Raspberry in the Coconut

I almost called these Raspberry Berets, but you definitely cannot find these in a secondhand store. In fact, you can't find them in any store. (Maybe I should look in to changing that...)

As you could probably guess from their name, these were inspired by my Lime in the Coconut Cookies, which are Mumma's favorites (see here and here). The recipe is almost the same, but I swap out all the lime stuff (juice, zest, extract) with raspberry stuff (extract, preserves, dehydrated).

Just as with my other cookies, the key to imparting a deep, rich flavor is to use as many flavor sources as possible. Raspberry preserves are really easy to find in any grocery store. You might have to look a little harder for raspberry extract, but believe me...the stuff exists. The dehydrated raspberries will probably be the hardest to find. I got mine at Whole Foods, but of course, they are available for sale online. You'll probably be able to find them in any of those super-duper-mega grocery stores that have everything from banks to optometrists in them.

I dropped these off in the kitchen at work this morning, and I've already gotten rave reviews. Give these a try, and you'll be a superstar!

Creamables	2 sticks butter 2 cups dark brown sugar
Wet Ingredients	1 egg 1 tablespoon raspberry extract 1 tablespoon coconut extract 1 tablespoon vanilla 1/4 cup cream of coconut 1/4 cup raspberry preserves
Dry Ingredients	3 1/2 cups oatmeal 2 1/2 cups toasted coconut 1 cup flour 1 cup white chocolate chips 1 cup dehydrated raspberries 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.