Dark Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

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American macaroons, chocolate, coconut, dark chocolate, decadent, dessert, dessert recipe, dessert table, egg whites, gourmet, macaroon, postaday2011, recipe, snack, sweets, sweets table

MIA: My internet has been horrible this past week, unable to access it for more than 10 minutes a session. Arrrg!!!

Coconut and dark chocolate have long been two ingredients I love together. So of course on Mother’s Day, I made a batch of tasty coconut macaroons (as well as some jumbo chocolate covered strawberries).

Dark Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:
3-4 large egg whites, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 Tbs. almond extract, 1 pk. shredded coconut, dark chocolate

Directions:
Preheat oven 300°F. Grease baking sheet and set aside. In food processor, briefly chop 1/2 of the coconut so it breaks into smaller pieces. Whip together egg whites, sugar and extract. Mix in coconut and stir. I sprinkled in some flour and rolled mixture out like dough, using a cookie cutter to shape. You can simply dollop on baking tray or use an icing bag to decoratively shape macaroons. Bake for about 15 minutes, tops should become golden brown. If they’re not browning and you’re afraid of over drying macaroons, remove from oven and use a baker’s torch to brown tops. Remove macaroons from tray and place on cooling rack. Dip into dark chocolate and cool to harden.

For Cinco de Mayo, I made these with lime zest and rum extract. Mmm… 

What was your Mother’s Day treat???

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Crème Brûlée

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Bain Marie, burnt cream, Crème Brûlée, cuisine, custard, dessert, dessert recipe, food, french cuisine, french dessert, french food, recipe

I was extremely excited to get my baker’s torch yesterday! My mother and I bought each other one for our birthdays, which fell during the last week of August. I pulled it out in the car on the drive home from the store (DON’T PANIC! Hubster was driving) and began looking over the instruction manual and recipe booklet (and it wasn’t fueled up)!

As most of you know, I am not one for following other people’s recipes, however I figured I’d give it a go the first time I used my Baker’s Torch! Okay, okay, so I used to same ingredients and measurements, but I didn’t quite follow the directions exactly.

I don’t like the crème brûlée ramekins I keep finding at the stores, they are too deep and I prefer mine to be more shallow… In place I use small Pyrex bowls.

Crème Brûlée

Crème Brûlée Ingredients:
1 c. heavy cream, 2 Tbs. sugar, 1/3 c. sugar, 2 jumbo egg yolks, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Crème Brûlée Directions:
Preheat oven to 300°F and prepare some boiling water. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and 2 Tbs. sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally until small bubbles form around edges of the pan (about 5 minutes). Set aside. In a bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add cream mixture, beating continuously. Place four ramekins in a deep baking pan, split mixture between 4 ramekins. Pour boiling water in pan, until halfway up the ramekins (Bain Marie technique). Cover pan loosely with foil and carefully place on center rack of the oven. Bake until custard is set, about 25 minutes. Chill for about 3 hours. Sprinkle remaining sugar evenly over cooled custard. Using a Baker’s Torch, move the flame continuously over the surface of the ramekins, in a circular motion. Sugar should melt and become golden brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.

It was great using the Baker’s Torch opposed to the cheater’s broiler method. The kitchen smells like cotton candy as the sugar is melting.If you don’t have a torch, place ramekins of top rack and broil (with the door ajar) until sugar is caramelized.

Mmm… so good!

What is your newest fun kitchen gadget?

Dark Chocolate Cookies

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chocolate, cocoa, cookie recipe, cookies, dark chocolate, dark cocoa, dessert, dessert recipe, newly wed, recipe, sweets

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! The entire world loves chocolate (except for my Pumpkin)… I love dark chocolate. Chocolate cake, chocolate pie, chocolate pudding, I’ve even been known to eat a square of baking chocolate. I’ve used and modified many chocolate cookie recipes and this is my favorite.

Dark Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients: 3/4 c. melted butter, 1/2 c. dark cocoa powder, 1 c. dark brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, 2 c. flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 c. sugar

Directions:
Mix together butter, cocoa, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Slowly stir flour mixture into chocolate batter half a cup at a time. Cover bowl and refrigerate for a few hours. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll dough into 1″ balls and roll in sugar. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove cookies from tray and place on a cooling rack.

*Usually I bake chocolate with almond extract instead of vanilla, but this recipe I actually used vanilla extract.

Hubster was standing over the oven with a jar of peanut butter in hand, waiting to spread it on the warm cookies.

What flavor do you like the best paired with chocolate?

