(Dark) Chocolate Lemon in the Coconut

Introducing another member of the "In the Coconut" recipe series: (Dark) Chocolate Lemon in the Coconut Cookies! Because citrus, coconut and dark chocolate were made to go together.

The cookies in this series are among my most popular. They're light, flavorful, and have the perfect chewy/crunchy texture. They also make awesome ice cream sandwiches. (Hmmm. Note to self...)

With the warm weather coming, coconut and citrus are an obvious pairing. Throw dark chocolate into the mix, and you've got yourself something for .

The lemon is fresh and bright and adds a slight tartness. The coconut is rich and textural. The dark chocolate is silky and both bitter and sweet. These cookies are de-yummy!

Makes 4 dozen cookies. (To see this recipe in process, check out Picturing [Dark] Chocolate Lemon in the Coconut Cookies.)

Creamables	2 sticks butter 2 cups dark brown sugar
Wet Ingredients	1 egg 1/4 cup cream of coconut 1/4 cup lemon juice 2 tablespoons lemon extract 2 tablespoons lemon zest 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 tablespoon coconut extract
Dry Ingredients	3 1/2 cups oatmeal 2 1/2 cups toasted coconut 1 cup flour 1 cup dark chocolate chips 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
3. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients and whisk together until smooth.
4. Add the combined wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix together until well incorporated.
5. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
7. Shape dough into balls--about 2 tablespoons each.
8. Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
9. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.

Comments

[Martha]

These look divine. I think these might even be better with orange juice, zest, and extract instead of lemon since I think dark chocolate and orange are a match made in heaven.

[sweetie]

these look great! do you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut? if i leave out the extract, what type of liquid should i add? i could also see using white chocolate instead of dark in these.

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Thanks, Martha! But I've already got that one. Check out my recipe for (Dark) Chocolate Orange in the Coconut Cookies:

http://oatmealcookie.typepad.com/the_oatmeal_cookie_blog/2008/09/dark-chocolate-orange-in-the-coconut.html

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Sweetie. I use Baker's Angel Flake Sweetened Coconut. As for the extract, it depends which one you're considering leaving out. The vanilla, lemon, and coconut extracts are really important here because they really punch up the flavor. If you don't have lemon extract, you could probably replace it with additional lemon juice.

Here's a link to the white chocolate version, my Lemon in the Coconut Cookies:

http://oatmealcookie.typepad.com/the_oatmeal_cookie_blog/2009/05/lemon-in-the-coconut.html