May 7

Well, I ended up being in the kitchen a lot today. We needed to make a little bit of everything, it seemed! And I just have to say, thank goodness for my food processor!!! It has easily ranked as my favorite kitchen appliance (next to my KitchenAid mixer) since I got it. It's worth every penny if you're thinking about investing in one.

Clayton is having a cultural week at school and they are learning about Bolivia. Tomorrow he is allowed to bring in food from Bolivia to share with his class. My first thought was, what in the world do they eat in Bolivia?? Well, it turns out that fruit, coconut, and chocolate are prevalent in their desserts, so we decided on cocadas--coconut cookies. They turned out pretty good! Here's the recipe:

Cocadas {Coconut Cookies}

{adapted from this recipe}

3 1/3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup {1 stick} chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup honey

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

10 oz. dark chocolate {at least 65% cacao}

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place coconut, salt, & baking powder into a food processor and process until finely ground. Add butter & process just until no lumps remain. Add honey, egg, & vanilla & process just until smooth. Add flour, pulse until dough forms {do not over mix so the cookies have a light texture}. Scoop out level tablespoons of dough and place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Makes about 40 cookies. Bake until lightly golden, 18-20 minutes. Allow cookies to cool a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Once they have cooled completely, melt the dark chocolate & drizzle on top. Voila! And enjoy!