Sweet and tropical. Cheap and easy.

Based on the Date and Walnut Brown Butter Chewy on “What you give away you keep”.

Makes a ‘double batch’ of cookies. (That photo = half of this recipe.)

Gather:
2 + 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

220 g butter, softened
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup + 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbs molasses (or golden syrup)

1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tbs milk
1/2 tsp coconut essence/flavouring

1 + 1/2 cups chopped dates
1/2 cup desiccated coconut

Then:

1. Preheat the oven to 175° C.
2. Chop the dates and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
4. Soften the butter in the microwave (15 seconds) if necessary.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl + hand beaters), cream together the butter, sugars and molasses (or golden syrup) for about 3–4 minutes.
6. Still mixing, add the egg, egg yolk, milk and coconut essence. Keep mixing until fully combined.
7. Slow down the mixer and slowly add the flour mixture until fully combined.
8. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the coconut and dates until evenly distributed.
9. Allow to chill for 20–40 minutes. This lets the coconut absorb some of the moisture from the dough.* 
10. Spoon heaped teaspoons of dough onto a baking sheet (6 on a small tray; 9 on a large one) and bake until the cookies are just golden at the edges.** Repeat til all the cookies are done.

Notes:

*If you start baking without letting the dough settle (before the coconut soaks up some of the moisture) the first batches of cookies will be moister but the last batches could be quite dry. Usually I don’t bother chilling the dough but in this case it makes a difference.
**If you want flatter, ‘cookie-shaped’ cookies, press them down with a spatula halfway through baking.