Can I say how excited I am to set up an Easter egg hunt for my toddler this year? She wasn't big enough to get the concept last year but this year I am excited to see her run around the yard looking for eggs. Also exciting? Having an excuse to buy Easter candy to fill those eggs, since my "I'm pregnant" excuse expired a few weeks ago. Easter really has some of the best candy, doesn't it?

Jelly eggs don't often stand out in the Easter candy crowd of chocolate mini eggs, creme eggs, chocolate bunnies and malted eggs, but they are classic and deservedly so. I'm one of those crazy people that picks out the black licorice ones to eat first, but all of the colors eventually get eaten if an open bag is near me. One thing I love about this cookie recipe is that it really highlights jelly eggs and their fruity flavor instead of seeming like candy thrown on a cookie as an afterthought. The cookies themselves are chock full of oatmeal and coconut and have a great chewy texture and slightly salty taste. Combine that with the sweet jelly eggs and you have a delicious cookie that is hard to stop from eating. And did I mention how cute they are? And how my daughter went nuts when she saw them because they were both cookie AND candy? Make some of your own and you will make your family's day.

Jelly Egg Cookies

By Heat Oven To 350 Published 04/15/2014

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 1/2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut (see Note)
• ~ 100 assorted small jelly eggs

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine butter and sugars and beat until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and beat just until incorporated. Stir in oats and coconut.
3. Roll dough into approximately 1 1/2 tablespoon sized balls to make about 2 1/2 dozen cookies. Place dough balls on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. Press three jelly eggs into the indentation of each cookie and bake 11-12 minutes, or until starting to brown on the edges. Cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container.

Note: The coconut used here has to be unsweetened, which I usually buy in the health food section of my grocery store or on Amazon. I've seen it in several forms: long shreds, big flat flakes and tiny shreds. The tiny shreds seem to be the most common. In this recipe I like the big flat flakes because of the texture they add, but any of the shapes would work. If using the tiny shreds I would reduce the amount used to 1 1/4 cups, however. 

Yield: 2-3 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 10 mins.

Cook time: 30 mins.
Total time: 40 mins.
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from saramoulton.com

Posted in: Dessert