Mound Cookies

Yummy cookie

Don't be discouraged by the length of this recipe.  It's worth the read and isn't difficult.  The person this recipe came from tried very hard to explain the steps in detail.  I'm hoping my photos help you more.  I did adapt the recipe with a few notes I will add at the very bottom of the post.  Enjoy!  If you like chocolate and coconut you will love these cookies. Great idea for the holidays!  I froze a few with the icing to see if they are freezer safe.  I will get back on that one later. :)

For the coconut filling:

• 1 +cup sweetened shredded coconut

**Next time I will add more coconut to make my coconut filling thicker.

• ⅓ cup sweetened condensed milk
• ⅛ tsp salt

For the cookies:

• 1½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ¼ cup + 2 TBSP good-quality unsweetened cocoa
• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate, grated or finely chopped

For the chocolate glaze:

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• ½ ounce (1 tablespoon) butter at room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼-1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and salt in a small bowl and stir well. Refrigerate it while you prepare the rest of the recipe.  Make sure that your coconut filling is already made and is chilling in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Set aside for a moment.  Combine the butter and two types of sugar in the large bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, for about 2 minutes. Add the room temperature egg and the vanilla extract and beat them until the egg is incorporated and the mixture is smooth.  With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just until the flour is almost completely blended in.  Stop the mixer and add the grated chocolate. Finish mixing in the flour and chocolate by hand, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl in the process.  Use a small candy scoop or a teaspoon to form a small ball of coconut filling

        A little less than 1” across.

                         

• Use a cookie scoop or large tablespoon to form a 1-inch ball of cookie dough, larger than the coconut ball. Flatten it between your palms into a disk shape, and put the coconut ball in the center. Pull the cookie dough up around the coconut center and pinch it together at the top. Roll it between your hands to get the cookie completely round. Place the cookie on the baking sheet.
• Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Once all of the cookies are formed, bake them in a preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are set around the edges and the raw sheen if off the dough but still quite soft in the center.  Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, them remove them to a wire rack and cool completely.

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To Make the Glaze:

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• Combine the chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 40 seconds. Stir until the chocolate melts completely and the mixture is smooth. If necessary, return it to the microwave to heat it in short 10-second bursts until the chocolate is melted.
• Add the sugar, ¼ cup of milk, and cocoa powder to the bowl, and stir. It will look uneven and broken at first. Microwave the mixture for 2 minutes, then whisk well. It’s natural for it still to look a little broken at this point. Microwave for 1 more minute, then whisk again until the sauce is smooth and shiny. It should be thick, somewhat like pudding, at this point. Add the vanilla extract and whisk it in. Let it cool slightly before using.
• If it is too thick to easily dip the cookies when you are ready to use it, whisk in additional milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it is thin enough to form a smooth glaze on the cookies.
• Hold a cookie by the edges and dip it in the glaze, covering the entire top surface. If you want, sprinkle coconut on top or roll it in shredded coconut. Let it set at cool room temperature, or speed up the setting process by refrigerating the cookies.
• At cool room temperature the glaze will not be tacky to the touch, but if you stack the cookies it will get messy and smeared, so best to store and serve these in a single layer.

****Note:  I read this recipe in its entirety and decided to take a few short cuts. 

First I mixed my coconut mixture and refrigerated it.

I placed my sugars and butter in my mixing bowl and mixed until they were blended.  I added my eggs and vanilla.  Note #2 I doubled this recipe and I use salted butter so I never add salt to my recipes.

I then add slowly my flour by cup while mixing, 1/4 cup plus cocoa and baking soda until mixed well. The batter is fudge like and easy to roll into balls and flatten.  I did not add the semi sweet chocolate but if you want to follow the exact recipe you should.  I felt I didn't need any more chocolate since I was adding a very rich icing. The baking time was approximately 10 minutes in my oven.  This cookie batter gets soft quickly so if you want you can refrigerate it for a few minutes between batches. 

   Just another bit of advise the icing takes longer to dry than most of my regular icing recipes so allow time to dry thoroughly before storing.



These cookies are awesome and the icing really adds flavor to make them even better if that's possible.  Enjoy!


I sprinkled a few of the cookies with extra coconut.  Plain, iced or added coconut is just a few ideas.  You could possibly top each one with an almond also.  

Happy Baking from my kitchen to yours,

From <http://www.sugarhero.com/mounds-cookies/>