Chocolate Praline and Coconut Macaroon Cookies 2.02 Hammers and Veils

“This is Lorelai’s engagement party. It is a once in a lifetime event, and I want it to be perfect.” “I am working.” “Just pick a cookie.” “I don’t want to.” “Michel, for the rest of their lives, Lorelai and Max are going to think back on their engagement party, and they’re going to talk about three things. They’re gonna talk about the friends who came, and that special song they danced to, and the cookies that they ate.” “Their world is very small, isn’t it?” “Macaroons or chocolate pralines?” “Go back to the cooking room.” “Not until you eat these and tell me what you think.” 

Ingredients:

For the chocolate praline cookies: 

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

• ½ cup brown sugar

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 cups flour

• ¾ cups cocoa powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

For the praline: 

• ¼ cup unsalted butter

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• ¼ cup heavy cream

• 1 tsp vanilla

• ¾ cup chopped pecans

For the coconut macaroon cookies:

• 1 14-oz bag sweetened coconut flakes

• ½ cup evaporated milk

• 2 tsp vanilla

• ¼ tsp salt

• 2 egg whites

For the icing for the macaroons: 

• ¾ cup powdered sugar

• 2 tbsp heavy cream

• ½ tsp vanilla 

• A couple drops of pink food coloring

Directions: 

For the chocolate praline cookies: 

1. Cream together the butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl. 

2. Mix in the egg and vanilla until fully incorporated. 

3. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until fully combined. 

4. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. 

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and take the chilled dough from the fridge. 

6. Roll out the dough on your counter (tip: since these are chocolate cookies, I recommend lightly dusting your counter with cocoa powder instead of flour to prevent sticking). 

7. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the cookies then transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

8. Gently use the back of a spoon to press down in the center of the cookies to make a crater. Be careful not to rip the dough. 

9. Bake at 350 F for 13 minutes then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. 

10. While the cookies are cooling, prepare the praline by adding a small saucepan over medium heat. 

11. Add the butter and let it melt. Then stir in the sugar and heavy cream until fully combined.

12. Allow to reach a boil and simmer for about 1 minute after it boils. Then stir in the nuts until the mixture becomes thick.

13. Carefully spoon the praline into the craters of the chocolate heart cookies. Let cool before serving. 

For the coconut macaroon cookies: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. Combine the coconut, evaporated milk, vanilla, and salt in a large mixing bowl then set aside. 

3. Add the egg whites to a medium mixing bowl. Then, whisk the whites until soft peaks form. 

4. Carefully mix the egg whites into the coconut mixture with a rubber spatula, but don’t overmix and knock all the air out. 

5. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the coconut mixture onto a lined cookie sheet then flatten with the back of a spatula. 

6. Repeat step 5 with the remaining dough. 

7. Bake at 350 F for 20-22 minutes or until the coconut browns. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely. 

8. While the cookies are cooling, prepare the icing by combining the powdered sugar, cream, vanilla, and food coloring together in a small bowl. 

9. Using an offset spatula, spread the icing onto the macaroons to form a heart shape. 

When I first cooked this episode, I sort of combined the heart shaped pastry with Max and Lorelai written on it with cookies and just made sugar cookies with royal icing. But when I decided to do my encore, I knew I’d want to go back to this episode and make the two cookies Sookie was trying to decide between: coconut macaroons and chocolate praline. If it was up to me, I’d definitely pick the chocolate praline! 

Happy cooking from the Hollow!

If you missed my last encore dish, catch up here!