Oatmeal Cookies with Coconut and Mango

The Bean took one bite of this cookie and pronounced it the “best cookie he’d ever eaten”. As a six-year-old, he’s quite a cookie connoisseur and so I entirely trust his opinion. I like cookies with a little substance, so the oats and coconut and dried fruit are right up my alley. It makes me feel like I’m giving the kids something more than just flour and sugar for a treat.

Having a bag of cookie balls in the freezer is one of the Sweetie Pie’s favorite things. He likes to wait until all the kiddos are in bed, and then pop two or three into the oven for an evening treat. For this reason, my bag of dough balls is almost gone already. Guess it’s time to make some more.

Oatmeal Cookies with Coconut and Mango

Source: Fix, Freeze, Feast by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik

Grocery List:

• 2 cups (4 sticks) butter
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup (8 oz) chopped dried mango
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 one-quart freezer bags labelled

1. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate large bowl, mix flour, oats, coconut, mango, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

I chose to make these with freshly ground whole wheat flour instead of regular flour. The Sweetie Pie really likes the flavor and texture of the fresh ground flour, so I try to keep a few bags in the freezer to use for recipes like this. The extra protein and nutrition makes me feel better about the sugar. I think I may have replaced the brown sugar with rapadura sugar or coconut sugar (I tend to keep one or the other on hand), but I didn’t write it down so I’m not entirely sure what I used.

I know I tend to harp on and on about sugar, but I do have a good reason. The Bean has been a sugar-sensitive kid and the smallest amount makes him go bouncing off the walls–sometimes literally. I have three other kids, and I understand what a “normal” sugar-spike looks like. The Bean’s reaction is not normal. So we try to limit sugar intake in our house. And we also try to be sure to give some protein with sugar. So the fresh whole-wheat flour works really well for us.

2. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir well.

I did this slowly in three separate additions. It tends to mix better that way.

3. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour, or until firm enough to handle.

4. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Place in freezer for 30 minutes.

5. Remove dough balls from freezer. Place a dozen into each freezer bag. Seal and freeze.

I knew these were going to go quickly, so I didn’t bother dividing them into dozens. I put them all into one one-gallon bag.

TO BAKE ONE DOZEN COOKIES:

1. Completely thaw one bag in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Place cookies 3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake 14-16 minutes.

4. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes; transfer to a cooling rack.

When the Sweetie Pie cooks these from the freezer, he just puts two or three directly onto a baking sheet (still frozen) and bakes them that way. We use a Silpat to prevent sticking. He seems to be pleased with the way they turn out, so I think you could either follow these instructions (maybe if you’re taking them to a bake sale?) or just go straight from freezer to oven (if you need a snack while you catch up on Downton Abbey).

Freezer Tally:

• 3 bags of Red Sauce
• 2 bags of Spanish Rice
• 0 bags of Asparagus and Potato Frittata (sniff, sniff)
• 1 bag of Ginger Beef
• 1 bag of Oatmeal, Coconut, and Mango Cookies