It's about time!

For years ... since I was old enough to 'help' Grandma in the kitchen and lick the beaters when she was done with her Sunbeam ... I've been in awe of the cooks who were good enough to justify having a stand mixer. Those things are expensive!! I resigned myself to using hand mixers for life, all the while wistfully casting an eye over the bright shiny displays in the home supply stores as I wandered past to collect another set of white towels.

My grocery store has a points program where you can save up and eventually, with diligent application, get various goodies. I'd been lazy about it, often using points for reducing prices on foods and not really looking through their little booklet. Once I did that, I had my eye on a wireless speaker system .. and then I saw this beauty in their online catalogue. That's when I started to get serious about collecting points. Two months later, this Kitchen Aid stand mixer has found a home on the counter.   I think I hugged the box it came in .. and did a little dance. I can't be more exited and a little nervous at the thought that I may now have to turn in my feminist lapel pin.

Then I baked a batch of cookies ...

Coconut Confetti Cream Cheese Cookies

This was adapted from a recipe I found online at Food52. If you follow that link, you can see the original, single recipe. I made a triple batch - our cookie jar is always empty, it seems.

Here are the adjustments I made:

1 ½ c unsalted butter
1 250g pkg cream cheese
2 ½ c sugar
2 ½ c flour
1 c shredded coconut
1/3 c candy sprinkles

Use teaspoons to drop them onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. They spread out quite a bit .. even more without the parchment. Bake at 350°F for 12 min .. or until the edges are browned.  They are very soft and chewy, so make sure they are fully cooled before putting them away.  

Enjoy!