Macaroon Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 cup mashed potato flakes
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine sugars, shortening, butter and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add egg. Add dry ingredients. Add coconut and walnuts.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with bottom of glass that has been dipped in sugar. Bake for 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet. Store in airtight container.

Pina Colada Cake

All the flavors of a pina colada in a cake!

Ingredients for the cake

1 cup shredded coconut, divided
1 packaged white cake mix
1/2 cup water
1 cup pineapple juice, divided
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup rum
4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

Ingredients for frosting

1 can vanilla ready-to-serve frosting
1 Tablespoon rum
1/2 cup reserved toasted coconut

Directions

Heat oven to 230 degrees.
Sprinkle one cup of coconut on cookie sheet. Bake 5 - 10 minutes or until likely toasted. Check it often to make sure if doesn't burn. When it is just right, remove from oven and place toasted coconut in bowl. Don't allow it to remain on the cookie sheet or it will continue to toast.

Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, water, 1/2 cup pineapple juice, oil, rum and egg whites. Beat at low speed until moistened. Then, beat 2 minutes on high speed. Stir in 1/2 cup toasted coconut. Reserve remaining toasted coconut for frosting.
Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes.

In small saucepan, heat remaining 1/2 cup pineapple juice and sugar to boiling.
With fork, poke cake at half-inch intervals. Pour hot pineapple mixture over cake.
Allow to cool completely.

In small bowl, combine frosting with 1 Tablespoon rum. Frost cake. Sprinkle with remaining 1.2 cup of toasted coconut.

Coconut Shrimp with Apricot-Mustard Dipping Sauce

This is good as an appetizer or a main dish served with a salad.

Ingredients

1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/4 pound raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails left on
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
3 egg whites
3/4 cup coconut, lightly toasted
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1 teaspoon spicy mustard

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In small bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons coconut milk with apricot preserves and mustard.
Refrigerate.
In plastic sealable bag, combine remainder of coconut milk, jalapeno, and shrimp. Seal bag, turn to coat and refrigerate for one hour.
Place flour in shallow bowl.
In another bowl, beat egg whites until frothy.
In a third bowl, combine toasted coconut and panko.
Drain shrimp and discard marinade. Dip shrimp in flour, then in egg whites, and then roll in crumb mixture.
Place shrimp on prepared cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes on each side until lightly browned.
Serve immediately with apricot dip.