A couple of friends did something deserving not only cookies, but their choice of cookies. I asked them to talk it over, and though they were speaking another language, I could understand that one expressed a preference for walnuts and another a preference for coconut. I know from previous experience that chocolate goes down well with the whole gang, and so a variation was born. I made two batches of these cookies, one with dark chocotate and crushed walnuts (pecans are too expensive in Europe, and not as fresh as the walnuts I gathered and shell myself). In the other batch, I used three tsp of vanilla and about half a tsp of almond extract (I think next time, I'd use more; I can't really taste the almond, myself). I used dark chocolate and coconut on the second batch. Since I don't like nuts, I think I would probably prefer the more almond/chocolate/coconut version myself. In Europe - at least where I am - coconut comes three ways: in the nut (forget about it - too much work); in cans with lots of heavy syrup (tastes like... heavy syrup... and too wet to use) and the most common form, dry and unsweetened, in very small shreds, the perfect size for topping the cookies. I'm not sure how much the dry coconut would have soaked up the fluid chocolate - it might have discolored. I did an experiment to try to sweeten and moisten the coconut. I dissolved about two tablespoons of powdered sugar in about an equal amount of hot water to make a sweet solution. I added a few drops of coconut flavoring, since to my taste the dry doesn't taste as coconut-y as I remember the moist, canned coconut in America. I put in the two cups of dessicated, unsweetened coconut and tossed it until the coconut had absorbed the liquid uniformly. It was just enough to make the coconut hold together in a clump if I squeezed it, but fall right apart if I touched the clump with a finger. Slightly sweet - not too sweet. It worked perfectly on top of the cookies and didn't soak up any chocolate or discolor. You're an intrepid and imaginative baker, Nel - congratulations! And thanks for sharing your variations on these cookies - they sound delicious. PJH

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