Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

If you know me very well at all, you know that given the choice, I will almost always choose savory over sweet.  Unless I have these cookies anywhere in the near vicinity, that is.  I discovered this recipe a couple months before my youngest daughter, Claire, was born.  I do tend to have a major sweet tooth when I'm pregnant so I thought maybe these were so appealing for that reason.  Not true.  Not at all.  I made them last week and ate 8 in one day.  You HAVE to try these.  I know what you're thinking.  No chocolate?  After you eat these you are going to wonder why you even bother to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. 

One other thing, the name of this recipe speaks some truth.  These are crispy cookies.  In the world of cookies, there are 2 kinds--crispy and chewy.  I happen to be such a crispy cookie person so these especially float my boat.  They are even a little chewy on the inside for you chewy cookie people.

You will need the following ingredients for this recipe:

Those are pecans hiding over there in the left hand corner...

This is the only recipe I've seen that calls for you to whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and then stir in the vanilla.  I don't see how this could possibly change the outcome of the cookies, but I don't dare not try it.  If these cookies didn't come out exactly the way I love them I'd have to throw them out.  Or give them to my Stroller Strides friends as I always do.  And then make more for myself.

This is my secret ingredient:  coconut!

Pecans are my most favorite nut!

Instead of using these as drop cookies, divide the dough in half and form in the shape of a log on 2 sheets of wax paper.  I usually make one batch right away, and the other in 2 days when I've polished off all from the first batch. 

The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple days and in the freezer for a long time.  I always freeze it because I never actually think I am going to be baking them again in 2 days.  But I always do.  And for some reason I always wrap up both of them even though I am baking one of them right away.  I'm a little weird like that.  And I'm obviously not very green.  Oops!

Then you just slice the dough with a knife and place on the baking sheet. 

And in exactly 12 minutes you will have the most perfectly crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, delicious cookie!  And in less than 12 hours, you will have none left. 

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies
Adapted from Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs(I like mine extra large and room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350.

In a lare mixing bowl, cream butter with both sugars until well combined.

In a separate bowl, bear eggs together.  Add vanilla and stir.  Add to the sugar/butter mixture and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Mix carefully into the egg/butter mixture until well combined.  Now add the oats, pecans, and coconut and mix well to combine.

Divide the dough in half and place each half of the dough onto a sheet of waxed paper.  Roll the dough into a log and then wrap tightly in the waxed paper.  Now you can either chill or freeze one half of the dough and slice the other half into cookie rounds. 

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for exactly 12 minutes if you like a crispy cookie, 10 if you like them chewy.  I also turn the baking sheet around at exactly 6 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Enjoy!