Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

Only in recent years have I come to love coconut. As a kid, I associated coconut with two things: tropical scenes in movies like Swiss Family Robinson and the sad pile of rejected Almond Joys left behind during Halloween candy sorting. Of course the Swiss Family Robinson association is a positive one! I put that movie on a pedestal, but the reality of coconut, in Almond Joy form, was too much for this kid.

Luckily my tastes have matured - somewhat - and I find coconut desserts delicious which makes the combination of my favorite cookie and coconut the perfect marriage of traditional and tropical. The flavors really work well together. The toasted coconut provides just enough coconut flavor and a really nice texture.

Best part of baking? Tasting the dough.

And this cookie dough is almost better than the cookies.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

     original recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 cup flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1 cup flaked sweetened coconut

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°.

To toast the coconut, scatter the coconut in a thin layer on a cookie sheet and heat in the oven for 3 minutes, stir, and return to the oven for about 2 minutes. These times will vary depending on your oven so keep an eye on the coconut. Remove from oven when the majority of the coconut is a soft golden color, do not burn it!

In a small bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a standing mixer cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the coconut and chocolate chips. Eat dough.

Spoon the dough out onto your cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. 

Learn from my mistake and make these cookies larger than I did. 

When it comes to cookies, bigger is better.

Dark Chocolate Brownies

I like my brownies small, dark, and chubby. Just how I like my men. Haha!

Dark Chocolate Brownies

     original recipe from Buns in my Oven

Ingredients

1 cup butter

2 ¼ cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 ¼ cups dark chocolate cocoa powder (Ghirardelli or Hershey's work great)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups flour

2 cups dark chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once all melted stir in the sugar, stir for up to 2 minutes, do not let it boil, and remove from heat. 

In a standing mixer, combine the butter mixture, cocoa powder, eggs, salt, baking powder, and vanilla.

Using a spoon, fold in the flour and chocolate chips until just combined. Do not over stir.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

folding in the flour

These brownies are packed with chocolate
so cut them into smaller pieces and enjoy!

Or you can pig out like I've been know to do. 

Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting & Nasturtiums

These are birthday cupcakes for my old friend, Sarah!

You could make a case that I might have cheated by using a Betty Crocker cake mix but the amazingly talented Jamie Oliver uses pre-made crusts and dough in his baking so it's all good if I get a little help too. I did doctor the mix a little, adding vanilla Jell-o pudding and was very pleased with the results; soft, flavorful little cakes.

Nasturtiums grow in my parents' backyard. They are such a pretty, delicate flower I've always liked - and they are edible - so the cook in me must have always known. If you have any small and colorful flowers at your disposal they look great when decorating baked treats, especially cakes.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting & Nasturtiums

     yields 30 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 box yellow or white cake mix

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 packet Jell-o vanilla pudding

Frosting

1-1 lb. box powdered sugar 

1/2 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

sprinkles (optional)

flowers (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake baking tins with liners.

Follow the directions on the cake mix, adding the pudding mix in with the other ingredients. Mix until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and fill each cup 3/4 full.

Bake until golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Let cool on counter until completely cool.

For the Frosting

Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl.

Heat the cream cheese in the microwave for 15 seconds, or until it is creamy but not liquid.

In a mixer, combine the sugar, cream cheese, milk and vanilla until smooth and creamy. 

I placed the frosting in the refrigeration while the cupcakes cooled and removed it right before frosting.

To frost, use a knife and generously plop the frosting onto the top of the cupcake. This frosting is smooth and will drip, it's not a stiff frosting so make sure not to over do it. Once you've smoothed out the top of the cupcake to your liking add some sprinkles. Garnish with a few flowers here and there. Viola! Knock out cupcakes!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

photo credit: A. Deggelman