I'm always jealous of my Grandma's cookies. In all my years of eating her cookies (twenty-four, to be exact), I've never seen an imperfect cookie. Hers are always thick, chewy, and perfectly cooked. Many of mine, on the other hand, have seen their fair share of tragedies. There are the few that have fallen prey to the bottom of the oven, those that are scorched when I decide to vacuum while cookie baking (don't try to multi-task; you WILL forget about the cookies and NOT hear your timer!), and those that I'm certain will be perfect but then come out of the oven flat and lifeless.

Last time we saw my Grandma, she had whipped up a batch of these amaretto chunk cookies. A huge lover of amaretto in my alcoholic beverages (not to mention my whipped cream and my cakes), I was smitten with this cookie! We managed to eat several while visiting and then smuggled a few bags of them for the ride home. I made sure to copy down the recipe before we left and less than a week passed before I was craving them again.

These cookies are full of good stuff: coconut, almonds, chocolate, and, of course, the amaretto! Even better, mine came out just like Grandma's: thick and chewy! These last several days in an airtight container...if you don't eat them all first ;)



One Year Ago: Tropical Bran Bread

Amaretto Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup butter, softened
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1 cup brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 tbsp amaretto liqueur
-2 tsp almond extract
-2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
-1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
-1 cup sliced almonds

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Beat in eggs, amaretto, and almond extract. Reduce speed to low and carefully beat in flour mixture, just until blended.
3. With a large spoon, stir in chocolate chips, coconut, and almonds.
4. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes (mine were good after 9!), until golden around the edges. Cool on wire racks.
5. Store cookies for 1 week in an airtight container, or freeze for up to 3 months.