Coconut Crusted French Toast with Coconut Syrup

I came up with this for Father's Day. One of our family traditions is breakfast in bed for Mother's Day, Father's Day and birthdays. I never like to repeat myself with the making the same breakfast that I have made in the past. I decided to spice up an old classic. I used as much coconut as I could think of for these babies. Coconut crusted french toast with coconut syrup! If you are a coconut lover, you will love it! I thought it turned out delicious. And Broc loved it. Really, that was all that mattered, since this special breakfast was for him!

I think it would have been even better topped with some fresh raspberries. But since this little island is fresh out of berries, I just gave him a banana to enjoy it with instead!

Coconut French Toast

2 eggs
2/3 cup coconut milk
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup flaked coconut, sweetened
6 thick slices of bread

Combine ingredients. Dip each slice of bread into egg mixture, soaking both sides. Place in hot pan and cook on both sides until golden brown. Serve hot. Top with coconut syrup and flaked coconut.

Coconut Syrup

1/2 cup butter, (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cream of coconut
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, place butter, sugar, cream of coconut, coconut milk, salt and baking soda. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, and boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Serve warm.

Bloggin' Cafe & Malasada Tutorial

 My friend Chris, who is a fabulous chef, hosted a little blogging cafe. Since this was sort of a first for me, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Let me tell you though, it was so much fun! Seriously, what could be better than hanging out, yummy food and blogging?! Chris showed us how to make Malasadas, or otherwise known as Portuguese Donuts. They were to die for! So light and fluffy, topped with a little glisten of sugar. Chris has some pretty incredible recipes on his blog, you can check them out here. And if you want some other fabulous reads, you can also check out the other fellow blogger's amazing blogs: c squared w, Priceless Adventure, and Donuts at Midnight. 

Now onto these delectable little treats! 

Malasadas
<<Portuguese Doughnuts>> 
Courtesy of Chris McGilvery

1 package of dry active yeast (.25 ounce)

1 teaspoon of sugar

1/4 cup warm water

6 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey 

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup water

2 cups sugar

1 - 1 1/2 quarts vegetable oil

Mix yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar and warm water. Set aside to proof. 

In a large bowl, mix the flour and the salt together. Make a well. 

Whip the eggs until smooth. Pour eggs, yeast, 1/4 cup sugar, honey, melted butter, evaporated milk, and water into well. Whip it until mixture becomes doughy. It may be a little sticky. Cover and let rise until doubled. This usually takes about 45 minutes.

Heat oil to 350 degrees. I would recommend that you heat up pan, add oil and lower the heat so the oil won't be too hot. The donuts will cook too fast and burn if the oil is too hot.

There are several ways to fry this treat. 

• You can throw in dough by spoonfuls. Just make sure you throw it in carefully.
• Roll out dough and cut into squares (this tends to be a sticky mess though).
• Put dough in a pastry bag and squeeze donut hole sized balls into oil.

I think it would be okay to make the donut holes just a little bigger than a regular sized donut hole. 

Finally roll or shake cooked donuts in sugar. Serve hot and warm! You may even want to add cinnamon to the sugar or shake donuts in powdered sugar. Enjoy! 

For those of you who are thinking any sort of homemade doughnut is going to be way too much work, don't check out just yet. I was completely surprised at how easy these were to throw together. Here is a step by step tutorial, thanks to Chris, to convince you that these babies are not difficult at all to make. And really the thing that takes the most time, is just waiting for the dough to rise. I am pretty sure nothing compares to a light, fluffy, homemade donut dusted with sugar!  

Malasada Tutorial

Mix yeast, sugar and warm water. Set aside to proof.

In a large bowl, mix flour and salt together. Make a well.

In another bowl, whip eggs until smooth.

Add yeast to flour mixture.

Also add eggs, sugar, honey, melted butter, milk, and water. 

Mix together.

Whip it, until it becomes doughy.

The dough is really sticky at this point. Cover and let rise until doubled. 

After the dough has doubled in size, you are ready to fry these puppies!

We used the piping bag method. Not having any piping bags available we used a ziplock bag. Just put the dough in a ziplock and cut a good chunck off of the end.

When the oil is hot, you are ready to drop the dough. Just squeeze the dough (just a little bigger than a doughnut hole) into the hot oil. 

Watch them carefully. When they look like they are browning on the bottom, flip them over. 

When the doughnuts are nicely browned, take them out of the oil and let cool on a paper towel. 

It's a good idea to break one of the first ones open to make sure they are completely cooked and not doughy in the middle.

