I'm coocoo for coconut

When I was about 3 years old and my sister was at her dance class, my mom and her friend Catherine who's daughter was also in the class would take me to the cafe across the street and I would always order a chocolate-dipped coconut macaroon. Catherine would always ask for a taste, and I would reluctantly let her have some, but to freak me out she would say "Oh don't worry Kelsey, I just want the chocolate part", since she knew that was my favorite part.
Almost 14 years later and I still remember those days, so this year at her annual New Years day soup party, I decided it was only right that I made chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons.

I looked around online at different recipes, and ultimately chose one from Joy of Baking, based on the picture, because I wanted them to come out as close to the ones that I used to order at the cafe as possible.

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons:

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup cake flour, sifted
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

1. In a stainless steel bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt. When this mixture is warm to the touch, and nice and creamy, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, flour, and coconut. Cover and refrigerate for about two hours, or until firm.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Place small mounds (heaping tablespoons) of the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool.

4. Once completely cooled, dip halfway in melted chocolate and set on a parchment-lined tray. Chill until chocolate is set, about 5-10 minutes, before serving.





They came out perfectly. I think they were a little more meringue-y and a little less coconut-y than the ones from the cafe, but they were just right.
When Catherine saw what they were, she instantly understood why I made them and gave me a huge hug. I think that it was a good idea making them for the party.
Sorry, I do realize that this post sounds like a writing assignment for like a 4th grade journal, but whatevs, I was out of school for 2 weeks and my brain has almost entirely turned to mush. I promise my writing quality will improve in the near future.

Peace. Love. Coconut.

The best way to spread holiday cheer is by singing loud, for all to hear.

Or baking. That works too.
Or, better yet, doing both simultaneously.

Maybe you have figured out that I am watching Elf, the greatest holiday movie ever made. Will Ferrell is my life. Good grief.


Since last night was Christmas Eve, my friends (more like cousins, really) came over for our big dinner, and so I made cupcakes. I cannot believe how long it has been since I have made cupcakes.
Since it is a special day, I used Magnolia Bakery's Chocolate Cupcake recipe. If I had my way, I would eat Magnolia Bakery cupcakes all day everyday. But I live in California, so that is a bit of a challenge. Oh well.

To make them, I did this:

Magnolia's Chocolate Cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (see Note)
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

5. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. At the bakery we ice the cupcakes with either Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Buttercream.





Instead of doing a chocolate buttercream though, I chose to frost half of the cupcakes with a vanilla buttercream rolled shredded coconut, and the other half with a peppermint buttercream sprinkled with crushed candy canes. I used the Magnolia buttercream recipe, to go with the whole theme of the cupcakes haha.

Magnolia's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting*

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.)


*For half of the frosting I added 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract and about 2 drops of red food coloring (for a kind of pink candy cane kind of look).


These ones I just frosted with the vanilla buttercream, then rolled in shredded coconut. I think they look, I don't know, 'snowy', or something.

They were definitely a hit. The peppermint ones got a lot more love than the coconut ones, but in my humble opinion I personally thought the coconut ones were more appealing. Oh well, more for me I guess.

Peace. Love. Cupcakes.

Modest Mouse Cookies

Yet another recipe from the Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine.
This time: mouse cookies.
Oh my stars they are the absolute cutest things in the entire world and they are actually pretty yummy. I made them for the Nutcracker cast party last night, and all of my friends loved them. Reid took forever to eat hers because she was too scared to mess it up.
They were actually pretty easy to make, but I think next time I make them they will come out better because I was kind of experimenting with techniques and stuff.


^ Marissa enjoying one of the mousie cookies.


^ Ella eating one of the cookies. You can't really see the cookie itself but gosh I love this girl, so I just had to put this picture up.

Mouse Cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 large eggs
1/4 cup sliced natural almonds
licorice rope
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped*

* I just used chocolate chips and they worked fine.





1. Whisk to combine flour and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually, beating until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. beat in extract, then egg. Reduce speed to low, and add one-third flour mixture. Gradually add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. Halve dough and shape into disks; wrap each in plastic, and chill 2 hours or up to 1 day.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll about 1 tablespoon of chilled dough between your palms to form 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch-long oval shapes. Slightly elongate one side to form face. Gently pinch bridge of nose to form eye sockets. With a pairing knife, make 2 small slits at top of each shape, for placement of ears. Place 2 sliced almonds into slits. Place shapes on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.

3. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are light golden brown on bottom and around edges, and tips of ears are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks, and immediately insert a wooden skewer* about 1/2 inch into mouse's round end. Remove skewer and insert curved length of licorice for tail. It should adhere to the still-warm cookie. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks.

4. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Turn off heat; keep chocolate warm until ready to use, stirring occasionally. Place melted chocolate in a parchment cone or resealable plastic bag with a tiny hole cut in one corner. Pipe chocolate in tiny dots to form eyes and nose. Chill until chocolate is set, about 20 minutes. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature up to one week.

*I found that using a chopstick worked better to get the licorice to fit.



I loved them. My friends loved them. Everyone loved them. I think it is safe to say that this is going on my top ten favorite things I've baked, and these might have to turn into a new holiday tradition.

Peace. Love. Mice.