Sugar Cookie Recipe

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cookie recipe, dessert, dessert recipe, dessert table, sugar recipe, sweets table

I don’t normally post more than once per day, but I had a few email requests for my sugar cookie recipe to use as a base for the Fruit Pizza. Sugar cookies are a tasty classic that can be fun to decorate.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:
3 c. flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 3/4 c. sugar,  1/4 c. light brown sugar, 1 tsp. almond extract, 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1 c. butter (softened), 2 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven 350ºF. Mix together flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, use a mixer to cream together butter, sugar, almond extract, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix in eggs. Slowly add flour mixture. Place spoonfuls on greased baking sheet . Flatten cookies slightly and dust with sanding sugar or sprinkles. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*Sanding sugar, sprinkles and icing optional for decorating.

What is your favorite way to decorate a sugar cookie?

Fruit Pizza

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berry, berry dessert, berry pizza, blackberry, blackberry dessert, cookie pie, cream cheese, dessert, dessert pizza, dessert recipe, fruit pizza, lemon, lemon dessert, strawberry, strawberry dessert, sugar cookie

Happy Memorial Day! This post goes out to Uncle Tony who paid the ultimate price for our country.

Yesterday, I made fruit pizza for our family get together at Uncle Tony’s memorial pavilion. Hubster’s aunt pointed out that I am always designated to bring the dessert. Hmm. Either they don’t like my food, or they really like my desserts. I’m going with the latter of the two. As his aunt told her friends, “She makes those things in cookbooks that you look at and think ‘Wow, who would ever make that?’ She would, that’s who.” Before we were even there an hour, three people already asked for the recipe, one even wrote it down. Maybe they were just being nice, but I didn’t mind the flattery. So here it is…

Fruit pizza is a yummy dessert that your kids can help make.

Fruit Pizza

Crust Directions:
Use your favorite sugar cookie recipe or a package of ready to use sugar cookie dough. Spread out on a large round or rectangle baking tray and bake until set. Cool before adding frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:
1 – 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, 3/4 c. sugar, zest of 2 lemons, 2 tsp. almond extract

Frosting Directions:
Soften cream cheese, mix ingredients until smooth. Spread on cooled sugar cookie.

Topping Ingredients:
Today I chose strawberries and blackberries. Choose any combination of you favorite fruits, Strawberries, kiwis, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, chocolate syrup or melted chocolate.

Topping Directions:
Layer fruit on the frosting. Drizzle with chocolate syrup or melted chocolate and garnish with chocolate curls.

*Double up the batch of sugar cookie dough, make it twice as thick and have a “Sicilian” Fruit Pizza.

Berry Pizza Close-Up

What are your Memorial Day plans? Who are you honoring?

My Gallery Shots:

Peanut-butter Frosting

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cake, cupcakes, dessert, dessert recipe, dessert table, frosting, icing, peanut-butter, peanut-butter frosting, peanut-butter icing, sweets table

As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, I lost my peanut-butter icing recipe. A friend gave me her husband’s recipe, which I though was too sweet. I was able to recreate my frosting recipe last weekend, and had a few requests to share it with you.

Peanut-butter Frosted Cupcake

Ingredients:
2 c. peanut-butter, 2/3 c. butter, 1 c. confectioner’s sugar, 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract, 1 c. milk

Directions:
Allow butter to soften. Microwave peanut-butter for about 30 seconds to loosen. Using an electric blender, mix all ingredients together until well combined. Frost cake and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

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cake, chocolate, chocolate covered strawberry, cupcake recipe, cupcakes, dessert, dessert recipe, petit fours, recipe makeovers, strawberry, strawberry chocolate cake, strawberry preserves

I’ve had several request to post this recipe from my Valentine’s Day Feast.

I had been given a box of strawberry cake mix for which I had no use. Then the idea came to me, I could alternate the cake layers with different flavors.

I pulled out my mini square cupcake pans, whipped up the strawberry cake mix and my chocolate cake batter. I poured the strawberry batter into 12 of the cups and the chocolate batter into 12 different cups and baked them. Once the cakes were cooled, I used my cake leveler to cut the cakes into 4 layers. I then alternated the layers and spread the fresh almond whipped cream between each layer. I then drizzled chocolate ganache overtop of the mini cakes and garnished with a fresh strawberry slice.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

Chocolate Cake Ingredients:
1 box devil’s food cake mix, 1 c. ricotta cheese, 1 c. water, 2 eggs, 1/2 c. vegetable oil, 1 Tbs. chocolate liquor

Chocolate Cake Directions:
Bake at 350°F until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Strawberry Cake Directions:
Mix together ingredients listed on the cake box, adding 1 c. smashed strawberries and bake according to package directions.

Almond Whipped Cream Ingredients:
2 c. heavy whipping cream, 2 tsp. almond extract

Almond Whipped Cream Directions:
In a chilled metal bowl, with chilled metal beaters, whisk together cream and extract until light and fluffy.

Hubster & I loved this dessert!!! Yum!