Chewy Oatmeal Cookies With Coconut

 

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies With Coconut 

 

There are few things I like as much as a good oatmeal raisin cookie. Or coconut. Or toasted coconut. OK…I just like it all! But put them all together, and you have a truly winning combination! So, here’s my (probably) favorite cookie recipe!

First, you’ll notice one of the ingredients is toasted coconut. I like to use packaged fresh-frozen coconut, because I believe it has a lot more flavor than the dried stuff in bags. And you are unlikely to find already toasted coconut in most stores, but it’s very easy to toast your own. It can be done in the oven on a cookie sheet, or on top of the stove in a skillet. I have tried the oven method, but you have to watch it so closely, so it does not work well for my multitasking self! Coconut has lots of natural sugars, as well as a high oil content, and the frozen stuff also has lots of moisture, all of which contribute to its propensity to burn easily and quickly. I find it’s much better for ME to have to stand over the skillet, constantly stirring and watching the coconut as it slowly browns. I use a large very flat bottomed stainless steel skillet, which allows more of the coconut to be in contact with the hot skillet at one time. I heat the skillet on medium heat, and, as I mentioned, stir constantly, watching for several things: color…as it begins to turn golden brown, you know you need to keep stirring and watch very closely; and feel….I use a wooden paddle/spoon to stir, and I will begin to notice how the now-crisping coconut flakes are feeling crunchy against the utensil. Continue stirring and watching until the majority of your coconut is a medium golden brown, and mostly crispy textured. When the coconut is done, pour it out on Set the coconut aside until time for you to add it to your cookie batter. I used most of two bags of this fresh-frozen coconut to produce the cup and a half that was needed for this recipe. The little bit that was leftover will not go to waste, I assure you!

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ½ tsp vanilla powder (or vanilla extract)
• ½ tsp coconut extract (optional)
• 1 ½ cups toasted coconut (see notes)
• 3 cups quick oats
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

Instructions

1. Cream together butter and sugars until the mixture is light colored. 
2. Add eggs one at a time, beating until fluffy. 
3. Add flavorings.
4. Whisk the flour and baking soda together, then beat into the butter mixture, adding flour  until it's completely added. 
5. Next add in your coconut and oatmeal, mixing slowly on the lowest setting of your mixer. 
6. Add the raisins and mix in.
7. This extra step really improves the cookies, I believe. Cover the bowl and chill for approximately a half-hour.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
9. Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto a greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees until cookies are browning on the edges and tips. Note that when you pull them from the oven, they may appear to be underbaked. I usually carefully pull the parchment paper and cookies off onto the countertop or directly onto cooling racks, and within minutes, they take on the wonderful crisp outer crust and tender chewy inside. Allow to cool thoroughly before stacking. Enjoy!

 

Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake

CINNAMON APPLE COFFEE CAKE
 

Ingredients

• 2 apples, diced into small pieces (I used organic Galas)

·       1/2 cup brown sugar (organic)

• 1 & 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt (I used organic)
• 3/4 cup applesauce (I used organic)
• 4 eggs (organic)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (organic)
• 1 box vanilla cake mix, 15.25 oz (organic or non-gmo, if you can find it!)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a 9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (I used spray coconut oil). Set aside.
2. Dice the apples into small pieces. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, mix with a spoon to combine. Remove 3 tbsp and sprinkle over the apples. Set aside the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. And set aside the apples. 
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract, beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute or until combined. Add in the cake mix, gently mixing with the beater. Fold in the apples by hand until incorporated. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan, smooth with a spatula.
5. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture all over the cake. Use a butter knife or spatula to swirl this mixture into the cake batter.
6. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to rest before cutting.

 

This cake is delicious served warm or cold. If you warm it, consider a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!.

