Remember those blue Danish butter cookie tins? Maybe your favorite is the sugar crusted pretzel, or the textured, soft, spritz-like whorl? Or perhaps it’s the circular one infused with coconut. That’s what this one tastes like.

Toasted Coconut Whole Wheat Shortbread

Makes about 2 1/2 to 3 dozen.
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen to work well with 100% whole wheat flour.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (about 1.5 ounces) unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean
1-1/3 cups Community Grains Hard Red Winter Wheat Flour

Baking Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread coconut on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until coconut is light golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Cool completely, then grind in a coffee grinder, food processor, or blender until coarsely ground.
Using electric mixer or wooden spoon, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Mix in salt and vanilla (if using vanilla bean, split and scrape the inside into the bowl). Beat in flour in 2 additions. Stir in toasted coconut. Gather dough together, flatten into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out dough disk on lightly floured work surface to scant 1/4-inch thickness. Using 1 3/4- to 2-inch-diameter cookie cutters, cut dough into rounds. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps and reroll; cut out additional cookies.
Bake cookies until toasted at the edges, about 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. (Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature up to 1 week.)