You Put the Lime in the Coconut

Whip It Up Monday!!!

Yep you read that right! I am mixing it up this week and whipping it up today as opposed to Wednesday cuz I gots a big reveal for you folks on Wednesday!!

I don’t know about y’all, but I have some major spring fever! I need to go somewhere warm like yesterday!! Everyone’s headed to warmer weather and posting their swim suit clad pics on facebook and instagram. I am genuinely happy for them, but I am also super jealous!!! Since it seems our vacation budget is on the lean side this year, I’ll have to make due and make the most of the gorgeous 40-50 degree weather that Idaho is serving up.

So as I frolic through Idaho Falls, ID dawning only a light sweater as opposed to a heavy winter coat I’ll sit back and put my feet up and enjoy these tropical inspired coconut lime sugar cookies. They are everything that is good about tropical yumminess, a perfect blend of toasted coconut and lime. They take me back to sitting on the beach in Mexico enjoying lemonadas…. Ahh a girl can dream! Maybe next year

Coconut Lime Cookies
Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
zest of one large lime, finely minced (I used two small limes)
3 tbsp lime juice – juice of two small limes
1 cup unsweetened toasted coconut
½ cup sugar for rolling cookies

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toast coconut on stove top over medium-low heat minutes. Watch out. It goes from white to burnt really quick, stir constantly
In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.
Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lime juice and lime zest.
Gradually blend in the dry ingredients and toasted coconut.
Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. I made mine too big and they ran together. These do spread quite a bit.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Keep a close eye on your coconut it will burn quickly if you’re not careful!! As soon as it starts to brown slightly remove from heat and it will continue to brown nicely for you.

If you do not have a microplane… Get one!! It is one of my most used kitchen gadgets!!! Makes zesting a piece of cake

It’s a good thing I have a strapping young boy to help me squeeze the limes!

Roll the dough balls in sugar before placing them on the parchment lined cookie sheet.