Tuesday's Cookie

Every Tuesday I treat myself by baking. Sometimes it's gingerbread, or zuchinni bread, or cake. Usually it's cookies. Then I take them to work on Wednesday so my coworkers can curse my name and not my wife.

I've discovered there are only so many chip cookies a person can make. So I've been trying to branch out and try new things. Last week I made a spectacular dried apricot, cranberry and cherry oatmeal cookie with coconut. It was well received.

I'm also working my way through Baking By Flavor. Some of the recipes are above my skill level, but I like a challenge.

This week's cookie? The chip cookie rears its ugly head in the form of chocolate chip with coconut. This was mainly because I still have coconut left over from last week. What's different about this recipe? Well, it called for half of the butter MELTED and 1/3 cup of oats cut down in the food processor. My first batch is in the oven, so we'll see.

To make this post useful, here are a few of my baking essentials:

• Parchment Paper. I don't have silpats so parchment paper is an essential. I spent too many years chipping cookies off my cookie sheets before I discovered how fabulous this stuff is.
• A cookie scoop. My friend Bob (the baker) is as crazy about baking as I am and he swears by the cookie scoop. Me too! It makes getting the dough from bowl to sheet SO much easier.
  
• Leveling spatula. I spent years looking for one that would work. It's basically a metal icing spatula but I use it to level off my measured dry goods.