Coconut Balls

Last week, when this cookie hit our inboxes from Martha Stewart's Cookie of the Day email, my co-worker and fellow blogger (Abby of Big East Baker) and I turned to each other and nearly simultaneously said "these look so good!" Let me tell you friends, they are better then they look.  These are little puffs of sweet coconutty perfection with a bit of chewy depth from the coconut flakes that caramelize on the outside during baking.  They are reminiscent of Mexican Wedding Cakes, my favorite christmas cookie, in that they are also coated with powdered sugar while hot.  These balls of goodness don't contain nut flour, so they have a much fluffier texture.  

The recipe is simple: cream butter and confectionsers sugar, add flour, salt, and shredded sweetened coconut.  When incorporating the flour, the dough will seem too dry, but adding the coconut will make it moist and rollable.  

I read a comment on the website that these are good with chocolate- I added mini chocolate chips to half the batter- it really does taste a lot like an almond joy!

Make these.  Make them now. 

Coconut Balls
from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
Makes 36
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for dusting
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Mix in flour and salt until they're just combined. Stir in coconut.
Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake until just starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Roll the warm cookies in confectioners' sugar; let cool completely.