"Almond Joy" Biscotti

If I were to list my mother's favorite flavors, the list would start with chocolate, lemon, coconut and almond.  These Almond-Joy Biscotti would definitely hit three of her favorites!

Almond Joy was first introduced in 1946 by the Winjamy Candy Company in Boston, Massachusetts.  It had replaced the Dream Bar, created in 1936 that contained diced almonds and coconut.  In 1978 Peter Paul merged with the Cadbury Candy Company, then in 1988, Hershey's purchased the U.S. portion of the company.  Even though, Peter Paul doesn't own any portion of the company, the name still appears on the wrapper.  Remember the jingle in the 70s..."sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don't...Almond Joy got nuts, Mounds don't!"  Well, these biscotti don't have Almond Joys chopped up in them, but I did incorporate almonds, coconut, and chocolate to get my spin on this very popular combination.

Almond Joy Biscotti
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped almond slices
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together thoroughly.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.  Add the extracts and mix once more.

Add the coconut, chocolate chips and almonds with 1 cup of the flour, baking powder, and salt to the batter.  Mix on low until blended.  Remove from the stand and stir in the remaining 1 cup of flour.  Divide the dough and pat them into 12" x 3" logs.  Dampen your hands and smooth the top of the dough.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Allow to cool about 10 minutes, then use a serrated knife to slice the logs into 3/4-inch slices.  Place face down on a parchment lined baking pan.  Return to the oven and bake 7 minutes, remove from the oven and turn the slices over and bake another 7 minutes.

Allow to cool completely before packing them up into your cookie jar:-D  These cookies have a long shelf life, but I highly doubt they will last very long.  Enjoy! 

HoJo's Coconut Cake, May's Apron-Giveaway Winner, and June's Giveaway Apron

If you're not afraid to date yourself...who remembers Howard Johnson's?  I do and was happy to see a story about this iconic restaurant on King Arthur's blog "Flourish" this past Sunday--http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2015/06/02/american-baking-decades-1950-1959/.  From the early 50s to the 70s, travelers knew this restaurant well.  I remember the grilled hot dogs in butter, fried clams, and of course, the ice cream and cakes.  This Coconut Cake is one of my favorites and like the author, PJ Hamil of KAF, I've had a love affair with coconut since I was a kid.  I was anxious to make their version with the only difference is that I topped the lovely frosting with toasted coconut instead of the flaked.   

You can click on the link and read the entire story and get the recipe.  The cake is similar to a pound cake, but moister and the hints of extra coconut flavor in the batter and coconut milk powder in the frosting made this my new favorite cake. Enjoy!

It was another crazy month, but let's get to the Give-Away for May...Congratulations to Mary at The Last Act blog!

To claim your apron, please send me your email address and I will be happy to send it to you.

Next, yes, I've done an apron for June. A month that honors my brother Joe, who passed away in 1969 at the age of 14 and my Grandma Gladys, who taught me so much about gardening.  This apron has the cheerful colors of summer and actually leans towards the tropical feeling. 

If you would like to win this bright apron (perfect for preparing picnics!), all you need to do is post a comment. Good luck!

Tropical Storm Poundcake with Banana Ice Cream

I couldn't help but think about Isaac bearing down on the islands in the Caribbean and heading for Florida when I came up with this cake.  I have friends in those areas, as well as, in Louisiana (which may get it mid-week) and thought about the "Hurricane Parties" I've heard so much about.

One of my favorite artists, Mary Chapin Carpenter, sings about them in her song, "Down at the Twist & Shout."  A hurricane party is a social event held by people in the coastal United States who stubbornly choose not to evacuate.   However, if you saw the movie, "Nights in Rodanthe," with Richard Gere and Diana Lane, the party was held afterwards to celebrate surviving the hurricane!  More my choice.

If you love coconut, as I do, thanks to my mother's memories living on Hawaii, then this cake is for you.  I've added cream of coconut, which is a product from what remains after chilling coconut milk and skimming off the thick layer that is left on top.  Think of it as what sweetened condensed milk is to regular milk!  On top of that, I added another cup of sweetened shredded coconut, just to give some texture.

The Banana Ice Cream is actually a recipe that has been sweeping the internet and just in case you haven't heard about it, I thought it would be the perfect accompaniment to the cake.  It's basically one ingredient--bananas, that you have cut into 1 1/2" pieces and frozen for at least 2 hours.  Place them in the food processor and pulse until a creamy, frozen dessert develops.

Tropical Storm Poundcake
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1/2 cup Cream of Coconut
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with a non-stick baking spray and set aside.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter.  Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the Cream of Coconut and vanilla and mix again.

Add the flour and sweetened coconut and beat to combine.  

Spoon batter into the Bundt cake pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown on top and  a wooden skewer, poked in the middle, comes out cleanly.

