Almond Joy Macaroons

This post is a little late, but I did make these macaroons during Passover. This is just a little twist on a simple coconut macaroon recipe. I added sliced almonds into the mixture and then a chocolate kiss on top, after I took the macaroons from the oven. The almonds add a nice crunch, and the kisses mean no dipping in chocolate, which can be messy (and dangerous, when some of the cookies fall into the chocolate and you have to eat the less pretty ones).  Almond Joy Macaroons(based on Mark Bittman's Minimalist Macaroons) 

2/3 c sugar (I used vanilla sugar and skipped the vanilla below)

2 c unsweetened coconut

2/3 c sliced almonds

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

approx. 24 chocolate kisses (optional but good)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the sugar, coconut, almonds, egg whites, vanilla, and salt together in a bowl.  Using a 1/8 c measuring cup (or spoons, or your fingers), scoop out the coconut mixture onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 min., or til lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and place an upside down kiss on top of each macaroon.  Let cool completely.

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Banana-Coconut Cream Pi

Happy belated Pi Day! We celebrated March 14 with a banana-coconut (banananut? cocoban?) pie. The pie combines two great flavors, with slices of bananas covered in a coconut custard, and then topped with whipped cream and toasted flaked coconut.  The recipe is here.

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Spicy Coconut Chicken

Chicken and rice is one of my favorite comfort combinations. This recipe adds to that with red curry paste and coconut milk mixed into the pot. I used the higher amount of curry paste, and the end result wasn't super spicy--though it's possible that the heat might have faded. I'll have to try this again, and soon, with a fresh jar of curry paste. I'd also wondered if the coconut flavor would overpower the dish, but it was more of a hint of coconut and super tender chicken in the end.
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Christmasy Cookies

Every year I say the same thing--that I'm not going to go overboard--and every year I end up making a ton of cookies. It's not that I don't like baking cookies--clearly--but there's only so many hours in a day, nor is there a need for bazillions of cookies and candies.  This year my list kept growing and growing, but I was finally able to narrow it down to a mere 10 items.  After I baked the first eight all in one day, and I had trouble locating not-uncommon ingredients for the last two, I decided it was a sign and called it a day.  Starting at the bottom of this picture, there are triple peanut cookies with peanut m&ms, salty caramel oat caramelitas, chocolate-dipped toasted coconut macaroons, coal cookies with white chocolate chips, chewy ginger spice cookies (hiding at the very top), almond buttercrunch, and avalanche bars.  Not pictured are the peanut butter-oat dog biscuits I made, but the dog has tested them and declared them very tasty.  She didn't even bother trying to hide these--as is her usual with a treat--and just ate them right up.

Mounds of Joy Brownies

What happens when an Almond Joy, Mounds, and a brownie collide? Deliciousness, clearly. I always wanted the two candy bars to combine, with coconut covered in dark chocolate AND almonds. So when I recently found a recipe for Mounds-like brownies, adding a layer of toasted whole almonds on top of the coconut wasn't even a question. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas Cookies 2010

The holidays are here, and I am done with my baking! Well, at least the immediate baking -- I've been told I missed a few key kinds of cookies and that we're at risk of running out. Not likely. This year I made, triple peanut butter cookies, gingersnaps, chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons, pecan divines, and almond buttercrunch, which is pictured above.

                                                                    Spicy gingersnaps


                                                           Chewy, nutty pecan divines


                                                    Chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons


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A Tough Nut to Crack

We got about a cup of coconut water when it drained And we perservered and cracked it open (without cracking anything else open in the meantime.) - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pumpkin Curry with Chicken

Some nights just nothing in the fridge seems appealing, not even a bowl of cereal is what I want. Tonight was one of those nights, so I started digging around in the cupboard, and this curry is what evolved. I combined one can of coconut milk with about a tablespoon of Thai red curry paste and some freshly grated ginger, and then added about a cup of pumpkin puree, two diced carrots, and maybe a tablespoon of fish sauce. This all cooked down for a few minutes, and then I added six boneless skinless chicken thighs, each cut into six pieces, some chicken broth, and a little brown sugar. This all simmered for 2o-30 min., and then I adjusted to taste with lime juice and soy sauce, and served the whole lot over gingered rice.

