Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

These soft and chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies are a fun, tropical twist on everyone’s favorite cookie! They pair beautifully with a good cup of coffee.

Today’s post is really special, and I can hardly wait for you to read it (and make this recipe)! My wonderful husband, Jared, is taking over Back for Seconds today to share something pretty awesome. Are you excited?! 

If you don’t mind, I’d like to take just a minute to gush over this man. He is a fantastic father to our five little ones, one of the hardest workers you will ever meet, he is kind and generous, and a true gentleman. He’s an amazing husband, and has always supported me in all of my endeavors. I am excited for you to meet him and to hear what he has to share with you today.

Hey guys! We wanted to share a great opportunity for you to help out with an awesome cause and enjoy some incredible coffee while you’re at it. And of course, there’s a pretty amazing cookie recipe to go along with it.

This post is all about Bamboula Coffee, a traditionally roasted Haitian coffee with 100% of the profits going to support orphanages in Haiti. Let me tell you a little about why this ministry is close to our hearts, and why I’m doing this post instead of Steph.

This past March, I had the opportunity to go on a trip to the Les Cayes area of Haiti to spend some time working at some orphanages and ministries supported by GoServ Global. I wanted to see something different than what I’m used to in the states. I wanted to have my perspective changed. I wanted to realize once again that I am very much not the center of the universe and no matter how much I complain about my problems, they pale in comparison to the daily struggles of most of the world. Enter: Haiti.

You need only step off the plane to realize that things are well… different here. This is a nation still trying to recover from the devastating earthquakes so many years ago and the storms that have persisted since. Les Cayes was hit especially hard this past October by Hurricane Matthew. Winds as high 145mph tore across the entire area, destroying many homes, crops, and lives. A few members of our team that had gone to Haiti the year before didn’t even recognize the area around the orphanage, given the amount of vegetation that was wiped away.

Food and clean water are not guaranteed here. Many Haitians struggle to feed themselves, much less their families. While I’m a fairly big guy, I’ve never been anywhere where I was the biggest person I saw in the whole country. And yet, even with a 5 hour drive from the airport to the orphanage, I can’t think of a single person that came close. It was a stark contrast between those in need and those that have never wanted for anything.

Even with all these challenges, hope is found in Haiti. For the children I had the privilege of spending the week with, it comes in the form of GoServ Global. I can honestly attest to the fact that this orphanage was a haven in an unforgiving land. The children are so well cared for, it’s easy to forget what they must have gone through before arriving here. They receive food, education, lodging, clothing, and are taught the Bible: which we believe is the true source of hope.

They live in either converted shipping containers or Safe T Homes: homes that look like small grain silos, but are designed to be able to house a whole family and withstand the weather. And withstand it, they do. GoServ has over 200 of these homes in Haiti, and they all weathered the hurricane. Some of these homes had as many as 60 people in them for 2 days as they waited out the storm.

I could go on for hours about what I saw and how it has impacted my life. The children cling to you when you arrive and hardly let go until you’ve gone. They write you letters in what little English they know and beg to see pictures on your phone of your home and family. They take better care of their clothes and toys than any of my kids ever have. They worship God with more vigor than I’ve ever been able to muster, because the term salvation has an entirely different depth of meaning to them. They are kind, polite, and hard working. And for me, they all have names and faces. I have traded in the luxury of not knowing those suffering in another country, and I know longer get to look away.

I ask you to join us in supporting this ministry, by just buying some coffee. Go to Bamboulacoffee.com and order a bag for you and anyone you think might enjoy it. 100% of the profits will go toward supporting this ministry. Even better, the coffee is going to be packaged by some of the older teenagers at the orphanage as part of the training programs they offer to prepare these kids to be able to have jobs and earn a living once they have to leave the orphanage. If you want to go a step further with financial support for these children, go to GoServGlobal.org and sponsor a child. Be careful, though. You will see both names and faces there. If you can’t do either of these, please pray that this ministry will continue to thrive and that those serving will be wise stewards of what God has entrusted them with.

If you have any questions I can answer, leave a comment and I’ll do my best to respond to them. Thank you for joining us on this mission.

James 1:27a “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction”

It’s hard to share a cookie recipe after this, but let me tell you, they taste amazing with a cup of Bamboula Coffee!

I have been drinking it for a few weeks now and it’s seriously so good. It’s less acidic than other coffees and has no bitterness! I can’t think of an easier way to help support these precious orphans than buying delicious coffee! Please consider buying some, and if you have instagram, share a photo when it arrives and tag @backforseconds and use the hashtag #bamboulacoffee.

This post is not sponsored by anyone, we are sharing because it’s genuinely good coffee, and a cause we are passionate about.

Just imagine, if each of my amazing readers bought a bag of coffee (and maybe another bag for a gift), the change we could make in the lives of these orphans. YOU can be a part of making a difference in their lives. We can do this together <3

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Serves	48
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	9 minutes
Total time	19 minutes

These soft and chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies are a fun, tropical twist on everyone's favorite cookie! They pair beautifully with a good cup of coffee.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, coconut extract, and salt and mix well. Mix in corn starch and baking soda. Add flour and mix until combined. Stir in coconut and chocolate chips.

Step 2

Drop by 2 TBS scoops onto a parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking sheet about 2" apart. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet at least a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.