Nuts for Coco! (Coconuts that is)

Yeah for coconut macaroons! These simple chewy cookies are such a wonderful treat! They are made even better with a little chocolate on top. Guy had been after me for about a week to make something with coconut in it. I was going to make biscotti, but I knew he really wanted cookies. I get so distracted lately with all the amazing baking possibilities that I have a hard time making anything twice. It had been a really long time since I had made them, and even then that had been the first time. These pair really well with wine, or tea. The kids are not fond of coconut, so that just means more for Guy and I!

Raspberries!

Oh my God! I made this for breafast this morning, and this was just too damn good! Worth every calorie. I have this huge rasberry bush in my front yard and when I went to pick some yestarday there was a lot more there then I thought. I had to have Suzy go back in the house to get me a bigger bowl. I ended up with 3 cups worth. It wasn't enough to make a pie, but just enough with a little extra to make a raspberry buckle. I had fresh coffee made with a splash of southern butter pecan creamer in it. Guy raved about it! There is nothing like a fresh pastry out of the oven with a cup of java to start the morning! I am a carb fiend. I could give up booze, chocolate, even sex, but never my bread!

It's hip to be square

I fell in love with these the moment I made them. It is one of the most perfect desserts. The crust is this wonderfully buttery crumbly short bread. The middle layer is this fabulous caramel that doesn't squish out of place when you bite into it. Last but not least a top layer of semi-sweet chocolate to balance out the sweetness of the caramel. I am without a doubt a chocolate caramel person. Guy is more of a chocolate peanut butter lover. I like that combo too, but given a choice I would go with the other. There is just something so magical about burnt sugar and butter!

Cheesecake Heaven

I love cheesecake, so I thought wouldn't it be wonderful in bar form. I looked this up online, but all of them had a graham crust. This just makes a square cheesecake. I decided to make a short bread crust, and when I made the custard I poured in a little semi sweet chocolate. Oh so good! It got a little crumbly on me, but otherwise it was a success. The kids love them! I am having trouble staying away too!

Snickerdoodlicious!

Yeah! So I have a brand spankin new treat; it is a snickerdoodle cookie bar. I made a batch of the dough and pressed it into a 9x9 pan, sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar, and baked it for about 15 minutes. It has a mild sweetness to it, and it is wonderfully moist. I really perfer eating snickerdoodles this way now, because it doesn't harden up like it does in cookie form. It might have to do with the thickness.... Yum!

Amendment

So I had more people try the cocoa chili and dark chocolate lime. These were not a very big hit. Good to know, and definitely did not hurt my feelings. I know when I've hit upon something good when I get people to throw their head back, eye roll, muffled OMG swoon. I had a few with that kind of reaction; the chai was one of them. So I will not continue the dark chocolate lime and cocoa chili. It's all a learning process. I made lemon cheesecake fudge, and it turned out like frosting. It didn't harden up in the fridge like I had hoped; not even in the freezer. It still tasted really good, but it was not fudge. I hate it when I make flops. Not so much of it not turning out, but because of the cost of ingredients. Buying the supplies in small quantities at the grocery store is rough. I really need to be more careful. This is why I cut back the batches to half, so that if it doesn't turn out then I don't waste as much *sigh*. I made apple toffee blondies for the preschool board meeting. They came out well. Very moist, and not overly sweet, with a slight tang from the granny smith apples. I also did Root Beer Float fudge for the hell of it. This was so good! I got the reaction I was looking for from people. It really does taste like biting into a root beer float. The only thing I would do differently is marble it a little more, because the white chocolate turned out a little too runny, and I would cut back on the vanilla extract which made the white chocolate runny in the first place. Wahoo for success!

Taste of the exotic

Behold my new fudge; introducing cocoa chili on the left and chai on the right. Both are in semi sweet chocolate. A fine match for the chili because it adds the right amount of sweet to the heat. The chai is right at home with this mellow chocolate; it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy with this comforting and complex flavor. My kids loved the chai. I took both kinds to their preschool to see how it would go over. They were both a big hit. I am so encouraged by how much people love my fudge. I am looking forward to creating new flavors. Perhaps a fondant on the outside for extra flavor/color.... hmmm I dream in chocolate!

When Dark Chocolate Met Lime

Alright, this is the first in a series of original fudge recipes. I decided to pair these two flavors because it seemed like a beatiful match. Part way through I ran out of sweetened condensed milk, so I used honey instead. I also ran out of unsweetened chocolate, so I used semi-sweet chocolate to finish it off. I added lime juice and zest to taste, since I was treading new ground. I still don't know how much of each I used, but the result was wonderful. Not quite what I was hoping for. The chocolate was stronger then I thought it would be, and the lime not as pronounced. Still in the end the chocolate took on a very deep rich flavor with just a whisper of lime taste and smell. Almost like a ghost; your not quite sure it's there, but you sense it. Wonderful, decadant, bold! All dark chocolate lovers will adore it.

Groovin' on Caramel

I have made my very first batch of Caramels! I was a little worried at first because it was taking it much longer to reach 248 degrees then the recipe said. Nonetheless I hung in there and was rewarded by some yummy results. It made me think of sugar daddies, as with each bite thin strings of caramel trailed after me. I found it a little difficult to remove some of the foil from the candy. It was probably because I was too impatient to let it cool down as long as it needed to. Next time I will leave it alone until its cold. Not to bad for a first timer. The kids loved them, and had a great time licking off the wooden spoon and wisk!

Happy Eating All

Cookie and Muffins and Brownies Oh My

Okay, I admit, I have a problem. I have a baking obsession. Once the weather starts to turn cold I keep my oven going for two reasons; 1) to keep my family stuffed to the gills with baked goodies 2) to keep my freezing kitchen toasty warm. I just realized as Spring has finally hit that my baking frenzy has only increased. It is here to stay. Not only that, but I have been branching out and trying new things that I was afraid to do. I have tackled yeast and I can now make my own bread. I have improved my muffins, and they are no longer dry. I will be tracking my descent into delicious madness with photos and comments. Sharing my triumphs and woes.

Happy Eating All!