Are those "special" brownies?

To put it simply, no.
That's the problem with bringing brownies in to school. That is always the first question people ask me. No, of course I didn't put weed in them. Why would you think I would be stupid enough to bring weed brownies to school? Come on guys, give me a little credit here.
Also, i save my special brownies (which are not made with cannibutter or anything to do with that!) for later on this month, because they defined are a must for the holidays. But as for today, I just made the simplest brownies possible. No nuts, no chocolate chunks or chips, no nothin. Just pure, wonderful brownies.
Sounds boring? Maybe. But they have been very popular in the past.
I love brownies. I feel like they are sweet and rich enough as is. Just chocolate and a little bit of powdered sugar and that's it.

Wow, I realize I'm not making these sound very great, but trust me, they're the bomb dot com.

BAKER'S ONE BOWL Brownies:

2 Ounces Unsweetened Chocolate
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour



1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spray foil with cooking spray.
3. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour ; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
4. BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely. Use foil handles to remove brownies from pan before cutting to serve.

Peace. Love. Browniesss

A week ago I made madeleine cookies for the first time, and i have to say they came out pretty good. WELL. Sorry. Excuse the bad grammar.
Anyway, not much to say about them, so I'll just give the recipe:

Almond Madeleine Cookies Drizzled With Chocolate
(adapted from Technicolor Kitchen

COOKIES:
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted twice after measuring
3 tablespoons almond meal (or finely ground almonds)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled



1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Generously butter and flour 12 molds in a madeleine pan.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine eggs, sugar and salt. Beat on medium speed until pale, thick and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts.
3. On low speed, mix in the sifted flour and almond meal until just incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the melted butter until blended.
4. Fill each mold almost completely full. Bake the madeleines until the tops spring back when lightly touched, 10 to 12 minutes.
Cool in pan for 2 minutes. Remove madeleines from pan and allow them cool completely on cooling rack.



CHOCOLATE TOPPING:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp. butter

1. Put a saucepan on stove on medium heat.
2. Put chocolate chips and butter into pan to melt, stirring constantly. Once everything is completely melted, remove from heat.
3. Pour, drip, drizzle, do whatever you please with it on the madeleines. The possibilities are endless.

I'm definitely going to experiment more with madeleines in the future. They're so good and so simple its crazy!

Peace. Love. Madeleines.

Are Those Deep Fried Cupcakes?

On Sunday I went to a barbecue at my good friend Katie's house, and my mommy made an angel food cake for dessert.
Good, sweet, creator of all that is good in the world, let me just tell you that angel food cake is one of my absolute favorite kinds of cakes - scratch that - desserts, in the world. I have two big slices of that baby and could have had two more. And THAT is why my love handles will not go away.
Anyway, on the ride home, I asked my mom if it would be possible to make angel food cupcakes. She told me she didn't think so, because you have to put the cake upside down and all that jazz. So I did my research and looked in my cupcake book, by Elinor Klivans, and I found a recipe for lemon angel food cakes.
I changed it a little and took out the lemon zest so they could just be plain angel food cakes.
So here is the adapted recipe:

CUPCAKES:
1 Cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 Cup sugar (plus 4 Tbsp.)
1 1/2 Cup egg whites
1 Tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 Tsp. salt
1 Tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 Tsp. almond extract



1. Preheat oven to 325. Have ready a muffin pan with 24 muffin cups (or 2 with 12 cups). Put paper liners in 6 of the cups to protect the pan.
2. Sift the flour and 4 tablespoons of the sugar into a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until the whites are foamy and the cream of tartar dissolves. Beat on high speed until the egg whites look shiny and smooth and the beaters form lines in the mixture; if you stop the mixer and lift up the beaters, the whites should cling to the beaters. Slowly, beat in the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time., then beat for 1 minute. Mix in the vanilla and almond extract. Beating on low speed, sprinkle 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg white mixture at a time, beating after each addition to incorporate it.
4. Using about 1/2 cup for each, spoon the batter into the 18 unlined muffin cups. The batter may even be above the tops of the cups, but this stiff batter will not spill over the sides. do not smooth the tops - let the batter remain in fluffy mounds.
5. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. The cupcakes will rise quite a bit.
6. Use a small knife to loosen the edges of the cupcakes from the pan. Carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan, using the knife to help release them if necessary, and let them sit on a rack.


They came out really good. I definitely think i will make this recipe again.

Black Bottoms Up

My friend Aubrey turned 16 last week, and in celebration, I made her black bottom cupcakes. She had never had them, but she loves a. chocolate and b. cream cheese, so I thought I would give her the best of both worlds.
I used to eat them a lot when I was little ( I would order them at Peet's or Starbucks when my mom would get her latte), but I probably haven't had one since I was 8 or so. So when I was making them the entire time I was paranoid that they wouldn't come out right. But then I had one (I always taste before I give them to my friends), and they tasted exactly how I remembered them.
Here is the recipe, which i adapted from Smitten Kitchen:

FILLING:
8 ounces cream cheese, regular or reduced fat, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.



CUPCAKES:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.
4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely, which is fine.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. These moist treats will keep well unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container. Makes about 12 cupcakes.



Peace. Love. Blackbottoms.