Recipe: Libby's Coconut Washboards (1930's)

LIBBY'S COCONUT WASHBOARDS

1 (7 ounce) package sweetened shredded coconut (1 1/3 cups)
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Cover baking sheet with foil, shiny side up, and coat with vegetable spray. Or use a silicone liner.

Place coconut in bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Pulse two or three times to reduce the coconut flakes to short lengths. This makes the dough easier to cut. Set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and extract. Stir. Add sifted dry ingredients. Blend well. Fold in coconut.

Divide dough in half. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.

WHEN READY TO BAKE:
Roll or pat one chunk of dough into a rectangle 8 inches by 12 inches by 3/16-inch thick. Cut each piece lengthwise into quarters. Cut these sections into 1-inch pieces.

Press a floured dinner fork onto each piece of dough to form a washboard. Place washboards on baking sheet.

Bake 8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet on a rack. Repeat with rest of dough.

Makes 78 cookies
Source: Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters: More than 100 Years of Recipes Discovered from Family Cookbooks, Original Journals, Scraps of Paper, and Grandmothers Kitchen by Marilynn Brass and Sheila Brass