Coconut Refrigerator Cookies

I love old cookbooks. It's not so much the recipes--because they sure did like to use a lot of lard back then--but really more about the style. Classic '50s illustrations. Faded black and white photos. Sometimes even handwritten directions. At least, if you find an old cookbook at a used bookstore, there's a definitely possibility of unearthing a handwritten treasure. Recall my Beacon Hill Brownies post and you might remember that I once discovered a collection of old recipes hidden together in the pages of a worn, antique cookbook before. So I was delighted upon purchasing The Family Circle Cake and Cooky Cookbook to discover that it, too, contained newspaper recipes from the 1970s, unidentifiable magazine cut-outs and a lovely little handwritten paper detailing how to make Coconut Refrigerator Cookies.

I love coconut! And this tropical fruit is perfect for summer! I had to test this one out (here it is word for word from the paper, with my notes in parentheses or bold).

Ingredients:

1/2 c. shortening (I used non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening--NOT lard)
1 c. gran. sugar (granulated)
1 egg, unbeaten
2 teasp. vanilla flavor
1 teasp. lemon flavor (I used lemon extract we had in the cabinet)

1 3/4 c. sifted flour (I went with my staple: whole wheat pastry flour)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. shredded coconut (the brand I used this time was Fancy Flake Coconut (Sweetened) from Albertsons)

Directions:

1.) With spoon, work shortening against sides of bowl till creamy. Add sugar gradually working in till fluffy.

2.) Add egg, flavorings, blend. Sift together next 3 ingredients. Add gradually with coconut to first mix.

3.) Turn onto waxed paper (or plastic wrap). Form into 2 in. roll (basically, a log that's 2 inches high. This can be a bit tricky--if the dough is too dry some of the pieces fall off. You can either add a little more liquid, or just use the "fallen" dough for taste testing). Wrap in paper (again, plastic works well too). Chill several hours or overnight.

4.) Cut into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices (I used a serrated bread knife but had a little trouble with fallen dough again). Bake on greased cooky sheet (I prefer using parchment paper instead of the greasing) in mod oven 375 -- 12 minutes or more (I cut back to about 8 minutes for most of them since the coconut flakes sticking out started to brown quickly).

I also cooled these cookies on their baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. That's it!

I love that this mysterious home cook/recipe writer abbreviates and keeps things simple as much as I do! The use of "till" and "cooky" was adorable, though I did have to analyze her (I'm assuming "her") cursive handwriting (a lost art) for several minutes to decipher "mod oven."  Could that be "med" oven? "Mool" oven? I still wouldn't be quite sure if it wasn't for other recipes in the cookbook calling for a "moderate oven," which I'm assumed meant "not too hot" (Further research determined it to mean between 325 and 375 degrees).

But back to the results--quite pleasing indeed!  The texture of these cookies turned out to be light but with a sturdy crunch. They're sweet, but the overwhelming lemon flavor helps to balance that out (and when rolling the dough into a log, I seriously could not stop eating the fallen pieces). The coconut was a nice touch that gives these cookies just a little something extra.

Best of all, the recipe was so easy! Aside from having to wait a few hours for the dough to chill in the fridge (and now I would also recommend letting it come to room temperature before slicing to hopefully keep the dough more together) this really takes no time at all. Thank you mysterious home cook/housewife/magical recipe collector! Our paths will surely cross again as you've given me an excellent treasure trove to dig into.