The Ultimate Coconut Pecan Cookie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most people love chocolate chip cookies.  Betcha if you took a survey the chocolate chip would win over every other cookie hands down.  Not me.  Sure, I like a soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie now and then but my favorite cookie is the classic oatmeal cookie.  Why?  Because you can turn it into anything you want with whatever you feel like adding to it.  I love adding coconut, raisins, pecans, walnuts, oh and even chocolate chips.  I mean if you’re going to make cookies, why not make the ultimate cookie?  That’s right, I call this my ultimate cookie.

 

 

The Ultimate Coconut Pecan Cookie

 

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded or flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Be careful not to over mix or you will get a flat cookie. 

Next, add one egg and the vanilla. Mix just until incorporated.  Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture a little at a time and mix until just combined and a dough forms.  

 

 

 

 

 

Add coconut and then fold in the pecans. If desired, add some chocolate chips.  But do NOT over mix. Put cookie dough mix in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to an hour.   Scoop out enough dough to make 1-inch balls. I use a melon baller for this to get uniform cookies.  Chill another 30 minutes.  You want the dough as cold as possible before baking.

 

Place the cookie dough on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart. You want the cookies to be rounded but do not roll the balls in your hands so that you do not overwork the butter.  Just scoop out into rounded balls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake in preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Cool on cooling rack before serving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TIPS:

It’s important to have room-temperature butter for this recipe. Allow the butter to come to room temperature on its own for the best results. Do not melt the butter in the microwave or these cookies will spread into a gloppy mess!

When measuring dry ingredients, spoon and level the measurements or weigh them for accurate measurements. If you scoop a measuring cup into a bag of flour you will pack in too much flour which will create cake-like cookies that don’t spread.

Chill the dough. Chilling matters because the fats need to re-solidify and the oats need time to absorb the liquid in this recipe. If the dough is baked immediately, the cookies will spread and become thin, hard, and crispy when baked. The longer the fat stays solid, the less the cookies will spread.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want a perfect chewy cookie?  Then chill again. If you used your hands to roll the dough then it needs to be chilled again because the heat from hands warms up that dough. You want the dough balls as cold as possible when going into the oven. 

Watch the bake time! These cookies will go from soft and chewy, and delicious to overall hard and crispy within a few extra minutes in the oven. I pull them out even when they look a little gooey in the center because they firm up more after being removed from the oven and when they set up they are super soft and chewy. As soon as the edges are browned, these cookies are most likely finished baking!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home. 

Snowball Cookies (Russian or Mexican Teacakes)

Some call these wonderful little cookies Mexican Wedding Cookies. Others call them Russian Teacakes. When we were growing up we called them Snowball cookies and we couldn't wait for my Mom to make them. Nutty and buttery, they get their snowy appearance from a double dip in powdered sugar. Melt in your mouth goodness and sugar all over everything! These buttery melt-in-your-mouth cookies go by many names but no matter what you call them, they sure are good! Try this time-tested recipe that’s been a family favorite for years!

Snowball Cookies 

(Russian or Mexican Teacakes) 

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (not self rising)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar, plus extra for rolling
2 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract
1 cup walnuts or pecans, finely chopped

In a large bowl of your electric mixer, cream butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla or almond extract until light and fluffy. Sift in flour and salt; stir until well mixed. Mix in nuts. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll into 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not browned or cracked . Remove from oven and roll in powdered sugar until completely coated. Sugar will start to melt into the hot cookies.

Allow cookies to cool completely on wire rack and roll them in powdered sugar again until completely coated. Store in airtight container. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to  ©Welcome Home.

I started Welcome Home back in 2012

  

 

 

 

 

 

I started Welcome Home back in 2012. My Mom had moved to Heaven and my Dad brought me a special gift that she left for me with a note that said "give to my baby girl when I have left this world." I remember being afraid to open it at first and knew that whatever it was would hurt more than if I didn't know. But my Dad insisted that I keep these memories close to my heart forever and she would have wanted it that way. 

