Kobbari Biscuttu/ Coconut Cookies

As i have mentioned many a times in this blog before, Iyengar bakery is something i really really miss.. the aroma just round the corer of the street in Mahalakshmi layout opposite the pancha mukhi ganesha temple ...(which used to be very close to my home) man!! nothing can beat it!! not the most exotic of cookies and french pastries can beat it....
One of my favorite happens to be Kobbari biscuttu... i also love benne biscuttu and khara biscuttu and ragi biscuttu... well the list goes one.. there probably no single thing that i love most.. One secret here.. from my childhood. I grew up in Mysore....and thats where my father grew up to. He has spent 20 prime years of his life there... and we all love the city. Obviously he has friends every where in Mysore.. and one of his really good friends is Boju. I have never tried to know 'Boju' mama's real name.. he is just Boju mama.. He runs a bakery some where near Sayaji Rao Road. I used to piggy back my father on his week end trips to his friends. And we used to go to boju mama's bakery all the time. Of course as my father and boju mama chatted i got to eat biscuttu, caku, bannu... khara bannu,, or some other thing from the bakery... I dreamt of being locked up in the bakery for many many year.. never told any one about this dream. I dreamt of getting locked up in a bakery thinking i will be able to eat through out the night and no one is even watching me!!!
If this does not qualify me for pedigree foodie nothing else will!!

So here i miss the iyengar bakery style biscuttu.. fortunately my mother had long ago attended Baking classes in Mysore... She used to make many of these goodies right at home. The recipes for all her baked stuff came from the home science college/ Bangalore Unviersity. Of course they are really good. I made these kobbari biscuttu and they turned out to be fabulous..Never forget the importance of measurements when baking!!

All purpose flour/ Maida 1 cup
Granulated sugar 2/3 cup (upto 1 cup can be used..i prefer my biscuits a little less sweet)
shortening/ vanaspati 1 stick ( Vegetable oil can also be used which is much much healthy)
Shredded dry coconut 1/4 cup (toasted till fragrant)
Salt 1/2 tsp
Banking powder 1/2 tsp
Baking soda 1/4 tsp

Method:
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Mix in the shortening.. (shortening is nothing but Vanaspati or Dalda.. its Hydrogenated vegetable oil. It is not very good from health point of view but they make everything taste good) Combine everything well to make it into something like chapati dough. Pinch small balls out of it. Pressing it every so slightly in the palm of your hand.
Pre heat oven at 350 F. Arrange the biscuits on a parchment lined cookie sheet, giving at least 1" between the biscuits. Bake for about 15 minutes or till they are cracked on the top and done!
Enjoy with fresh filter coffee!!