LEMON BLUEBERRY SCONES WITH LEMON GLAZE

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
zest of 1 whole lemon
1 stick unsalted butter, frozen and grated
1/2 cup cold heavy whipping cream
1/2 pint fresh blueberries (1 cup)

Glaze/Drizzle
1 cup powdered sugar
freshly squeezed juice of half of the lemon you zested 

Instructions

1. Put a stick of butter into the freezer ahead of time so it will get good and frozen by the time you are ready to grate it and mix it with the flour mixture. 
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. I actually sprayed an 8 inch round stoneware baker (plus a smaller stoneware flat baker for overflow!)
3. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to combine.
4. Use a box grater to grate your frozen stick of butter on the largest slot side. Grating your butter will allow for the flakiest and tenderest scones, since the butter spreads itself through the mixture, and stays cold until it finally melts during the baking!!
5. Pulse the food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
6. With the food processor running on low speed, stream in the cream.
7. When the dough gathers itself into a ball, turn off the food processor put the dough into a mixing bowl.
8. Gently knead/fold in the blueberries.
9. Press the dough into your round baker, or into a circle about 1 ½ inches deep on a sheet pan. If you have more than enough for one round, put any overflow onto another baking stone.
10. Score each round into 6 triangles with or bench scraper, and pull the triangles slightly away from one another slightly.
11. Bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes, or until set in the centers and slightly golden on the bottoms.
12. Stir the powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl and drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones.

Toasted Coconut Macadamia Nut Ice Cream

Toasted Coconut Macadamia Nut Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup toasted coconut

3/4 cup toasted macadamias, chopped

1 cup milk (I used coconut-almond milk)

1 cup heavy cream

1 can coconut milk

¾ cup sugar

A pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut flavoring

5 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla or rum flavoring

In a double boiler, warm the milk, cream, sugar, and salt. Add the coconut milk. Bring to just bubbling.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until they are fluffy, and the color changes.

Slowly pour some of the cream mixture into the egg yolks slowly while stirring constantly to temper the eggs. Then pour the egg mixture slowly into the cream mixture in the double boiler, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Pour through a strainer into a bowl. Place plastic wrap or parchment directly onto the surface of the custard and allow it to cool completely. Refrigerate until cold.

Use a half-gallon or larger ice cream freezer to process the custard into one of the best ice creams you will ever experience!

Small-Batch Bread and Butter Pickles

Small-Batch Bread and Butter Pickles

I really wanted some bread and butter pickles! I haven’t made them for years, but I kind of remembered the process, and I knew it was pretty easy. We used to make them now and then before the kids were born. (the kids are now 30 and 35!) So, I began my research. So many recipes; so many experts; so many testimonials!! So, I used my common sense, put together what I thought were probably the best elements of each, cut down the amounts of ingredients, so that 1) I didn’t waste a whole batch of ingredients making something that we didn’t like, or 2) we didn’t have jars of pickles sitting around forever, since we only eat them once in a while. So, the process, as expected, was fairly straightforward and simple. I bought smaller cucumbers, because that’s my preference, and I also bought smaller 8 oz canning jars. This recipe allowed me to fully fill 3 of those 8 oz canning jars. Needless to say, next time, I’m sure I will AT LEAST double the recipe! I don’t know if I could improve on these, for my tastes, at least! They were just perfect to me!

Ingredients:

1 lb (about 6 skinny 6” cucumbers), sliced
1 small sweet onion, cut and slivered into small pieces
2 tbsp kosher salt

Brine:

1 cup white vinegar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¾ cups sugar
1 ½ tbsp pickling spices (I ordered an organic mixture from Amazon)
½ tsp celery seeds
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp ground cloves

Directions

Wash cucumbers well under running water and cut into 1/4-inch slices discarding ends. Peel onion and slice thinly.

Combine the cucumber and onions a large bowl. Scatter the (kosher or canning) salt over the top, toss, and cover with ice and water, and place in the fridge to let stand for about 3 hours.

Meanwhile, make your brine:
In a pot, combine sugar, vinegars, pickling spices, celery seed, ground turmeric, and cloves. Heat just to a boil.

Drain and rinse the cucumbers and onions under fresh water. Add the drained cucumber and onion slices to the pot of pickling brine and return to boil. Reduce heat and keep warm as you fill your jars.

Add the warm pickles and brine to the warm jars and process in a water bath canner. Let the pickles stand for about 4 weeks to develop flavor. (I admit…I could only wait a week! They were SOOOOO good!!)

George's Pimento Cheese

Pimiento Cheese (With '2-4-6 dressing')

My mom was known far and wide for her pimento cheese. I tried for years to duplicate it when she was still alive, but it was hard for her to impart that knowledge on us because she never used a recipe. Finally, with the help of internet research, I cracked the code of the cooked dressing! I made the pimento cheese for Mom a few times while she was in the nursing home, and it made her very happy.
While having lunch from a food truck in Asheville a few years ago, we discovered smoked gouda makes awesome pimento cheese too! I couldn't wait to try it! Nowadays, it's a regular part of my arsenal of recipes!  

