a baking day!

What better way to spend a cool, dreary day in May than baking? Well, besides the lunch trip to McDonald's for an oh, so important happy meal. And let's not forget the plastic car that comes with it! I was informed by Logan today that boys get cars in their happy meals, and girls get mermaids. I posed an interesting question- what if a girl wanted a toy car? No, not happening in my son's 3 year old gender specific brain. Girls don't like toy cars. Maybe he hasn't met those kinds of girls yet. His time will come, I'm sure.

We also talked a little bit about imagination. My son has been blessed with an amazing one so I was telling him how to make the most of it by inventing stories about the plastic dude who drives the plastic happy meal car. What planet does he come from? Is he a superhero? Does he have a superhero girlfriend? He doesn't quite get the concept, but I'll keep providing encouragement and see where that takes him. Maybe he'll be the writer I never was! Wow- I'm already putting the failures of my life into my expectations of my 3 year old. But aren't all parents guilty of that at one time or another?

Anyway, I've been wanting to try these cookies since the recipe landed in my inbox and they did not disappoint. Enjoy!

recipe: Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies
source: Martha Stewart Cookie of the Day, 4.10.10

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups white-chocolate chunks (about 9 ounces)
1 3/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 3/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts, (about 6 ounces)
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in vanilla.
2.Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix into butter mixture on low speed until well combined. Stir in chocolate, coconut, and walnuts.
3.Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop batter onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 2 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.