Masi Sāmoa (Sāmoan Coconut Shortbread Biscuits)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Two half-sheet pans
• •Parchment paper
• •Pastry blender or sturdy fork
• •Rolling pin
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Airtight biscuit tin

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven

   Heat the oven to 325F and line two half-sheet pans with parchment. Whisk the flour, desiccated coconut, sugar, baking powder, and salt until the coconut is evenly scattered through the flour. Break up any little coconut clumps with your fingers.

2. 2

   Rub in butter

   Add the cold butter cubes and rub them into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry blender until the bowl looks partly sandy, with some pea-size pieces still showing. Those little cold pieces are what give the masi its flaky bite. If the butter starts going soft and shiny, set the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes.

   Fine coconut works best here. If all you have is long shredded coconut, pulse it a few times so it cuts clean and doesn't drag through the dough.
3. 3

   Bring it together

   Stir the vanilla into the cold coconut cream if you're using it, then drizzle the cream into the bowl. Fold with a fork or your hand just until the dough gathers into shaggy clumps and holds when squeezed. It should not be wet or smooth. Add the extra coconut cream one tablespoon at a time only if dry flour is still sitting loose at the bottom.

4. 4

   Chill the dough

   Gather the dough into a flat square, wrap it, and chill for 20 to 30 minutes. That rest lets the coconut drink in the cream and keeps the butter from running out in the oven. No rush this part. A biscuit tin teaches patience too.

5. 5

   Cut the masi

   Lightly flour the counter and pat or roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 2-inch squares or small rectangles and lift them onto the prepared pans, leaving a little room between each one. Prick each biscuit twice with a fork. Keep them plain, that is the beauty of it.

6. 6

   Bake pale gold

   Bake for 26 to 32 minutes, rotating the pans once, until the tops look dry and matte, the bottoms are pale gold, and the edges are just beginning to tan. You want coconut and butter in the smell, not dark sugar. If your oven runs hot, stack one baking sheet under the pan to protect the bottoms.

7. 7

   Cool and keep

   Let the masi sit on the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack and cool fully. They crisp as they cool, so don't judge them while they're still warm. Serve with koko Samoa or tea, and keep the rest in an airtight tin for the week.

Chef Tips

• •Name the hand: this is Sāmoa's masi, the biscuit of the aiga table. It sits beside deep foods, not above them, not below them.
• •Fresh peʻepeʻe gives the cleanest coconut smell if you're already grating coconut. A thick canned coconut cream works fine here, because the biscuit is baked and everyday. Eat what you have.
• •The dough should look a little rough. If you knead it smooth, the biscuits turn tough and bready instead of short and tender.
• •Bake them lighter than you think. Masi should be pale gold with crisp edges, not dark brown all over.
• •These are made for keeping. The first day is good, the second day with koko Samoa is better.

Advance Preparation

• •Whisk the dry ingredients up to 1 week ahead and keep them sealed at room temperature.
• •Make the dough up to 24 hours ahead, wrap it tight, and refrigerate. Let it sit 10 minutes at room temperature before rolling.
• •Bake the masi 1 to 2 days before a potluck. Store airtight, then refresh in a 300F oven for 5 minutes and cool fully before packing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 25g)