Cookie Carnival-Black Bottom Coconut Bars

Kate from The Clean Plate is back, and is kicking off the Cookie Carnival after a short break. She chose these bars by Martha. I am not a huge coconut fan, but I had some coconut in the cabinet that needed to be used. This was a great way to do that. This recipe is simple enough and doesn't take much time putting it together. What you can expect from these bars is, a moist chocolate brownie base, with a chewy coconut topping, kind of like a Mounds candy bar in brownie form. It was a good choice!

Black Bottom Coconut Bars
By: Martha Stewart

FOR CHOCOLATE BASE
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

FOR COCONUT TOPPING
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 package sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces), 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling

Directions
For chocolate base: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang).

Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; melt in microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10 to 15 minutes (do not over bake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping. Keep oven on for topping.

For coconut topping: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in flour and coconut (except 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling).

Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup coconut.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into 24 bars. Store in an airtight container 3 to 4 days.

I'm back with a Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake!

I have been away from here for way too long! I don't intend on staying away like this again, I have missed you guys! So, what better way to make a come back than this pound cake? You will want to try this one! I am not really a coconut lover, it seems that the older I get, the more I can tolerate it, but I really think that I could eat this whole cake. Maybe because it makes me think of a tropical island. Not sure, but I really like it! Sweet, coconutty, moist...just delicious!

I hope you all have a safe and fun holiday!!

Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 8oz cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups flaked coconut
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp coconut extract

Beat butter, shortening and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition just until yellow disappears.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in coconut, vanilla, and coconut extract.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30-40 minutes (mine only baked for 1 hour and 10 minutes), or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10-15 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Tropical Banana Bread, the Lightened Up Version!

My biggest problem with trying to watch what I eat, is the sweets. I have a really big sweet tooth! It's ok, I can admit it. I am not a huge fan of banana bread, but make it tropical and I am all in. And to make it even better, it is a healthier version. This loaf serves 12, and each serving is 185 calories! So, now I don't feel as guilty!

Tropical Banana Bread
From: Woman's World Magazine

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup refrigerated liquid egg substitute
1/3 cup 1% low fat milk
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple, drained, squeezed dry

For the glaze:
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1 Tbsp 1% low fat milk

Toasted coconut for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 8 1/2 x4 1/2 loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; reserve. On medium high speed, beat bananas and sugar until blended. Stir in egg. On low speed, beat in reserved flour mixture alternately with milk until just combined. Stir in pineapple. Transfer to pan. Bake 45 minutes or until pick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

Combine confectioners sugar, extract and milk until smooth. Pour over bread. Sprinkle with coconut.

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Macaroons

For this edition of the cookbook project, it was my choice of recipe. Now, I know that the whole point of a cookbook project is to cook out of different cookbooks until you have used every book that you have. Well, I have a little problem with that, when Megan sent me this book I read it from cover to cover and there are so many that I want to make now. And since we have no rules on this cookbook escapade, two recipes, from the same book, in 2 weeks in a row, was completely fine.

You see, I don't really care for coconut. I think that the older I get, the more it grows on me and flipping through this book these macaroons just stuck in my head. They were easy enough to mix together and a little bake in the oven for 15 minutes, and they were ready to be sampled. My first thought was, well, I really don't know what I thought. They were ok, but not great. Probably won't make them again. They are a little crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. But, when I came home and sampled them again, they changed my mind. I think that they are better the next day. Still crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. So, with that said, I may make them again. I haven't written them off completely, yet.

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Macaroon
By: Marcel Desaulniers

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
4 large egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
6 oz. semi sweet baking chocolate, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with some of the melted butter. Line the sheets with parchment or wax paper, then lightly coat the paper with more melted butter.

In a sifter, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Sift onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper.

Place the almonds and the sugars in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse for 10 to 12 seconds until combined and the almonds are coarsely chopped.

Place the egg whites and the cream of tartar int eh bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whip (the bowl and the whip need to be meticulously clean and dry, otherwise the egg whites will not whisk properly). Whisk on high until stiff peaks form, about 2 1/2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in half the almond mixture. When combined, fold int eh remaining almond mixture. Fold in half of the sifted dry ingredients, when combined, fold in the rest. Now fold in half the chocolate and coconut, and when incorporated, fold in the rest until thoroughly combined.

Using 2 slightly heaping tablespoon or 1 heaping #50 ice cream scoop of the dough to portion 9 macaroons, about 2 inches apart width wise and 3 inches apart lengthwise, on each of the baking sheets. Place the baking sheets on the top and center racks of the oven and bake for 15-16 minutes, until light golden brown, switching the setts between top and center and rotating each sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven, and immediately transfer from the paper to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature (if the macaroons are not removed from the baking sheets within moments, they will stick to the paper). Store the cooled macaroons in a tightly sealed plastic container.

TWD-Florida Pie

This weeks recipe was chosen by Dianne of Dianne's Dishes. If you are looking for a quick and easy treat, this would be the one to choose! You have a graham cracker crust, with a layer of coconut cream and then topped with your key lime curd. I chose not to top with the meringue, I am not a huge meringue girl.

Next week we are doing madelines chosen by Tara of Smells Like Home. Check out the TWD chicks to see their creations of Florida Pie!

9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust

1 1/3 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

4 large eggs, separated

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)

1/4 cup of sugar

Getting Ready:Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat.

Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thickened. Scrape the coconut cream into a bowl and set it aside while you prepare the lime filling.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the reaming juice, again mixing until it is blended. Spread the coconut cream in the bottom of the graham cracker crust, and pour over the lime filling.Bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then freeze the pie for at least 1 hour.

To Finish the Pie with Meringue:Put the 4 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking all the while, until the whites are hot to the touch. Transfer the whites to a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer in a large bowl, and beat the whites at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 1/2 cup coconut into the meringue.Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the broiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Or, if you've got a blowtorch, you can use it to brown the meringue.) Return the pie to the freezer for another 30 minutes or for up to 3 hours before serving.

Oh Christmas Tea! and turtles....

This Saturday the church that I attend is having our annual Christmas Tea. This is a day of just girl time, where you can host a table of 8, decorate your table until you are just sick about it, and the best part is..the men serve you!! Let me just tell you, this only happens once a year for me, and I take full advantage of my girly day. Every year we have a theme, and this years theme is "Christmas around the world" all the money raised for the tea will go to the Haiti missionary trip that my husband will be part of in a couple of weeks. Within the tea, we are having "the Market in Bethlehem" with a bake sale, and other goodies. All of this money will go to the children of Haiti that are in orphanages. It is such an exciting day, I will have pics after Saturday to show of all of the other table decorations. So, where does this "Santa Turtle" come in? It is for the bake sale, of course.



My turtle is a mold, filled with a shell of tempered chocolate, filled with caramel and pecans and topped with another layer of chocolate to seal in the inside "guts." Then with white chocolate with a little bit of red food coloring and a little of just white chocolate makes the little hats that make my turtles little "santa's."



To make the caramel, I used a can of sweetened condensed milk, removed the label, put it in a pot of water--make sure the can is completely covered with water at all times--and boil for 3 hours. Let it cool completely, open the can and you have great caramel!! Use 3 cans of this and you can make a caramel pie that is just like O'Charley's. Yum!!




Next, I have Coconut Joys. These are so simple to make!

Coconut Joys:

1 stick of butter

2 Cups of powdered sugar

3 Cups of sweetened coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan, remove from heat. Add the powdered sugar and coconut and mix until it is all combined well. Roll into balls and let set to "dry" for a few minutes. Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over the tops of the coconut balls.

Stay tuned for more bake sale items.....