Coconut oil a good choice in baking

RECENTLY I HAVE BEEN experimenting with coconut oil in cooking and baking. It has a subtle coconut flavour and is not greasy. You can use it in any recipe that calls for butter or oil and the good news is that it’s healthy!

If I believed everything I read online, coconut oil would make me thin, give me beautiful hair and skin, and keep me from getting dementia. No getting heart disease or diabetes. No more brain fog. I should see something happening soon because I use coconut oil to fry my eggs for breakfast and I use it for baking ... surely that will help me lose weight? And I am still waiting for my brain fog to clear.

Today I experimented with this Drop Sugar Cookie recipe, using coconut oil instead of the vegetable oil listed in the recipe. They were so quick to make because they are not rolled like traditional sugar cookies and the dough does not require chilling. And they are delicious! I sprinkled them with coloured coarse sugar before baking but they could be iced for a special occasion – say, green just now. For a chewy cookie, under-bake them slightly and for a crunchy

cookie bake them until they are brown around the edges.

Drop Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup coconut oil 2 cups white sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 4 cups all purpose flour, sifted 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter and coconut oil until light, about 3 minutes.

Add sugar and eggs and mix again. Add vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt, mix until all is combined.

Use a cookie scoop or roll dough into balls, place on greased baking sheets about 1-1/2” apart.

Press cookies down slightly with your hand.

Sprinkle with coarse sugar if you like.

Bake at 350º F for 15-17 minutes or until they are starting to brown on the bottom.

Cool, then store in an airtight container.