Coconut Cream Pie

The kids and I like coconut, but not shredded or untoasted.
This is a pie that should make everyone happy.

Makes 9" Pie

Crust
2 c shredded unsweetened coconut
4 T unsalted butter, melted
9 graham crackers
1/4 c sugar
Filling
1/3 c corn starch
2/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 c coconut milk
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 tsp vanilla
Meringue
3/4 c sugar
4 egg whites
pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp coconut extract

Toast 2 cups coconut for 10 minutes at 325F.  Cool.  Process graham crackers and coconut to crumbs.  Combine crumbs, sugar and butter.  Spread in a 9" pie plate.  Bake 12 minutes.  Cool.

In a medium saucepan, whisk corn starch, 2/3 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt.  Whisk in coconut milk.  Cook over medium heat until thickened.  Mix whole egg with yolks in a separate bowl.  Slowly stir in hot mixture to not curdle eggs.  Place custard back on stove top.  Cook a few minutes longer, stirring constantly.  Stir in vanilla and cool over an ice water bath.  Pour into pie crust.

Over a pot of boiling water, whisk egg whites, 3/4 cups sugar, and a pinch of salt in a mixer bowl to 160F.  Place on mixing stand, adding vanilla and coconut extract.  Using the mixer whisk, beat to form glossy, stiff peaks.  Top pie.  Broil to brown top.

Triple Citrus Coffee Cake

This was originally in a Martha Stwart magazine.
I don't have the magazine anymore and can't find it on her website.
I cut the butter, changed the juice, and changed the flours.

Makes 2 Coffee Cakes

Bread

1 orange

1 lemon

1 lime

1/4 c warm water

1 T sugar

2 T yeast

1/4 c unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 c sugar

3 1/2 c whole wheat white flour

3 c a.p. flour

Filling

1 c dried cranberries

16 oz. cream cheese

2 tsp vanilla

1 c powdered sugar

2/3 c poppy seeds

Egg Wash

1 egg

1 T water

Zest orange, lemon, and lime.  Peel fruit and remove seeds and center stems.  Puree with a blender.  The pulp mixture should measure 2 cups.  If not add additional orange, lemon, or lime juice to measure 2 cups.

Whisk warm water, 1 T sugar, and yeast in a mixer bowl.  Let bubble 5 minutes.  Add zest, juice/pulp, through flours.  Using a mixer dough hook, knead on lowest speed for 5 to 8 minutes.  Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.  Let rise 90 minutes or overnight in the fridge.

Pour boiling water over cranberries.  Drain after 5 minutes in water.  Mix cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and poppy seeds until smooth.  Add cranberries.

Divide dough in two.  Roll out into 12" by 12" rectangles.  Spread half of filling on each.  Roll up into 2 logs.  Cut 11 slits almost all the way through dough.  Fold rolls in opposite directions.  Let rise for 1 hour or until nice and puffy.  Brush with one egg mixed with one tablespoon water.  Bake 30 minutes.

Creamsicle Pancakes



No syrup required.  The boys ate these even
without the powdered sugar.

 Makes 20 Small Pancakes

1 small orange
3 eggs
1/4 c butter, melted
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c cottage cheese
3/4 c flour (regular or white whole wheat)
powdered sugar

Zest orange.  Peel orange and remove non-edible parts.  Separate egg yolks from whites.  Place orange, zest, egg yolks, butter through cottage cheese in a small bowl.  Puree mixture.  Stir in flour.  Let batter rest for 10 minutes.  Beat egg whites to hold soft peaks.  Fold into batter.  Heat skillets to just below medium heat.  Pour 2 tablespoons of batter at a time.  Wait for bubbles, flip, and cook second sides.  Dust with powdered sugar.

Lemon Coffee Cake

I forgot the glaze, but we didn't miss it.

The original recipe for this is Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake  from Martha Stewart.  I have never seen a meyer lemon in our area.  I also took some of the butter out and simplified.

