I had one of those near-perfect weekends. I catered a wedding, danced with my husband, and spent two mornings at my favorite coffee shop, Vintage Heart. Now it’s Sunday night, and the animals are scurrying around our the living room while Ryan chops mushrooms for goat cheese quesadillas. But to say my weekend was peaceful would be a lie. We had our share of drama and excitement.
On Saturday evening Molly and Richard had the loveliest of weddings, and I made them a variety of sweet treats to enjoy with their family and friends. After Ryan and I set up the dessert table, we watched our friends marry, and then we danced until they cut the cake. But while we danced to the sweet songs of Good Field, my parents evacuated from my childhood home in Colorado. My mom had called me just hours before the ceremony. A forest fire was threatening our home.
But isn’t this how life often is? Moments of bliss intersecting with moments of fear?
Thankfully, my parents were able to collect some of our most precious belongings: wedding dresses, baby albums, a newborn cradle Ryan’s father made years ago. As Ryan and I watched Molly and Richard exchange vowels, I realized that it is these moments we treasure more than any of the stuff we collect in our homes.
Weddings.
Births.
Family memories.
So while at first it seemed terribly inappropriate to dance while my parents evacuated, by the end of evening I felt like we were both celebrating the same things. My parents dug through our house to collect tangible reminders of the memories that Molly and Richard were making in the present moment.
And so I found yet another reason why I bake wedding cakes: they are part of those treasured occasions. The moments we never want to forget and chose to protect when our worlds comes crashing down.
So after a day of evacuations and a day of celebrations, I made cookies this afternoon. These coconut and mango cookies are thick and chewy. If you want something slightly sweet and very tropical, these cookies fit the bill. I made 10 dozen for the wedding, and I liked them so much I made Ryan and me another batch. So if a cookie recipe can make a baker pull out her mixing bowls after 16 hours of baking, you know you’ve found a winning treat.
I hope you enjoy these. And I hope everyone in Colorado is safe. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Coconut and Mango Cookies
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
5 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped mango
1 1/2 unsweetened coconut
1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add mango and egg. Continue to beat until well-combined.
2. Stir in flour. Fold in coconut. Allow to chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a rounded spoon, scoop batter onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes, or until just lightly golden on top. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing to wire rack.
Oh this bittersweet life! Thank you for reminding me that we need to embrace every moment – for those sweet treats, for dancing, for the ones we love. Relieved that your parents were able to evacuate safely and with some memories held close.
Wow, these sound like a delicious tropical combo of flavors. Glad your parents made it out safely and were able to pack up the important stuff!
Oh Monet–It is unimaginable how difficult this must be for your parents. I will keep your family in my thoughts. On a positive note, your cookies look delish!
Coconut and mango cookies? What a great combination, Monet. I love it. I’m so sorry about your parent’s home. I hope the fire didn’t actually get to the house. Praying for your family today.
Oh this has to be one of the most delicious cookie combinations! Anything with coconut gets my vote but I love you chose to add in some fresh mango! 🙂
Oh goodness, I hope your parents and everyone and their homes are safe. You are exactly right though. Treasure the moments you have and enjoy the present. These cookies look magnificent. I love coconut and I love the big mounds that are these cookies.
Oh my goodness. I am glad your family is safe, though this is still really frightening. But you’re right in that, despite the horrible things that may come our way, there is beauty in this world and things we should celebrate (by eating cake and dancing, of course).
Keeping you and your family and everyone in Colorado in my prayers. You have a wonderful calling – helping people create memories with your beautiful creations. Your Coconut Mango Cookies look awesome!
keeping all of you in my prayers…you bring beauty to this world in sooooo many ways….through your words, your baking, your kindness…and so much more
I’m so sad this is happening to your family but so thankful for the message you’re sharing in spite of all of it! Way to shine light where there is darkness!
Oh my goodness Monet! I hope everyone is okay and I am so sorry your family has to worry about those fires. How dreadful.
Mango cookies?! How creative. They look great!
So sorry to hear about the fires. 🙁 Life is just bittersweet at times. Glad the catering went well. BY the way, I would like to make these cookies for sure. How many does it make?
About 12-20 cookies, depending on how big your spoon/scoop is!
I heard about the fires in Colorado. That is so scary. But I’m glad your parents had time to get their most important things, and get out safely.
Monet,
I’m glad that your parents are safe, as well as their treasured belongings. My brother lives between Golden and Boulder, but the fires aren’t there yet. He did say that everything is so dry, and temps in 100’s.
Your cookies look just like treasured morsels of goodness, with coconut and mango. I’m pinning this one.
What a great job you did, Monet, of intertwining the wedding with the evacuation of your family home in Colorado. I do hope your family is safe and they’ve preserved whatever family treasures possible. You’ve demonstrated such maturity in your expression of the hills and valleys of life.
I do believe I could find paradise in these marvelous cookies!
Gosh Monet, that must have been a terrible shock for you. Hope your family and friends are now safe.
Your coconut and mango cookies look incredibly indulgent. I know that just having one would not be enough for me.
I’m glad that everyone got out safely, and I hope that others in the threatened area are safe as well! Life certainly isn’t easy, but that’s why we have cookies. 😉 These cookies brought a bit of joy to my day. I wish I could reach out and grab one through the screen!
Wishing you and your friends and family all my luck my friend, the firs sound devastating!
On a happier note these cookies look indulgent and delicious – keep up that positive attitude my friend!
Cheers
CCU
what a beautiful post. life truly is a blend of both the wonderful + the tragic. i’m happy to hear that your parents got out okay, + am sending prayers to the others affected by the fire.
on a brighter note, these cookies look absolutely wonderful, i love love love coconut in any form, so i know i’d love these. delicious!
A little sweet and tropical sounds good to me. Glad to know your parents are safe.
Oh no, thank goodness your family is safe! That is a strong, poignant connection between memories and tangible reminders. Realizing those notions, I find, makes time away from loved ones something that connects us on a deeper level and makes the world a little smaller for me. It’s nice. And your cookies sound delicious! Love that combo and tropical would be great right now.
I hope that your home and family turn out to be alright!
These look beautiful! What a great combination of flavors. Also, I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award because well, you and your blog are so lovely!
http://epicureanvegan.com/2012/06/26/one-lovely-blog-award/
Keeping your family in my prayers. We’re hoping to visit Colorado Springs next month and are devastated to hear about the destruction.
Sorry to hear about your parents having to deal with the forest fires being close…that is scary! Glad you were able to still enjoy the wedding and celebrate with your friends. The cake must have been wonderful since you made it ;)! These cookies sound wonderful and so perfect for summer with the tropical tasting mango and coconut!
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I am so happy your parents were able to get out ok and are safe. So scary!!
Other then all the drama it seems like a beautiful weekend with reminders of all the important things in life. Your cookies sound amazing. My husband would just love these!
Dear Monet, I am keeping my you and your loved ones in my prayers. I glad everyone is safe.
These cookies look like a wonderful treat at the end of a long day. Blessings dear, your friends, Catherine & Tammy<3
dear i hope everything’s okay with your family’s home! the cookies look so amazing. will be bookmarking this one!
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Aaauuuhhhh! 1 1/2 what? unsweetened coconut!?! I’m ready to fold it in and there’s no measurement!!
Looks like I’ll be wingin’ it. We’ll see how they turn out!
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