Hello 2015. Goodbye 2014. Fingers and paws are crossed that this will be a great year, filled with more happiness than sadness, more joy than sorrow, more love than hate, and more snuggles than scratches. That last one was aimed at Brenna in case you didn’t guess right away. So far there have been more scratches than snuggles. The little girl needs her nails clipped desperately, and B.O.B. Bob is the only one that can do it. I swear he has no fear. I know evil when I see it, and that nefarious look comes over her whenever those clippers come out of the drawer.
What better way to start the year than to make Good Luck Pineapple Shortbread Thumbprints? After all, pineapples have long been used as a symbol of welcome. I know right now that you’re probably thinking that me using pineapple preserves in a New Year’s cookie was just a fluke; that I only used it because I happened to have a jar in my pantry. You are wrong. Well, half wrong anyway. I did have a jar in my pantry, but I thought long and hard the evening before about what kind of cookie would be great to ring in 2015, and decided that pineapple was the way to go for its symbolism. So take that. It’s not all fluff and whimsy around here, we do occasionally think ahead and make a plan.
This time my plan worked out brilliantly. That doesn’t happen very often. Ask Brenna. I had enough cookies to take to three different places. On New Year’s Day, B.O.B. Bob and I were invited to two open houses and a 2015 New Year’s Day Lucky Dinner, but could not attend the two open houses due to the 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. Just in case you were hiding under a rock, the Washington Capitals won in the last minute of the game. Amazing. Before we headed to Nationals Park to watch the game, I dropped a plate of cookies at each of the houses that we would not be able to make it to during the day, because we would be too busy sitting in the cold cheering on our favorite team. The third plate of cookies went to the 2015 New Year’s Day Lucky Dinner with us in the evening. We were a little late due to the heavy post-game traffic, but we luckily made it just in time to enjoy the amazing food our group of neighborhood friends put together.
Now comes the part where my planning did not work out brilliantly, because that is how things most often work in my own little world of domesticity. Once again, I forgot to take pictures of the cookies before giving them all away. When will I ever learn? Probably never. Perhaps 2016 will be the year for that. So from the pictures posted here, I think you can guess that I was forced to make a second batch. So if anyone found a bag of cookies on their doorstep this week, I hope you enjoyed them. Sorry about your New Year’s diet, you can always try again next week, the week after that, or next year if you’re really bad at resolutions. Also, if I ever bring food to your house, please do me the kindness of asking if I photographed whatever it is before giving it away. This might just help make my life a bit easier, and give me more time for the important things in life, like avoiding clipping Brenna’s nails. Cringe.
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1 1/3 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
- 4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- Pineapple Preserves
- Fleur de Sel or Finely Ground Sea Salt
- 1 (1.43-oz) Bag Toasted Coconut Chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Crumble the coconut into smaller pieces using your hands; set aside.
- On medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes.
- Add both of the vanillas, and then mix for 1 minute.
- On low speed, slowly add the flour a little bit at a time; mix until just incorporated.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, and use your thumb to create a well in the center of each.
- Fill each well with pineapple preserves, sprinkle with a tiny bit of fleur de del, and then the crumbled coconut.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes, before removing to a baking rack to finish cooling completely.
Suggestions:
- Make sure to scrape down the bowl a couple of times while you are creaming the butter, sugar, and eventually the vanillas.
- If you don’t have vanilla bean paste in your kitchen, substitute another teaspoon of vanilla extract in its place.
- Dang Toasted Coconut Chips are available at Safeway in my neighborhood, but you can also purchase them online, or search Dang’s website for availability. They are so freakin’ good. You can’t even imagine how wonderful they are. The bag is gone almost as soon as I rip it open. If you can’t find them, just use crumbled toasted sweetened shredded coconut instead.
Improvements:
- Mix some slivered almonds in with the coconut to top the cookies.
- Swap in different flavors of preserves, jams, or jellies. The pineapple preserves I used came from Sparky’s Country Store in South Carolina. My mom is great about bringing me back new things to try from places where they travel.
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1 1/3 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
- 4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- Pineapple Preserves
- Fleur de Sel or Finely Ground Sea Salt
- 1 (1.43-oz) Bag Toasted Coconut Chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Crumble the coconut into smaller pieces using your hands; set aside.
- On medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes.
- Add both of the vanillas, and then mix for 1 minute.
- On low speed, slowly add the flour a little bit at a time; mix until just incorporated.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, and use your thumb to create a well in the center of each.
- Fill each well with pineapple preserves, sprinkle with a tiny bit of fleur de del, and then the crumbled coconut.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes, before removing to a baking rack to finish cooling completely.