Makes 1 Tube Cake

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter

5 small lemons

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla 

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup sour cream

1 cup powdered sugar

3 to 4 T lemon juice

Mix 1 3/4 c flour, brown sugar, and 1 tsp kosher salt.  Cut 1 stick butter in small pieces.  With mixer on low, blend butter into flour mixture to pea size pieces.  Use your hands to smash and clump together.  Refrigerate.

Zest 5 lemons.  Peal lemons.  Discard outsides.

Cream butter with zest from all 5 lemons and sugar.  Beat in eggs and vanilla, one at a time.  Whisk together 2 cups flour through 1 1/2 tsp salt.  Alternate mixing in the flour and sour cream, beginning and ending with the sour cream.  Place half the batter in an greased angel food pan.  Slice lemons as thin as possible.  Throw lemon ends away.  Lay half of the lemon slices over the batter.  Spread remaining batter.  Top with other lemons.  Sprinkle struesel on top.  Bake 55 minutes at 350F.  Cool in pan 15 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Cool completely.

Combine lemon juice and powdered sugar to glaze consistency.  Drizzle on when serving.  The glaze is good, but optional.  I opted not to glaze this time around.  The cake was still very good.

Snicker Doodles

Makes 34

 I store these in the freezer. 
The kids like to nuke them in the microwave.
 The centers get warm and soft while the outsides stay crisp.

1 c unsalted butter
1 3/4 c sugar
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 T corn syrup
2 lg eggs
1 T vanilla
3 1/3 c flour
1/2 c sugar

Cream butter and 1 3/4 cup sugar.  Beat in cream of tartar through corn syrup.  Beat in eggs one at a time and vanilla.  Stir in flour.  Let rest 30+ minutes.  Mix 1/2 c sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.  Using a 1 1/2" scoop, drop level scoops and roll in sugar and cinnamon mixture.  Bake 12 minutes at 375F.  Bang pans and rotate half way through.  Using a spatula, push sides of cookies towards their centers if they spread too quickly.  Bang pans again and reshape cookies with two minutes left.  Remove immediately and place on cooling racks.

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Rob's opinion, "I could eat the screen."

10 pancakes

1 1/3 c oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 small or 2 1/2 large bananas
1/4 c sugar
1 T unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

Grind oats in a coffee grinder to flour consistency.  Whisk baking soda through nutmeg into flour.
Puree bananas.  You should have about 10 liquid ounces.  Puree in sugar through vanilla.  Gently fold dry ingredients into wet.  Let set for 10 minutes.  Heat skillet.  Mine is set between medium low and medium.
Drop 1/4 cup batter and spread into a circle on pan.  Wait, flip, remove, and serve with maple syrup.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

The original recipe for these came from the ultimate cookie baker, Chelsea. 
I just added some salt and tweaked the amounts to simplify.

Makes 32

9 T unsalted butter
1 c light brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 c flour
12 oz bag chocolate chips

Cream sugars with butter and soda, powder, and salt.  Beat in eggs one at a time and vanilla.  Stir in flour.  Let dough rest 30 minutes or more.
Using a 1 1/2" scoop, scoop level balls.  Bake 11-13 minutes at 350F.  Bang pans during the last few minutes a time or two to deflate.

Lunchbox Bread

This is one of the few breads I can send to school without receiving
the comment, "Why can't you buy bread from the store like other moms?"

Makes 2 8"x4" Loaves

1 c boiling water
1 1/4 c oats
1/2 c brown sugar
3 T unsalted butter
1  T salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp maple flavoring
1 c warm water, 110 deg F
1 T yeast
1 c warmed, 110  deg F
2 c whole wheat flour
1 c whole wheat white flour
2 c all purpose flour

In a mixer bowl, pour 1 c boiling water over oats through maple flavoring.  Stir and let sit 30 minutes.  In a smaller bowl, combine warm water and yeast.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Dump yeast water and warm milk in the mixer bowl.  Add flours.  With the mixer's bread hook, mix on low 5 to 8 minutes.  Bread should almost pull away from the side of the bowl.  If it appears too moist, add a little extra all purpose flour.  I use a spatula to loosen dough from the edge, spray with cooking spray and shift dough around to surround with a light coat of oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at least one hour.  Divide dough in half and place in bread pans.  Let rise 45 minutes.  Bake for 35 minutes at 350F.  Let cool for about 5 minutes in pans.  Place on cooling racks to cool completely.  This is a real kid-friendly PB&J bread.

