Orange Coconut Cookies...With Ganache Filling ~ cooking hot au

Orange Coconut Cookies...With Ganache Filling A couple of weeks ago, I saw this coconut cookie recipe on Tastespotting....I guess it originally came from here. Well, the cookies caught my eyes because they looked so much like the Milano Tahiti Cookies. I don't know about you, but I love the Milano cookies....actually, anything with coconut will catch my attention. I had been looking for a copycat version of the Milano Tahiti cookies and I thought these looked pretty close. When I noticed that the recipe contained 1 whole cup of coconut, I knew I would try it. It had to be good with that amount of coconut. Well, they weren't exactly like the Milano cookies...but they were still very good. I did add a few ingredients to the overall cookie to make it my own:). But feel free to stick to the original. I love adding orange peel/extract and I sometimes add almond flavoring. My husband loves anything with almond flavor...he is a fan of marzipan. So, I like to add that... especially for him:). You might not like the almond flavor, so omit it if you like. After I made my first batch of cookies, I noticed that they were puffier than I thought they would be. I might have packed my flour a bit too much (as I was measuring)... making the dough a bit stiffer. The cookies will not spread out as much if extra flour is added. Maybe if I would have weighed the flour, I would have had flatter cookies. But, since I still don't own a kitchen scale, I opted to flatten the cookies a bit before I baked them. It seemed to work much better. At least I liked them better:). I like to freeze these cookies. They somehow improve their flavor the longer they sit (in the freezer, I mean). I made an orange flavored ganache(cream with chocolate and a bit of orange extract) to sandwich the cookies. But, you can leave them plain, drizzle the ganache over them, make ice cream sandwiches or use Nutella for the filling. Either way, if you like coconut, you just might like these cookies.

You will need:
1 1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 stick (168 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups (240 g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or (1tsp almond extract)

1 TBS grated orange peel

1 tsp orange extract(optional)

2 large eggs

1 cup (80 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
Nutella for filling (or, as in my case, orange flavored ganache filling)

Orange Flavored Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup chocolate chips

3 tsps orange peel

1 tsp orange extract

Heat cream to almost boiling.Take off heat. Add chips,peel, and extract to the hot cream. Let sit to cool a bit. When chips have cooled, whisk till smooth. Place filling in a sandwich bag and drizzle on one side of the cookie. Place another cookie and press slightly to sandwich them together.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream butter until smooth.

Pour in the sugar and the vanilla extract, orange peel and almond extract(optional) and beat that in for another 30 seconds.

Add eggs one at a time, and allow each one to mix in completely before adding in the next. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then add it to the bowl with butter and sugar.

Stir it in and fold in the shredded coconut.

Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds on to a parchment lined baking sheet.

Space them about 2 inches apart since they spread....Now, mine didn't spread very much( might have packed my flour too much?). They actually puffed up more than I thought they would. I wanted mine a bit flatter, so the next batch I flattened them a bit. I liked them better that way.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until the edges turn golden, about 10-12 minutes(every oven is different so check them after 9 minutes). Let cool.