 

 

You all know that those were the recipes that we cooked together from the time I was 7 years old. Over 50 years of recipes on hand written cards with notes to me on the back of almost all of them. I started Welcome Home to preserve her memory and share her love for me with the world. Who knew it would grow so quickly... from 30 friends to over half a million. Followers from all over the world. She would have loved this.

 

 

But I am struggling.....struggling to keep Welcome Home going with the cost of food and supplies today. I am not the typical blogger. I do not blog for profit or commissions. I do not advertise for any big companies like other bloggers do. Why? Because my mission was not to make money doing this. My mission was to share my Mom's love for cooking and her wisdom and to make sure the world knew what it was like to have a mother like her. 

 

 

I run this page and the blog at my own expense. I only ask for donations so that I can support my mission of saving the lives of dogs and cats in shelters before they are euthanized and to save the lives of homeless people who need to know they are not alone. You will not find pop up ads and videos and junk on my Welcome Home blog. You will not see constant ads that cover up the photos or the recipes. You will only see my hard work and hopefully enjoy the fact that I spare you all that garbage. 

 

 

So you say, why not just bring in advertisers and start making a lot of money like other bloggers? Because my whole purpose for starting this blog was to share...not earn money. It was to give back all the love my Mom had for me. To charge for sharing her recipes just wouldn't be right.

Very few donations, if any. So I've have been trying to keep my mission alive and make the donations out of my own pocket to keep my four legged and two legged friends alive. I am struggling as prices seem to soar at the grocery store.

 

 

So the point of this post is to ask you to help me keep the blog going with a donation. I would be so grateful for any amount you can spare. 

 

 

How do you donate? Go to my blog at http://www.welcome-home-blog.net/p/donate.html

You will see a DONATE button at the top of the page in the right margin. That will take you to PayPal where you can donate whatever you want.

 

 

Thanks in advance for helping me save Welcome Home.

Cavatappi Meatball Bake

 

What’s the best part about fall?  The wonderful cozy comfort foods that warm your soul. This is an easy baked pasta recipe that comes together quickly even though you may need a couple of extra pots. But it will be worth it. Perfect turkey meatballs cooked to perfection and smothered in a delicious homemade sauce and covered with lots of cheese.  Did someone say Comfort Food?

 

Cavatappi Meatball Bake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano

4 cups cooked Cavatappi pasta 

 

TURKEY MEATBALLS

 

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs

¼-½ cup whole milk 

½ cup freshly grated parmigiano

1 pound ground turkey 

1 large egg

1 clove garlic minced

½ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon salt

1-2 dashes pepper

 

In a medium bowl combine the bread crumbs with the ground turkey, Parmesan cheese, egg, and spices, mix well. Form the mixture into small meatballs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a large frying pan add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brown meatballs on all sides. Remove the meatballs and set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

2 tablespoons olive oil

2–14-ounce cans San Marzano peeled tomatoes

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil 

¼-½ teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic minced

½-¾ cup water

 

In the same pan add the tomatoes, garlic, spices and water, stir to combine, then add the meatballs and gently combine. Cook until thickened.

While pasta is cooking pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees and lightly grease a medium to large baking dish. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the sauce and meatballs are cooking, cook the pasta a little harder than al dent. Add the drained pasta to the baking dish and add a little cheese on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Nestle the meatballs into the pasta and then add in the sauce all around them. Sprinkle with the shredded firm mozzarella and freshly grated parmigiano.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for about 15-20 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to store The Meatball Casserole

Be sure to wrap the casserole tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It will last up for about three or four days in the fridge. It can be re-heated in a 325-degree oven for about 20-30 minutes or until heated throughout.

The casserole can also be frozen, be sure to cool completely (and make sure the baking dish is freezer safe), cover with an airtight freezer safe bag and freeze for up to one to two months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.