Before you turn the oven off, toast some large coconut flakes.

 Let cake set for 10 minutes before you invert it onto the serving plate.

I must have missed a spot with the baking spray and had a little bit of the cake stick--Glaze to the rescue!

Let cool about 30 minutes, then pour on the glaze and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
1 T Cream of Coconut
1 - 2 T very hot water

To make the Banana "Ice Cream"
1. Slice bananas (I used 5) and place on a tray.  Set tray in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

2. Place the frozen bananas in the bowl of a food processor.

3. The bananas look like snow at first...

 4. ...but with a little more "power" it turns to a smooth, soft-serve ice cream.

5.  Spoon into a container and place in freezer until ready to serve.

A slice of the Tropical Storm Poundcake and a scoop of Banana "Ice Cream" and it's a perfect dessert when that storm passes!  As my Dad would say, "batten down the hatches" and stay safe. Enjoy!



  

Ooey Gooey Coconut Bars

I'm sorry for being gone so long; I wish I could say it was because I was having loads of fun and adventures with Ari, but sadly, the guys brought the flu from Spain and I've been ill since before Christmas.  I'm starting to feel a little more like myself and even ventured into the kitchen this morning to bake some bagels for everyone and replenish the cookie jar.

The concept of these cookies has their origins from the Borden's Sweetened Condensed Milk creation called 6 (or 7)-layer bars.  Touted as one of the easiest cookies to make, I know I've been enjoying them since I was a little girl in school.  I kept these pretty simple and only added coconut and chocolate chips, but feel free to sprinkle with pecans or butterscotch chips like the original.  And, by the way, you'll notice I used a mixture of graham crackers and Biscotti cookies to make the crust...because I didn't have 3 cups of graham cracker crumbs.

Ooey Gooey Coconut Bars
3 cups graham cracker crumbs (or a combination of crumbs)
3/4 cup (1  1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt

 
Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Brush some additional melted butter on the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking pan and line with parchment.  Set aside.
Pour melted butter over crumbs and mix thoroughly.  Distribute on the bottom of the pan and use the bottom of a measuring cup press down in the pan.

Filling:
2 cups coconut
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 cups - 2 T (Sweetened Condensed Milk)

Layer the chocolate and coconut (and any other ingredients you desire).  Finally, pour the Sweetened Condensed Milk over the whole mixture.

Put pan in the oven and bake 26 to 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then, take a knife or spatula to go around the edges and loosen the bars.  (I used my spring form pan.)


Ari was my official taster and said, "Mimi, these are good!"

...but then, any super hero would!

Coconut~Pistachio Cake with Lemon Curd & Fresh Berries

I bet you're saying..."Whoaaaaaaaa!"  How many flavors can one dessert have?  Well, feeling a little like Marie Curie this morning, I decided to push the envelope, so to speak.  The first thing I spied to bake a cake in, was one of my favorite summer pans--the Maryann Cake Pan.  It has a concave center that you can fill with a plethora of creamy fillings and/or fruit.

After deciding on the perfect pan, I went to the pantry and thought, "what flavor should I make the cake?"  I pulled out some coconut milk powder, which I had discovered from King Arthur, but before I closed the pantry door, I saw the pistachio flour that I had just ordered, and knew that would not take away from the coconut flavor, but rather give a great texture to the cake.

You might be asking right now, "what prompted the Lemon Curd?"  Well, after making macarons last week, I had eight egg yolks in the refrigerator that I knew I wouldn't let go to waste.  I could have made a really rich ice cream, or pastry cream, but while trying to imagine what my mother would make, the idea for lemon curd came to me.  After all, I had just been to the market and bought a bag of lemons and beautiful berries to top it all off.

So, sometimes it's by necessity that I come up with an idea for a dessert and then, there's just plain luck!  Starting off with the pan and the ingredients and I came up with a really delicious, refreshing, and full of flavor dessert to top off our indoor Memorial Day picnic.  I just wish the kids were here!

Coconut~Pistachio Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup coconut milk powder
1/2 tsp. coconut flavoring
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped or 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
4 large eggs
2 cups King Arthur All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Pistachio Flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 recipe of Lemon Curd
Pint of strawberries & blueberries or your favorite
1 cup heavy cream, whipped


Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray the Maryann Cake Pan with a nonstick baking spray and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy.  Add the sugar and coconut milk powder and beat for 5 minutes.  Add the coconut flavoring and the vanilla (bean or extract) and mix together.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Combine the dry ingredients and mix alternatively with the buttermilk until full incorporated.  Turn the mixer to medium and beat one minute more.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly from the center.  Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then, invert onto a serving plate.

