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19 October 2013

Kokoskakor - Swedish Coconut Cookies


I've always made coconut macaroons, which use only the egg whites, so I was intrigued by this classic Swedish flourless cookie that uses whole eggs.  Flourless, it is a naturally gluten-free cookie.

I first learned of kokoskakor at one of my favorite food blogs, Five Euro Food. Of course, as is my wont, I made a couple of minor changes before even trying the original! Though I added a pinch of salt and a dash of vanilla, you might want to leave them out in the interests of being "authentic."

Charles, the fine cook behind Five Euro Food, is British by birth, married to a Swedish woman, currently living in France and in the process of moving to Sweden as we speak. So, henceforth, I shall defer to Charles on all things Swedish since that's definitely out of my bailiwick!

Think I'll make these instead of macaroons from now on. No more having a little dish of egg yolks in the fridge nagging me to make something out of them soon so they won't go to waste!

Tell me (in the comments), what is the classic cookie of your culture? One of mine is Hazelnut Shortbread, which is also good half-dipped in chocolate.

Kokoskakor - Swedish Coconut Cookies

(Makes 24)

Adapted from the recipe at Five Euro Food

4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
2 cups unsweetened grated coconut
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar (next time I'll use just 1/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt  
Note: See below for chocolate-dipped* option.
1 Line baking sheet with parchment paper. (Love my heavy-duty half-sheet pan!) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In 2-quart glass bowl (I use a 2-quart glass measure) in microwave, melt the butter. With a fork, stir in the coconut until all is moistened with the butter.
2 In 1-quart bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt. Stir into coconut until well combined.

3 Using a #60 (1/2 ounce / 1 tablespoon) scoop, drop scoops of dough about 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. With your fingers, form them into a rough cone shape, pinching them to a little point on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden.


* Chocolate-Dipping Option: In heatproof glass bowl set over simmering water, melt 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips with 1/4 teaspoon neutral oil, stirring occasionally. Dip bottoms of cooled cookies, place on waxed paper and chill for about 45 minutes.
4 Store cookies in single layer in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

28 comments:

  1. My daughter will love these. She is crazy about coconut. thanks so much I can't wait to give the recipe a try.

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  2. Thank you, Robin! Do let me know how she likes them.

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  3. Oh my goodness, Jean, these look wonderful. Did you say I could dip these in dark chocolate? (My own Mounds bar!)I love coconut.

    We like Spritz - and also krumkake and sandbakkels (sp?) although I don't make those. My daughter loves toffee bars and I make those a lot toward Christmas.

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  4. Judy, thank you! I always liked Mounds bars, until I stopped being fond of chocolate. I do like those utterly plain but pretty little spritz cookies, but I've never made them.

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  5. Oh damn you Jean. All these gluten free goodies that I don't need to eat. Why did I have to find you? :-)

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  6. Margaret, thank you for my first big laugh of the day! Enjoy!

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  7. Jean, These cookies do sound so good. I'll be coping some of your recipes..Hope you are having agreat day. xoxo,Susie

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  8. Thanks, Susie! Do let me know how any of my recipes turn out for you!

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  9. These look delicious Jean and I like the changes you've made including reducing the sugar. I'll take the chocolate dipped one, please. Oh and I've always wanted to have a coconut cookie with chopped almonds in them. Call me crazy!

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  10. Thanks, Richard. And you might be crazy, but then so am I -- the chopped almonds sound good to me too!

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  11. I have many gluten free friends and always pass on the recipes to them that you come up with as we all get in a rut of eating the same thing and with gluten free, it is harder to find variety.

    It is not from my culture, but it is one I was introduced to as a young'un. I love kolaches, especially the cherry and cheese filled ones. Sometimes I think I will have spent my entire adult life looking for the one recipe that replicates what my mouth remembers from 40 years ago!

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  12. Cheryl, thank you so much. I'm sure your gluten-free friends appreciate your thinking of their needs. Mmmm ... kolaches. I don't think I've ever actually had one, but every time I see them mentioned anywhere, I think "Oooh, I've got to make some of those!" Maybe I'll get around to it yet!

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  13. I'd definitely go for the chocolate dipped version of these!! YUM!!
    Classic cookies from my culture would be a biscotti or anisette cookie on the Italian side or a Lebkuchen on the German side.... and I adore all of them :)

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  14. Mmmm ... biscotti. Love it. When I first made it years ago, I couldn't find a recipe anywhere, just made it up as I went along. I've never had lebkuchen, but anything with "kuchen" has to be good!

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  15. I love anything with coconut! These kokoskakor look so beautiful, Jean.

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  16. Thanks, Angie! Coconut is really tasting good to me lately, think I'll be doing a lot more with it.

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  17. I was abused by coconut as a child. I think it was Peter Paul Mounds that first gagged me with gritty mashed coconut. Put me in a room with a real coconut and a hatchet, and I’d come out well fed – so it wasn’t permanent scarring. And I’m just now learning to love coconut in certain applications. Swedish, as opposed to sweetish, might make the cut. As for favorite cookies, wellllll…um, they have to be round. Or square – square is good too. Also triangles, trapezoids and dodecahedrons. Just discovered caramel chocolate chip yesterday, and it’s a good thing I’m writing this, because I still can’t get my jaws open…

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  18. Sully, I would love to see your adventures with coconuts. I've never actually shimmied up a tree and hacked one open myself, but I'm sure *you* have or will at some point.

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  19. Linda textura de estas galletas con chocolate muy hermoso,abrazos.

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  20. Greg, haven't had one of those in decades (they're not organic). When I did eat them, I pulled them apart, scraped off the filling and ate ONLY the cookie. Even as a child I hated that filling!

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  21. Jean...I've always eaten oreos the same way...Hated the filling, Loved the cookie..

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  22. We're definitely in the minority, Cheryl. Instead of coming out with a no-filling version, they came out with a double-filling one!

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  23. I love, love, love coconut! My list of your recipes that I want to try is getting pretty long, Jean. I imagine at some point I will have to stop drooling over them and start actually making them ;)

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  24. Thank you so much, Ruth! This one is so quick and easy, you'll find yourself just whipping out a batch often.

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  25. Hi Jean, so sorry that I didn't have a chance to stop by to see these until now. I'm so glad you enjoyed them - it's very touching when someone likes something so much they even go as far to make and post it themselves! Thank you for the mention, I think I'll stick with chocolate dipped ones for me - it's a perfect combination in my opinion :D.

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  26. Charles, no worries. This must mean you now have the big move behind you. Hope your little family is settling in nicely.

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