Sweet Treats And Salt

These Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Cookies demonstrate the magic of a salty sweet treat.

Fantastic treats like salted caramels, chocolate dipped pretzels and hot fudge sundaes topped with crushed peanuts confirm how salt can majorly enhance a sweet.

Salt is an important component in baking and shouldn't be overlooked in a recipe.

There are three main types of salt readily available — table salt, kosher salt and sea salt.

My preference for baking is sea salt because I find it less salty than table salt and I think it has a cleaner salt taste. It also dissolves and distributes evenly.

If you don't believe me, bake up a batch of these Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Cookies.

I use dark brown sugar in the recipe to give them a rich caramel flavor and a good dose of sea salt.

Trust me - it's magic.

MMM...Chewy and salty sweet.

Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
(makes 3 dozen)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, loosely packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whip together the butter and the shortening. Add the sugars and the vanilla and cream until light and smooth. Add the eggs and beat again.

Add the salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix well. Add the flour and mix until thoroughly combined. Finally, stir in the coconut and oatmeal until evenly distributed.

Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Leave at least 2-inches between cookies. Use your hand to slightly flatten the balls.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing to place on a cooling rack.