Swedish coconut cookies

My work/life balance has been seriously out of whack these last weeks which is no doubt why I'm on my second cold of the year and it's only halfway through April. So Anna Brones' and Johanna Kindvall's lovely new book Fika arrived in my mailbox at the perfect time.

Fika (pronounced fee-ka) is the Swedish expression for coffee break. It's not just about the coffee but the little something you have with it. And respect for the ritual. The idea is to stop, to savour, sit still. And so, on Sunday, I did. There are so many recipes from the book I'm looking forward to making, but I just happened to have everything for this one on hand. Chewy, sweet and fragrant with toasted coconut, these are the Scandinavian version of the classic coconut macaroon. They're gluten-free, made only with coconut, butter, sugar, eggs and a pinch of salt. Everyday ingredients for an everyday ritual. I'm going to make it one.


Swedish coconut cookies (Kokostoppar)
From Fika by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall


The authors suggest adding a teaspoon of grated ginger or dipping these in melted chocolate as a variation on this classic recipe.



3 1/2 tablespoons (1.75oz / 50g) unsalted butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup (4.67oz / 132g) sugar
2 1/4 cups (6.75oz / 191g) unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt


Preheat the oven to 350 deg F (175 deg C). Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a bowl, lightly whisk eggs and sugar. Fold in the coconut and salt and the slightly cooled butter. Let the batter sit for about 15 minutes. 

Scoop tablespoon-size portions of the batter onto the baking sheet and shape them into peaked mounds.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.