"Almond Joy" Cookies

Well, I'm pretty excited.

I made up my own cookie recipe for the very first time.

Ever since Halloween, I've been craving Almond Joys like no other.  Once I sufficiently stuffed myself full of Almond Joy candy bars, I decided it was time to move on to bigger things.

So, being the obvious next step, I concocted an Almond Joy-like cookie and I'm very happy to inform you that it was a success!  I was so excited!!  I was not expecting them to come out the way they did, but I'm glad they did.  They don't taste exactly like Almond Joys, but they do taste like coconut-y chocolate-y goodness, which is perfectly fine with me.

Celebrate with me!

 Beat sugar and butter.

 Combine dry ingredients.

 Combine both.

 Add in the coconut.

 

Mix it allllll up.

 Form into balls.

 Bake in the oven and then thumbprint them.

 Add chocolate chips to hot sweetened condensed milk.

 Mix together.

 Pour mixture into cookie "wells".

 Add almonds.

Enjoy :)

Almond Joy Cookies

Ingredients

Cookie

1 stick butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons egg whites
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 (overflowing) tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Filling

1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
Approximately 24 almonds, 1 for each cookie

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Add in egg whites and sweetened condensed milk and beat another minute or so. 
3.  In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder.
4.  Combine with the liquid mixture until combined.
5.  Fold in coconut flakes.
6.  Form into tablespoon sized balls and drop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7.  Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes.  They will be slightly gooey when you take them out.  Once they come out, press your thumb into each cookie making a "well" in the center for the chocolate center.
8. While the cookies are in the oven, heat the sweetened condensed milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds, just until hot.  Add in the chocolate chips and let them sit in the milk for about a minute.  Mix until smooth. 
9. Spoon a small amount of the chocolate filling into each cookie, top with an almond.