Dressing ingredients: 

2 eggs 

4 TBSP vinegar 

6 TBSP granulated sugar

Add:

1 lb sharp cheddar cheese (or other similarly-textured cheese), shredded
2 large jars of pimentos

Prepare the cheese and pimentos:

Empty 2 8 oz bags or 1 16-ounce bag of shredded SHARP cheddar cheese (or a lb of cheese that you’ve shredded or course-grated) and two large jars of diced pimentos into the bowl of a food processor.

For the dressing:

Beat all ingredients together with whisk. Cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly, until mixture looks like a custard. Remove from heat, and remove the upper pan from the water bath so as to stop it cooking. Don’t cook too long, or you will have scrambled eggs.

Add the warm dressing mixture and process until desired texture is reached. Chill before serving. Can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks. (If it lasts that long!)

NOTE: We have exchanged Smoked Gouda for the cheddar cheese to create a wonderful new flavor. Also, I recommend mixing one of the jars of pimentos in the cheese mixture and processing until smooth. Then, add the other jar and mix well, leaving the visible pieces of pimento in your cheese spread.

"DOLLYWOOD" CINNAMON BREAD

 "DOLLYWOOD" CINNAMON BREAD

This time, the recipe grew out of my son's Thanksgiving 'challenge' for me. We had been talking about gathering at their house in Asheville for Thanksgiving as a family, and were deciding who was going to bring what. My older son suggested that I should see if I could make some Dollywood Cinnamon Bread...the kind, apparently, that they make at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN. 

I had never heard of this phenomenon, but anything with cinnamon will always get my attention! So, I began my research online, as always. It seems there are probably as many varied recipes for this stuff as there are for southern mac and cheese. GEEEEZ! So, it was going to be one of those read-as-many-as-possible-and-make-up-something-to-the-best-of-your-ability days. Below is where I landed. I was in a time crunch, so I used a frozen bread dough by Rhodes, that I've used before to make things like pepperoni rolls, garlic bread, and bread sticks. It is really good, and it's very easy to work with.  As a springboard when you're in a time crunch, it's invaluable. I didn't have a lot of time, and I realized I was going to have to throw all this together and bake it at my son's home in their kitchen, and while they were prepping and cooking Thanksgiving dinner! Frozen bread dough was perfect, because, packed in a cooler with ice, and then transferred to their refrigerator, it thawed without any rising at all.

INGREDIENTS:

2 one-lb loaves of frozen bread dough, thawed (Rhodes brand is great!)

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, melted

1c sugar

3 Tbsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Grease 2 8x4-inch loaf pans liberally. (I used spray coconut oil)

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish or plate

Make several crosswise slits in each piece, taking care NOT to cut all the way through. (Basically, I cut one slit from end to end, then four slits crossways. It really helps to pull the loaf apart for eating!)

Carefully roll the loaves in the melted butter, making sure to cover all four sides and the inside of the slits.

Transfer each and roll each loaf in the cinnamon mixture, packing the cinnamon in the the creases with your fingers.

Place the loaves in the greased pans, cover with oiled plastic wrap or waxed paper, and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in size (I had some of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and melted butter left...which I poured and sprinkled over the top of the bread just before baking!)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Bake the bread, turning the pans around once, for approximately 35 minutes, or until the top is golden and a tap on the top of the bread yields a hollow sound.

Rest and slightly cool for about five minutes. Turn the bread out onto a rack while it's still warm.

Some notes:

•  Many of the recipes I found called for a powdered sugar/water glaze. Trust me…it doesn’t NEED a glaze!

• Any white bread dough would do, so if you have a tried and true recipe, make your own dough, and add the butter and cinnamon mixture before the final rise.

• This same recipe can be adapted to individual dinner-type rolls, to what some folks call monkey bread or pull-apart bread. I also made these like conventional cinnamon rolls, with cream cheese frosting. I simply rolled out the dough to about a quarter-inch, spread the butter and cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the buttered dough, and rolled it up. Once rolled, it’s easy to cut into equal slices with a sharp knife or bench scraper, and lay the rolls flat in a 10 inch round backing pan or stoneware pan, with some space in between to allow for rising.