Tara Martin of Maugansville entered a batch of Cranberry Pistachio Coconut Delights in The Herald-Mail’s 2011 Cookie Exchange contest. Martin said she got the recipe from her mother-in-law, Polly Martin.
“She has really quite an extensive recipe collection,” Martin said. “Things she’s come across and things she’s got from family. I usually go through her recipes for cookies to enter in The Herald-Mail’s contest.”
Martin said she learned to cook from her mom, Beverly Spigler. Now a stay-at-home mom, Martin said she has the flexibility to make dinner. Her sons, Spencer, 11, and Samuel, 8, are active in sports, so Martin and her husband, Tom, hustle to get the boys out the door on time.
“But I try to make meal time a time to sit down and eat together,” she said. “I remember my father coming home from work, and we ate together.”
Martin said her family loves pasta, and she makes a lot of chicken dishes. But she likes to bake sweet treats.
“I’m more of a cookie person,” she said. “I prefer baking as opposed to cooking.”
— Chris Copley, Lifestyle assistant editor
Cranberry pistachio coconut delights
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces and chilled
1 large egg
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
Line 8-inch-square baking pan with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. Grease foil.
Blend 1 cup flour and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in food processor until combined. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and pulse until only pea-sized pieces remain.
Press mixture into prepared pan and bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.
Whisk egg, maple syrup, extracts, salt, remaining flour and remaining sugar in large bowl. Fold in pistachios, cranberries and coconut. Spread this mixture evenly over cooled crust.
Bake until topping is golden and begins to pull away from sides of pan, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
Using foil overhang, lift cookies out of pan. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares and cut each square diagonally into 2 triangles.
Microwave white chocolate in small bowl, stirring occasionally, until melted. Dip cookie corners in melted chocolate and place on wire rack until chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.
— Courtesy of Tara Martin of Maugansville
“She has really quite an extensive recipe collection,” Martin said. “Things she’s come across and things she’s got from family. I usually go through her recipes for cookies to enter in The Herald-Mail’s contest.”
Martin said she learned to cook from her mom, Beverly Spigler. Now a stay-at-home mom, Martin said she has the flexibility to make dinner. Her sons, Spencer, 11, and Samuel, 8, are active in sports, so Martin and her husband, Tom, hustle to get the boys out the door on time.
“But I try to make meal time a time to sit down and eat together,” she said. “I remember my father coming home from work, and we ate together.”
Martin said her family loves pasta, and she makes a lot of chicken dishes. But she likes to bake sweet treats.
“I’m more of a cookie person,” she said. “I prefer baking as opposed to cooking.”
— Chris Copley, Lifestyle assistant editor
Cranberry pistachio coconut delights
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces and chilled
1 large egg
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
Line 8-inch-square baking pan with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. Grease foil.
Blend 1 cup flour and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in food processor until combined. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and pulse until only pea-sized pieces remain.
Press mixture into prepared pan and bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.
Whisk egg, maple syrup, extracts, salt, remaining flour and remaining sugar in large bowl. Fold in pistachios, cranberries and coconut. Spread this mixture evenly over cooled crust.
Bake until topping is golden and begins to pull away from sides of pan, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
Using foil overhang, lift cookies out of pan. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares and cut each square diagonally into 2 triangles.
Microwave white chocolate in small bowl, stirring occasionally, until melted. Dip cookie corners in melted chocolate and place on wire rack until chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.
— Courtesy of Tara Martin of Maugansville
