Washboard Tea Biscuits

Just reading the description of these in Cook's Country made my mouth water and I knew I had to try them out: "These cookies are crisp and not too sweet, with the distinct flavor and aroma of coconut." The first tray-full burned horribly, so I was extra careful with the next. These fill the kitchen with a delicious coconutty, buttery scent, and that's how they taste, too. These are meant to be the perfect addition to tea. I ate mine with a glass of milk. These washboards, named for the ridges made with a fork, are highly addictive; the mixture of coconut and nutmeg, which I never would have thought to combine, lend these tender buscuits a delicious and delicately spiced flavor. I hope you enjoy them!

Washboards

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl. With an electric mixer at medium-high speed (I used my kitchenaid), beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg mixture and beat until well combined. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and coconut, and mix until just incorporated.

2. Flour your hands. Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a 15-inch log.  Flatten the top and sides of the log so that it measures 1 inch high and 3 inches wide. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes. (The dough can refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)

3. Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and arrange the slices 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Dip a dinner fork in flour, then make crosswise indentations in the dough slices. 

Bake until the cookies are toasty brown, 15 to 18 minutes*, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve.

*I don't know if my oven is really hot, or if it is because I baked these one sheet at a time, but mine were done within 10-12 minutes. So keep a close eye on them!

I want to thank you all for the support and enthusiasm regarding my etsy shop Kiki La Ru! It was great to hear some feedback. I've been very busy sewing these past couple days. It's such a great form of meditation. I'm getting more and more relaxed about it all. Have been exploring other etsy shops, comparing prices, examining other shop designs and policies. Waiting on my business cards, vintage fabrics, and packaging material. I've also ordered a few things over etsy to see how other artists package their items. Some are very intricate and detailed, others very plain, with basically just the product. It's going to be a bit of a challenge to find the middle road, as I want to package my items beautifully, but not to the point where I have to charge more because the decor is expensive. So many things to think about!

We woke up to snow this morning; it's still sifting down, covering tree boughs and roof tops. Confusing us thoroughly. As my husband says, "This weather is getting awkward." Will we ever be able to fold away our sweaters? When will I get a break from mopping up the muddy hallway? Only nature knows.

xoxo country girl