Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies -- A Little Extra Sweetness for the Celebration

The wedding is in three weeks and I am in full production mode. Marcus and Tasha are getting married on June 24th in Atlanta, at a Baptist church in Decatur that Tasha's family attends, and the reception is at a hotel ballroom, and I have opinions about hotel food but I have been told — by Marcus, by Earl Jr., by Denise, and by Kayla — that the catering is handled and I am not to interfere. I said, "I am not interfering. I am supplementing." They said, "Mama/Grandma, no." I said, "I'm bringing a cake."

The cake is not the wedding cake. The wedding cake is being made by a professional baker in Atlanta, and I am sure it will be very pretty and taste like fondant and regret. My cake is the family cake — the one that sits on a side table, unannounced, and people find it and eat it and ask who made it and I say, "Nobody in particular." It's my coconut cake. Three layers. Cream cheese frosting. Fresh coconut. It travels well if you pack it right, and I intend to pack it in a cooler with ice packs and drive it to Atlanta personally, though Denise will be doing the actual driving because I do not drive on the interstate anymore since the incident in 2014 that we do not discuss.

I also started the summer meal program at the community center. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, same as last year. Sixty-five kids the first day. The quiet girl was there on day one, same as last summer, same braids, same corner seat. I gave her a plate of baked chicken and rice. She said, "Thank you, Miss Dot." I said, "You're welcome, sugar." We have a routine. Routines are how you build a life.

The garden is booming. Tomatoes coming in fast — I picked three pounds of Cherokee Purples this week and they are fat and ugly and magnificent. The okra is knee-high and producing. The peppers are hanging heavy. Earl's garden is at its peak and Earl knows it — he sits in his chair and surveys it like a king surveying his kingdom, and I let him because that garden is his kingdom. He built it. He planned it. He can't dig in it anymore but it's his. Some things belong to you even when your body says otherwise.

I made fried green tomatoes this week from the ones that fell off the vine too early. Sliced thick, dredged in buttermilk and cornmeal, fried in cast iron until they're golden and crunchy and tart and perfect. I served them with remoulade — mayo, capers, lemon, a little hot sauce — and Earl ate six. Six fried green tomatoes. His doctor would faint. I don't tell his doctor everything.

Now go on and feed somebody.

With the wedding three weeks out and sixty-five kids to feed at the community center every week, my hands have not been still for a single day — and that is exactly the way I like it. While the coconut cake is the showpiece I’m driving to Atlanta in a cooler, these Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies are what I make in between, for the kids at the center, for Earl when he’s surveying his kingdom from the garden chair, and for anyone who wanders through my kitchen looking for something sweet. Coconut is on my mind right now, and a batch of cookies takes less than thirty minutes and feeds more people than you’d think.

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 11 minutes | Total Time: 26 minutes | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
4. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Combine wet and dry. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir on low speed just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
6. Fold in the oats, coconut, and chocolate chips. Using a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula, fold in the rolled oats, shredded coconut, and chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
7. Scoop and space. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Gently press each ball down slightly with your palm.
8. Bake. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just set and lightly golden. The centers will look slightly underdone — that is correct. They will firm up as they cool.
9. Cool on the pan. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. This keeps them soft and chewy rather than crisp.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 248 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 33g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 115mg