coconut macaroons

Looking for a simple treat with minimal preparation? Look no further than the classic coconut macaroon. A macaroon is just that, a cookie/confection hybrid made up of sugar, egg whites, and coconut as the main ingredients. They're like a Mounds bar, but have the potential to be so much more depending on what you put into it. Obviously, you can also dip them in chocolate.

I chose to be simple this time and just add half lemon extract and half vanilla extract. The recipe I used called for chopped dried cranberries, though I opted to not use them. Unsweetened coconut really is the way to go for these things to minimize the sweetness, though if you reduce the sugar they'll probably work (though possibly ooze a bit while baking). If strands of coconut bother you, simply pulse briefly in a food processor to break the shreds up.

The fun part of making macaroons is forming them into mini pyramids. Dipping your fingers in water keeps the mixture from sticking and makes forming the mounds easy. They look small when you form the mounts, though they puff up nicely once baked so don't be alarmed by the miniature size.

Bake until the edges are golden and the outsides are dry. The insides should still be chewy, which is the draw of the macaroon. I want to make these again soon! Kroger's here in town started carrying unsweetened coconut for the same price as the regular kind, so I can see this becoming my new go to treat. I want to try some different flavors out!

Recipe after jump

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Coconut Macaroons
Recipe from FoodNetwork.com

Makes 20-24
ingredients -

2/3 cup sugar
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 cups (about 8 ounces) finely shredded unsweetened coconut

directions -

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment.


2. Whisk the sugar, egg whites, vanilla and lemon extract, and salt in a large bowl. Toss the coconut with the egg mixture until completely coated.


3. Moisten your finger tips with water. Form about 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter into pointed mounds or pyramids on the prepared pans, spacing them about 1-inch apart.


4. Bake until the edges are golden brown and the entire macaroon is nicely toasted and dry, 16 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve.

Store macaroons in a tightly sealed container for up to a week.

toasted coconut baked oatmeal with caramelized bananas

I haven't made baked oatmeal in a long time. I really enjoyed it the last time I made it, especially the texture. Unlike regular oatmeal, the texture is more like a soft oatmeal bar rather than an Oliver Twist-like porridge, although it's not something I make often because it requires a little more foresight. When I have a morning to spare, though, I can take a bit longer to make a more complex breakfast.

When making this recipe, I wanted the flavors to be more tropical than the fruit typically stirred into a bowl of oatmeal, so I decided on toasted coconut and a caramelized banana topping. For other flavors, I browned some butter and added cardamom. Instead of whole eggs, I used egg whites so that it wouldn't be too dense. You can sub whole eggs if you're feeling like Gaston.

This dessert-like baked oatmeal is filling, yet won't sit like a brick in your stomach, making it the perfect weekend breakfast. While it's traditionally baked in a baking dish, you could evenly divide the mixture between muffin cups for individual storage. Omit the bananas, maybe add crushed banana chips to the oatmeal (they'll soften overnight), wrap the oatmeal cups well, and freeze for longer storage.

I love it when recipes come out how you envisioned. As the weather continues to be crappy, I can pretend it's better by making dishes with a more summery feel. At least my stomach will be happy.

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toasted coconut baked oatmeal with caramelized bananas
Recipe by Christina Provo

You can also prep this delicious breakfast the night before and pop it into the oven the next morning.

Serves 5-6

ingredients ~

2 1/2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut, toasted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, browned and cooled
1/2 cup egg whites
3/4 cup applesauce
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 large bananas, sliced into 1/4 inch slices, on the bias
Granulated sugar

directions ~

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 8x3-inch round baking dish, or similar dish with tall sides. In a medium sized bowl, whisk oats, coconut, brown sugar, baking powder, spices and salt together.
2. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, whisk together applesauce, milk, and browned butter. Add oat mixture and mix thoroughly to combine, then gently fold in beaten egg whites. Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes
3. Twenty minutes into baking time, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. When butter has melted, stir in 2 tablespoons brown sugar to melt. Carefully place banana slices in skillet and lower heat to medium-low. Cook, carefully turning slices, for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Take oatmeal out from the oven and place banana slices, overlapping, on top in a circular style. Pour and spread any remaining sugar-butter remnants on top and continue baking for remaining 10 minutes.
4. Remove dish from oven. Preheat broiler to high, with oven rack at the second-to-highest position. Sprinkle bananas evenly with enough granulated sugar to lightly coat. Broil until sugar has melted and slightly caramelized. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

coconut chocolate biscotti, or Mounds Bar biscotti

Hope everyone's enjoying the final week before Christmas! I haven't been able to bake all that I wanted, so don't be surprised to see Christmas cookies on here after Christmas.

