Galletas Maria

A couple of years ago I saw a recipe for Galletas Maria on the Food Network's Twelve Days of Cookies and I made them for an annual cookie exchange that I attend.  They were a hit, especially with Nick, so now I make them each year while Nick starts to put up our Christmas tree.  I had never heard of Galletas Maria before the Twelve Days of Christmas, but according to the Food Network, "Versions of these cookies — named for a Grand Duchess of Russia after her wedding — are popular all over the world, but especially so throughout Spain as well as South and Central America."

They're an interesting recipe, including coconut, peanuts, and oats, which all balance out nicely.  They are especially delicious fresh out of the oven.  The only drawback is that they get stale pretty quickly, so don't make a huge batch unless you're going to have a crowd to feed that same day.

Unlike most of the cookie recipes that I use, Galletas Maria are made without a mixer.  You melt the butter on the stove and then stir in the brown sugar. The sugar melts and absorbs some of the butter, but a lot of the butter ends up sitting on top of the sugar.

It seems weird, but everything mixes nicely as you add the rest of the ingredients.

A quick 12 minutes later, the cookies are done and are ready to be eaten.  Wait for them to cool for a minute or two and then enjoy!