Grilled Curry Chicken With Coconut Rice

Based on a recipe from Food & Wine magazine, this recipe is tasty variation from the usual grilled chicken flavors (which are good, but so is change.) The recipe blends red curry paste--though you could use green or yellow--with coconut milk and brown sugar, and I added freshly grated ginger and lime zest. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, as that's what we had on hand and served the chicken with coconut rice pilaf (which used up the rest of the coconut milk), grilled peaches, and green beans.

Coconut Madness

Tall and fluffy, this coconut cake is just fun to look at -- and also to eat. The recipe, Miss Essie Brazil's Three-Layer Coconut Cake, was in the Washington Post a couple of years ago and came highly recommended. The cake is light and moist and speckled with coconut flakes, and the frosting is a voluptuous and sticky Italian meringue base, which is then coated in even more coconut. One thing that's particularly nice is that this coconut cake, unlike others I've tasted, isn't too sweet. Just a slice ...

German Chocolate Cake Cookies

I found this recipe in a mystery I was reading and decided we needed to have them. The cookies come out of the oven very poofed up--and much bigger than when they went in--but they flatten out as they cool. The recipe uses melted butter, instead of room temperature, which leaves them chewy and delicious. I go chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp.... like clahm chowdah! These cookies are superyummalicious!!! I shall eat them and they shall be my eatables and I shall call them eaties! - Umm, my blog was momentarily taken over by a crazed teenager, but apparently she liked the cookies. The recipe is from Joanne Fluke's Peach Cobbler Murder. I used semisweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate. German Chocolate Cake Cookies (based on the recipe from Joanne Fluke) Yield six dozen tasty cookies 2 sticks unsalted butter 2 c semisweet chips (one bag) 2 c sugar 2 eggs ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 2-3 tsp vanilla 3 c flour ½ c firmly packed brown sugar ¾ c tightly packed flaked coconut ½ c chopped pecans 4 oz butter, cold 2 egg yolks, lightly mixed 1. In a small pan on the stove, melt the chocolate chips and butter. Set aside to cool somewhat. 2. In a large bowl, blend together the sugar and the 2 whole eggs until well mixed. Then add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Add in the melted chocolate-butter mixture. 3. Then add the flour and blend well. The dough will be very stiff, but this is how you want it. Cover the dough til you're ready to use it (to keep it from drying out.) 4. Meanwhile in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the sugar, coconut, and pecans and pulse until they are all in small pieces. Add the butter and pulse a few more times. Then add the egg yolks and process until well mixed. Chill this mixture--the frosting--until you're done forming the cookies. 5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 6. Using your fingers, roll the dough into one-inch balls. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, 12 per pan. Make a deep dent with your thumb in the center of each ball. The dough might crumble a bit as you do this, but a) it's pretty forgiving and b) the frosting doesn't travel much when it bakes, so just press together any big cracks and continue on. 7. Form the frosting into 1/2-inch balls, to fit into each indentation. 8. Bake for about 12 min. The cookies will have spread a lot, and they will be very puffy. Take them out of the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheets for about 2 min.--they will flatten out but still be soft, which is how you want them. Place on a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!

Christmas Cookies, Day 2

Not that I really needed more, but I finished the Christmas cookies yesterday. I made almond buttercrunch (above), lemon-glazed lemon cookies, and meringue kisses. Lemon-glazed lemon cookies, from Carole Walters' Great Cookies. Meringue kisses: light and airy meringue mixed with toasted pecans and unsweetened coconut. Also from Carole Walters' Great Cookies.

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

These macaroons combine sweetened and unsweetened coconut as well as cream of coconut for a finished product that is not overly sweet--but still sweet enough to counter the bittersweet chocolate we dipped them in. The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated, and they suggest making one-inch macaroons ... which would take forever to shape and then dip. We doubled the recipe and ended up with 60-70 larger macaroons.

ETA: It's not often I do this, but for all that I like this recipe, it's a pain to make and shape.  Mark Bittman's Ultimate minimalist macaroon tastes just as good, if not better--and it only takes a few minutes to throw together.  The recipe can be found here. Dip the macaroons in melted dark chocolate after baking, if desired.

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated. It uses a combination of sweetened and unsweetened coconut as well as cream of coconut, so the macaroons aren't overly sweet yet they're still moist and chewy. The chocolate isn't necessary ... it's just good.

Update: It's not often I do this, but for all that I like this recipe, it's a pain to make and shape.  Mark Bittman's Ultimate minimalist macaroon tastes just as good, if not better--and it only takes a few minutes to throw together.  The recipe can be found here. Dip the macaroons in melted dark chocolate after baking, if desired.