Pineapple Iced Coconut Macadamia Cookies and State Fair Open House

So you know there is something REALLY wrong with your cookies when you bring them to work in the ED and no one eats them...

That was the case with these cookies last weekend.

I created this recipe in 2011 for the Ellison Bakery Cookie Contest at the Indiana State Fair. Back then, Ellison Bakery (the company that bought out Archway) sponsored a contest where you had to make an original recipe home style cookie - something that they could potentially mass market to their customers.

They picked 20 finalists. The finalists then had to bring 10 cookies on a white paper plate to the open judging that was done on the main stage at the Home and Family Arts building. There were 3 judges on an elevated stage and they made comments about each cookie as they tasted them. Then, the judges turned off their mikes and started sorting cookies - picking up plates and moving them around the table, eliminating and picking... Since the stage was elevated, all you could see were the plates they were moving around but not the cookies. I hadn't been able to fit all 10 of my cookies on a round paper plate. The rules only specified white paper plate so I had put mine on an oval plate and mine was the only oval plate up there. Therefore, every time they picked up my plate I could tell it was mine and my heart was beating out of my chest. Finally, they announced that they had picked the top 3 but were going to go backstage to discuss the placing... then one of them picked up my plate and left the stage! I ended up placing third and I was absolutely thrilled.

Here is my original recipe...

Pineapple Iced Coconut Macadamia Cookies

 

2 1/2 cups chopped macadamia nuts, toasted

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon corn syrup

2 teaspoons coconut extract

1 2/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

 

Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon pineapple juice

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 1 1/2 cups toasted macadamia nuts in a food processor and process with cutting blade until fine. Add 2 tablespoons oil, then sugars, shortening, egg, corn syrup and coconut extract and mix until smooth. Pour into mixing bowl. Mix in flour and salt until well blended. Add remaining 1 cup macadamia nuts and coconut. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet, then flatten into disks before baking. Bake for 12 minutes until lightly golden brown. Cool.

 

Mix icing ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. 

So there you have it. A pretty simple cookie to make. So what was wrong with my cookies? As I said in my last post they didn't taste right and I decided not to take them on Friday and remade them, bringing them on Sunday instead. Doubly doubly glad that I went with my instincts! As I discovered, I had omitted the sugar (!!) the first time.

This is the first time I've competed these cookies in the regular (meaning not a sponsored special contest) fair. I went to the Open House last night to see how I did.

They won the Cookie Sweepstakes! That meant it took First in the Nut Cookie category that it was entered in, then it beat out 20 other First place cookie category winners for the best overall cookie. Cookies are a huge Class at the Fair so I am totally thrilled!!

Moving on to find my other entries, I found my Honey Pecan Bars...

OMG!! I won the Sweeps for Honey Cookies too! There are only 4 categories in the Honey Cookie Class so not as big as the regular Cookie Class (where there are 21 categories) but still thrilled beyond words.

My Biscoff Cookies (No Bake category) and Nutella Sea Salt Stuffies (Filled Cookie category) did not place. My Raspberry Cream Cheese Tea Cookies ended up third in the Dairy Cookie category.

The Pumpkin Pecan Rolls did not place. I think they were either too dry or there was too much icing on them.

Remember the Honey Oat Bread that I remade on Sunday morning?

Glad I remade that too! I still think it looks a little flat on top but apparently it tasted just fine.

Finally, I went to find my Loaded Potato Rolls. My go-to yeast roll recipe.

                                                      ... and it took the Sweeps in the Yeast Roll Class!

I have never won this many Sweeps ribbons in a single year. Last year the only Sweeps I took was the Sweeps in the Yeast Rolls for the very same rolls and I said then that I'd be happy if I didn't win another thing for the rest of the Fair since I'd won a Sweeps. I have to say that in triplicate now! I am SO SO  happy! I only brought in 8 items which is the least amount of items I've brought for the opening weekend since I started doing this... but I placed five of them with four firsts and a third, and three of my firsts also took their respective Sweeps. Unbelieveable.

Today is Opening Day of the Indiana State Fair. I have to go to work in a couple hours so I am staying home. I have two cakes to turn in tomorrow morning before I go back to work. I had three cakes entered but I trialed my Honey cake recipe yesterday and it was inedible. Not kidding. I pitched it, then decided I was scratching out of that category. I was up til 1:30 am working on the other two cakes, then got back up at 5 am to pick my husband up from the airport... so I'm a little tired. Goal today will be to finish up my cakes then make it through my shift at work.

Happy Friday Everyone!