While the cake is baking, begin to make the Lemon Curd.  Of course, I realize you could buy a jar of lemon curd; there are some really good ones in the market, but making your own is so easy and is so versatile.  In addition to using it in this recipe, try spreading it on toast, an English muffin, or even a scone.  Also, you can use the curd to fill the centers of cupcakes and muffins.  This recipe will keep two weeks in the refrigerator, so I know you can come up with some really good ideas to use it on.


Lemon Curd
8 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 large lemons--you should get about 3/4 cup of juice and about a 1/4 cup of zest
12 T (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubes and kept cold

Start by zesting the lemons.

 Next, cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice from them.

If you don't get 3/4 cup of juice, add enough cold water to make the measurement.  Set the zest and juice aside.
In a metal bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar, about 5 minutes to incorporate the sugar well..

 Place the bowl over a sauce pan, with about 1 1/2-inches of water that you've brought to a simmer.
Add the juice and zest and stir together.  Continue stirring over the simmering pan of water for about 8 minutes.  The back of a wooden spoon or spatula should be coated with the mixture and the color will definitely be lighter.

 Remove the bowl from the sauce pan and start adding the cold butter, one cube at a time.

 Make sure the butter has melted and been completely incorporated into the curd before adding more.  When you've added all the butter and the mixture is smooth, transfer to a glass bowl and cover the top of the curd with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

I happened to have about one cup of whipped cream left over from making strawberry shortcake, but if you don't, quickly whip some heavy cream.
Gently, fold in half of the lemon curd into the whipped cream,

 Once the curd is fully incorporated, pour into the center of the cake.  Decorate with fresh berries and serve.

 Having grown up in a military family, I know full well the immense pride I feel for the men and women (and four-legged animals) that serve our country and protect the freedoms we hold dear.  I especially know what it takes for their loved ones to be separated from them on holidays, special occasions, and everyday family events.  Thank you, XOXO.  Enjoy!
 

Hula Bars

I started out naming these cookies, Brown Butter~Macadamia~Chocolate Chip Bars.  What a mouth-full! And, even though it tells you what's in them, it just didn't relay the memory to me, and that's what was important.

When I was seven, my mother enrolled me in an after school ballet class offered by Parks & Rec.  I loved it and my mother thought it made me more graceful.  (I was told, I had the habit of running instead of walking and we all know what that leads to--a lot of skinned knees.)  When the program ended, but I wanted to continue, she found a dance school for me.  For the next eight years of my life, on Saturday morning and then, an added Thursday evening, I took ballet, jazz, and Hula.  My mother sewed costumes for all my recitals and she and my dad took turns taking me to classes.  I never missed a class, even though, when I was 12 and had injured my legs at school one day.  I was diagnosed with traumatic arthritis and couldn't walk for three weeks. However, that didn't stop Dad from carrying me into class to watch the steps for our upcoming recital in a few months.  I finished with 8 years of perfect attendance because of the dedication and support of my parents...and I'd like to think I'm a bit more graceful!

However, these aren't called Ballet Bars, but Hula Bars.  It was my mother's memory of living in Hawaii, when my grandfather was stationed at Pearl Harbor, that led me to take hula.  I have to admit, I loved it just as much because of the story the dance would convey.  I was good enough to be part of a troupe the school singled out to do mini-recitals for clubs and organizations (i.e., Knights of Columbus, USO, etc).  A funny coincidence, but my future father-in-law told me he once remembered our troupe coming to the Knights of Columbus for Hawaiian Night and dancing...how lucky his son was!

Hula Bars
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and browned 
2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 T Vanilla extract
4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. Kosher salt
2 cups Macadamia nuts
1 3/4 cup Bittersweet (or Semi-sweet) chocolate chips

Preheat oven 350F-degrees.  Brush with melted butter, a 12" x 17" or 13" x 18" rimmed baking, then, line with parchment paper and brush with the melted butter again.  Set aside
Coarsely chop, then, lightly roast the Macadamia nuts in the oven for 5 minutes.  Let cool.

Brown the 4 sticks of unsalted butter, using at least a 3-quart sauce pan.  Set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer, combine the sugars.  While the mixer is running, pour the browned butter over the sugar and mix until completely combined, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mix in the Vanilla.

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk.  Fold the dry ingredients into the sugar/butter/egg mixture.  Fold in 3/4 cup each of the Macadamia nuts and chocolate chips.  Blend until all the flour is incorporated.  Use an off-set spatula to spread batter onto the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/4 cup of Macadamia nuts and 1 cup of chocolate chips on top.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.  Lower temperature to 325F-degrees, rotate baking pan, and bake another 16 to 18 minutes.  (Mine went the full 18 minutes).

Cool in the pan for 30 to 45 minutes before cutting into bars.

My hips are a bit wider and I'm not sure I could dance on point in toe shoes anymore, but the experience will last a life time.  I'm forever grateful for wonderful parents that allowed me to follow my dreams...isn't that what we do as parents for our children.  Enjoy!