milk
  
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar until smooth. Add the peanut or almond butter and sweetened condensed milk mixing until well incorperated. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture until well blended. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips. walnuts and coconut until evenly distributed. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes for chewy cookies, extend the baking time to 14 for crispy cookies.
   
4. Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet and then remove to wire rack. Cool completely and then store in tightly sealed container.

Homemade Meringues

When life gives you strawberries, you make Meringues! At least that's what I did this past weekend when my family and I went on our annual strawberry picking tradition. These simple cookies remind me of toasted marshmallows on the fire, and taste amazing with some freshly picked strawberries and softly whipped cream. I imagine they'd be even better drizzled with caramel and dipped in chocolate.. but that's another recipe.
So here we go, meringues!

Ingredients:

• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Method:
1.) Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. with the rack in the centre of the oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2.) In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla extract.
3.) Before placing the cookies on the cookie sheet, place a little of the meringue on the underside of each corner of the parchment paper. This will prevent the paper from sliding. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) tip. Pipe 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) rounds of meringue in rows on the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively, spoon mounds of meringue, using two spoons, onto the prepared sheets.
4.) Bake the meringues for approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, rotating the baking sheet from front to back (about half way through) to ensure even baking. The meringues are done when they are pale in color and fairly crisp. Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the meringues in the oven to finish drying overnight.

Makes about 10 - 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) meringues

I found this recipe at http://joyofbaking.com!