the.yellow.page

Posts tagged coconut

15th Feb 2011 | 4 notes

Lacey Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Though Andreas and I don’t really make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day, we do try to do a little something special, whether it’s dinner together at our favorite sushi spot or bacon lettuce tomato sandwiches on a lunch date. This year I somehow managed to make Andreas’ ULTIMATE IDEAL COOKIE, almost completely by accident!

His ideal cookie is thin and shatteringly crispy, sweet with a hint of salty. This cookie is IT. I have to give a shout out to my cousin Emily, for bringing to my attention some lacey and florentine cookie recipes two weeks ago (Emily, I’m still not certain about the difference of the two, but I’m thinking a lacey cookie is any flat and crunchy cookie with high butter to low flour ratio, whereas a florentine is a type of lacey cookie that includes ground nuts). Because of the thin crispyness of these cookies, they seemed a perfect candidate to satisfy Andreas’ cookie wishes, so I found a recipe that incorporated a few more of Andreas’ other favorite ingredients: shredded coconut and oatmeal.

The cookies are light and so crispy on their own, slightly caramelly (that’s what happens when a good amount of butter melts into a good amount of sugar), with a bit of chew from the coconut and oatmeal. With melted chocolate chips spread between two cookies, they made excellent crispy cookie sandwiches!

Now that I’ve found the cookie that Andreas would DO ANYTHING FOR, I am having a hard time suppressing thoughts of ~~all the ways I can use this to bribe him to do what I want and buy me lots of presents~~ the next time I will reward him with his favorite cookie!

Morning Glory Oat Muffins

Perhaps these muffins won’t win any beauty contests, but they definitely would go home with FIRST prize in the tastes-great-AND-is-relatively-HEALTHY-so-tastes-EVEN-BETTER category! They are kind of like the lovechild of granola (bars) and these whole wheat muffins- integrating the hearty appetite-satiating ingredients commonly found in granola (rolled oats, dried fruit, coconut, and pecans) into the form of one of my favorite breakfast embodiments (in which cake is thinly disguised as an acceptable breakfast item)- a muffin!

I love breakfast, but the schedule of the weekdays (a.k.a. the inescapable guilt I feel when I am not in lab performing experiments the MOMENT I have woken, resulting in the loss of my previously cherished ability to SLEEP IN) doesn’t easily permit the leisurely prepared breakfasts that I love: omelets, french toast, pancakes, waffles, quiche, freshly baked scones! WITH A SIDE OF BACON AND HASH BROWNS! As a result, I have started baking/cooking large batches of breakfast to last me through the week- things I can pack up and either eat during the walk to lab, or things I can warm/toast up once I have gotten experiments started. Through the recent cold chill and rainy days of March and April, steel-cut oatmeal was my go-to breakfast for the week; it’s easy to cook up a big pot, it’s tastier than rolled oats oatmeal (to me) and the toppings are endless so you won’t get bored too quickly (I love it with toasted almonds and coconut, dried cranberries, and/or fresh fruit).

This week (and in all likelihood, for weeks in the future), this muffin will be my morning buddy. As I mentioned earlier, not only does it taste GOOD, but it’s totally chock-full of things that are good FOR YOU! They actually taste so good that you would think they are NOT good for you. There’s 2 whopping cups of shredded carrots for natural sweetness and moisture, a whole apple, plus whole wheat flour, oats, and nuts. There is quite a bit of sugar (though less than other muffin recipes out there), but no butter or oil (applesauce is used instead). The best part? One of these babies (toasted lightly with a bit of butter) kept me fueled and focused until lunch- rarely do I survive past 10 am without a snack! This recipe is a keeper; they are truly glorious morning muffins!

Morning Glory Oat Muffins
adapted from honey & jam
makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup raisins (i used dried cranberries)
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1 apple, peeled, cored and grated (i used a pear and just diced into small pieces)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup wheat germ (optional, I did not opt to add)
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
Demerara sugar for sprinkling on top (I skipped this step this time)

Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Line standard muffin tin with liners or grease generously.
In a small bowl, cover raisins (or dried cranberries) with hot water, let sit for about 10 minutes to allow to plump up. Drain after plumped.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the carrots, apple (pear), pecans, coconut and raisins.
In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce, eggs, orange juice, vanilla extract, and brown sugar until thoroughly mixed.
Add the liquid ingredients to the flour and fruit mixture. Mix with a spatula until just combined.
Spoon into muffin tins. Sprinkle tops with demerara sugar, if using.
Bake for 23-25 minutes (my muffin cups were quite full, it took about 28 minutes).
Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before removing the muffins from the tins.

10th Feb 2010 | 2 notes

Oven Pancakes

I’ve mentioned before how I like to pamper myself by making breakfast on weekend mornings. This past Sunday, I took the time to enjoy this lovely oven pancake. The preparation is super simple and requires very little manual labor, but the final result tastes like you’ve put way more effort than you actually did. You mix together a few ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now, pour it into an oven-safe pan, and toss it in the oven for about 15 minutes, et violà, an oven pancake with crispy edges and softer puffy areas, with the light eggy taste reminiscent of a crêpe.

Then comes the fun part, the toppings!! The possibilities are endless: fresh fruit, powdered sugar, maple syrup, honey, yogurt, whipped cream, toasted nuts, chocolate chips… I don’t know about you, but just thinking about all the possible combinations of the above makes me incredibly happy! I have more fun accessorizing my pancakes now than dressing up my Barbies when I was 7 (and I really really enjoyed dressing my Barbies).

One of our favorite toppings is toasted coconut and almonds. I toast them in a pan on medium low heat until they are golden brown and the sweet and nutty aroma fills your apartment, rousing even the sleepiest of sleepyheads (who would usually rather sleep well into the afternoon). Make a big batch and save it to enjoy with your ice cream, yogurt, or cereal!

This time I dressed up my pancake with toasted coconut and almonds, a handful of fresh blueberries, banana slices, and a healthy drizzle of maple syrup.

Oven Pancakes

from Steamy Kitchen
makes 1 large oven pancake, about 2 servings for a light breakfast… though to be honest, I have been known to eat one all by myself…

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (though I have plopped in my flour without sifting without detrimental consequence to the pancake)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter, slightly cooled
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon (or pinch) of salt

Preheat the oven to 450F.
Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, melted butter, salt, and sugar.
Gradually add the flour to the egg mixture, a bit (spoonful) at a time. Whisk to incorporate the flour until just combined, do not over-mix or your pancake will not be as light.
Lightly spray a 9-11 inch oven-safe skillet (I have a 10 inch) with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the skillet. Bake in the oven 12-18 minutes, until the edges are golden. The pancake will start puffing at about the 10-12 minute mark.

* Once removed from the oven, the pancake will deflate a bit, but that’s OK.

* Remember at all times that the entire skillet is hot from the oven, so if you are going to grab the pan (i.e. to move it to take a picture of your lovely puffy pancake) REMEMBER TO USE HEAT PROTECTION (of course I did not, so I burned just a few small spots on my palm and fingers, and the first thought in my head was not “oh crap, I have burned my hand” but rather “oh crap, if I can’t hold a pipetman and do experiments this week I’m in deep poop”).

Toasted Coconut and Almonds

Some amount of coconut (sweetened is what I usually use because it’s the easiest to find in my grocery store)
Some amount of sliced almonds