I had an idea yesterday to bake coconut biscotti that reminded me of the classic Mounds Bar, a chewy coconut center encased in an envelope of chocolate coating. However, instead of a chocolate coating I added chocolate chips, for two reasons: The chocolate chips wouldn't overpower the coconut, and it wouldn't be as sweet. I enjoy eating biscotti for breakfast with coffee, and a sweeter biscotto would be too much.

I followed the same recipe outline I used for the gingerbread biscotti, which was adapted from the Once Upon A Tart method for biscotti. The egg yolks are whipped with sugar until pale and thick, then the egg whites are whipped into a meringue (I like that I get to work on my meringue skills whenever I make biscotti) with more sugar before being folded into the egg yolk mixture. Melted butter is then blended in, followed by the flour and any add-ins. I like this method because the biscotti come out a bit dense, yet not heavy, and the dough is incredibly easy to work with. These Tart guys really know what they're doing.

Instead of leaving the coconut raw, I toasted the coconut to release the oils and enhance the flavors. Coconut toasts much quicker than nuts, so don't walk away from the oven once you begin toasting.

I added flavors I felt would compliment the coconut without being detected on their own, and those were grated lemon zest and cardamom. Coconut extract also went into the mix to further heighten the coconut flavor. I chopped up regular chocolate chips so the texture was more like shavings. If you have mini chips, use those.

I like miniature biscotti the best. Unfortunately, the dough spread more than I thought and I ended up with regular biscotti, so next time I'd divide the dough into fourths.

These ended up baking a bit too long the second time, but overall I was pleased with them. The sanding sugar on top lends a sparkly, crunchy coating that looks pretty, and there's just enough chocolate without it overwhelming the coconut. The coconut flavor came out pretty much how I hoped! These aren't too sweet at all, either, even with using sweetened coconut.

As always, I like to eat biscotti with tea or coffee because it, I feel, somehow brings the flavors out a bit more, and because all good cookies deserve to be treated like they're special.

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Mounds Bar Biscotti aka Coconut Chocolate Biscotti (to prevent a lawsuit)
Recipe by Christina

ingredients ~

1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and set aside
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon coconut or vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, or standard chip chopped up a bit
White sanding sugar

directions ~

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheet (you may need sheets, plural) with parchment paper). Place 1 1/2 cups coconut on another baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes, or until thoroughly dry and crispy and there's lovely golden-brown color on much of the coconut. Remove from oven and let cool slightly; place coconut on cutting board and carefully run a knife over it a few times to break up the strands.


2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together toasted coconut, flour, baking powder, salt, lemon rind, and cardamom; set aside. Beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup granulated sugar on medium until yolks become pale yellow and thick, about 2-3 minutes.


3. In another bowl and with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. With the mixer still on high, beat in the remaining sugar until incorporated. Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the yolk mixture. When lightened, fold in remaining meringue. Gently fold in butter and coconut extract.


4. Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet, until dough forms a ball. With the last of the flour, stir in the chocolate chips.


5. Get a small bowl with some water. With lightly moistened fingers, divide dough into thirds and shape into 2 1/2x11-inch logs on the baking sheet (moisten your fingers with water as needed). Sprinkle each log with about 1 1/2 teaspoons sanding sugar. Freeze the dough logs for 15 minutes before baking so they don't spread out so much. Bake until the tops of the logs are golden brown and firm when pressed with your fingertips, about 25-30 minutes.


6. After baking, remove parchment sheet with logs still on it to a wire rack to cool for 15-20 minutes. Slice diagonally into 1/2-inch slices and place, sliced side down, back on baking sheet, no parchment necessary. Tops and bottoms can be touching since they're already cooked. Bake for 15 minutes; flip biscotti over and continue baking for 10 minutes. You're looking for a thoroughly golden color, nothing too dark since it'll detract from the flavor. Place biscotti on a cooling rack to cool completely.