Rum Fruitcake

This fruitcake is my number one weakness.
Don't ask me how many slices I had yesterday. 
It's a little embarassing.

Makes 1 Tube Cake

2 c candied cherries
1 c candied pineapple
1 c dried apricots
1 c dried kiwi
1 c dried apples
1 c dried pears
1 c golden raisins
3/4 c rum
1 1/2 c walnuts
1 c unsalted butter
1 3/4 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
zest from 2 oranges
4 eggs
2 T honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp rum extract
3 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
rum for soaking

Combine all dried fruits, should total 8 cups.  Heat 3/4 c rum to just below a simmer.  Stir with fruit.  Cover for anywhere between 1 and 3 days.

Preheat oven to 300F.  Toast walnuts for 10 minutes.  Stir nuts in with fruit.

Cream butter, sugars, and zest in a large mixing bowl.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Mix in vanilla and rum extract.  Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  On low speed, add dry ingredients to butter mixture, just to combine.  Gently fold in fruit and nuts.  Place in an angel food cake or bunt pan.  Bake at 300F for 2.5 hours.  Let cool.  Soak in rum if desired.  Best to wait a day, but we won't.

Fruit and Nut Scones




I served these warm off the pan for lunch.
There were none of the usual comments like,
"Why did you have to add raisins or nuts?"
All four Gentle men gobbled them up.

  Makes 16

1 c whole walnuts
1 c golden raisins
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c dried apricots quartered
3/4 c and 2 T flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
6 T sugar
1 1/4 c rolled oats
9 T unsalted butter
2 tsp orange zest
1/2 c flax seeds
1/2 c and 2 T buttermilk

Toast walnuts in oven for 10 minutes at 300F.  Cool.

Cover raisins and apricots in boiling water.  Soak to soften 5 minutes.  Drain and cool.

In a mixer bowl, mix flour through oats.  With mixer on low, cut in butter to pea size chunks.  Stir in fruit, nuts, zest, and flax seeds.  Gently stir in buttermilk to form a crumbly mass.  Dump onto a floured counter and shape into a large, 1 inch thick square.  Using a pastry cutter, cut large square into four smaller squares.  Cut each smaller square into two triangles.  Then cut each triangle into two smaller triangles. Place 16 triangles on two cookie sheets.  You may have to reshape triangles and smash crumbs onto their sides.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350F until golden.  Cool on pans.

S'mores Cupcakes

My first food snapshot.  A little blurry.

Makes 12

Graham Cupcake
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup milk

With a whisk and small bowl, blend crumbs through salt.  In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture, alternating with milk.  Starting and ending with dry.  Fill 12 regular sized muffin cups.  Bake 23 minutes at 350F.  Cool in pan on rack.  Poke holes in tops with finger or large stick of some sort.

Marshmallow Topping
1/4 cup cold water
1 T and 1 tsp gelatin
1 c sugar
1/2 c and 2 T corn syrup
1 T and 2 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
few drops almond extract

In a small bowl sprinkle gelatin over cold water.  Let soften 5 minutes.  In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, syrup, a pinch salt, and 1 tablespoon and 1 1/2 teaspoons water to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil 20 seconds.  Add gelatin and flavorings.  Stir and boil 30 seconds longer.  Pour into a mixing bowl.  With the whisk attachment, gradually increase mixing speed to high.  Beat till fluffy and cool.  Immediately grease a cookie or small ice cream.  Use to scoop marshmallow onto cupcake tops.  Grease fingers and push centers of marshmallow down into cupcakes.  Continue greasing fingers and scoop as necessary.

Chocolate Topping
8 oz semi sweet chocolate
1/4 c unsalted butter

In a microwave safe dish, melt on low power.  Stir and top cupcakes.