Then place the doughnuts in a rubbermaid container that has sugar in it. Place lid on and shake around until the doughnuts are covered with a nice sugar coating.

These little bites of heaven are seriously amazing! Enjoy!

Thanks so much Chris for hosting this! Everything was so much fun! I can't wait for the next
Un Poquito Cafe con Blogging y Comida! 

No-bake Cheesecake with Mango Passion Fruit Drizzle

One of the best things about living in the Caribbean is the delicious tropical fruits available. The mangos here are so much better than the ones we would get in the states. There are a few different kinds of mangos and there is one in particular that is my favorite. It is a greenish red mango and it has a silky texture inside, it falls right off of the pit and the strings don't get stuck in your teeth. My favorite so far! I had a few mangos and passion fruits that were just laying around waiting for me to make something with them. So I decided to use them to make a fruit drizzle to top off my mom's no bake cheesecake recipe. The lemon in the cheesecake complimented the tropical fruits and the flavors just came together. Typically, I top this cheesecake with blueberries or raspberries, but since berries are scarce here in the Caribbean, I experimented with something more tropical. I used coconut cookies for the base of the crust. Delish. This is one of those desserts that is even better the next day as well. Unfortunately, this didn't last longer than the day after, but I can tell you it is just as good a week after. I love this dessert. And the cheesecake takes me back to my childhood. This was a staple at our house growing up. You would never know it was so easy to make.

Coconut Cookie Crust

3/4 package coconut cookies
1/2 - 1 stick butter, melted
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar

Crush cookies and place in a bowl. Add in melted butter and sugar. Mix to combine. Press into a round 9" pie dish. Refrigerate while making cheesecake mixture. (I typically put mine in the freezer just to set it a little faster.)

*Note: Mom's cheesecake is made using 1 package graham crackers. Same measurements of everything else.

Mom's Amazing No-Bake Cheesecake

1- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese with mixer until smooth. (Don't skip this step- If you just add everything together before beating cream cheese alone it will  go lumpy). Add sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Pour cheesecake into crust. Chill for 3 hours. Serve.

Passion fruit on the left, mangos on the right

 I peeled the mango and cut it up, and then threw in the pit as well. I wanted to get as much juice as possible. With the passion fruit I just scraped out all of the seeds and juice and added it in the pan.

Mango Passion Fruit Drizzle

3 mangos
3 passion fruits
1/4 cup water
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add fruit of mangos and passion fruits to a medium size saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently and mashing fruit with the back of spoon. Add water and sugar. Boil about 7 minutes. Add vanilla.

Holding the strainer over a bowl, strain the fruit, reserving the juice. It helps to press the fruit with the back of spoon to make sure you get as much juice as possible. Taste and add more sugar, water, vanilla, etc... to taste.

Pour juice back into pan and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Drizzle over cheesecake.

We actually made sushi the same night we made this cheesecake. And used some of the Mango Passion Fruit drizzle to make a dipping sauce for the sushi! It was so good! When it comes to mangos and passion fruit the options are endless! And if you don't have mangos and passion fruit available you can always substitute another fruit that is in season. Happy baking!

Homemade Strawberry Filling

My friend's birthday was coming up. I had some white chocolate that was waiting to get used up. And I had high hopes for a twist on a strawberry shortcake. See we don't get strawberries shipped here very often and when we do, you pay a pretty penny for them. But... it was Easter... and it was a good friends birthday- so I splurged and bought the strawberries! I had it narrowed down to two cakes. And decided on the one I had never tried knowing that it would make a cuter birthday cake. I made a white chocolate cake, with a white chocolate cream frosting and strawberry filling. The cake itself was just eh- nothing to rave about. It was just a little too rich for my liking. But I did love the frosting and the strawberry filling. I normally would have used the good ol' Junket Danish Dessert for the strawberry filling. However, you can't get it here. So I searched around and found this gem- Homemade Strawberry Filling! Who knew you could whip this out without a box of Junket? Not me! But it was ridiculously easy. And the great thing is, you could use the recipe and just switch out the strawberries for any other type of fruit your heart desires... or in my case which ever fruits are in season!

Strawberry Filling
recipe courtesy Food.com

2 1/2 cups strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a heavy saucepan, stirring constantly and crushing berries slightly with the back of a spoon.

Boil 2 minutes to thicken, stirring constantly, mixture will be slightly chunky.

Pour into a bowl and cool completely.

Homemade Granola

I got this fabulous recipe off of my friend Kristen. Thanks to her I am converted to making homemade granola! Since we on an island where good cereals are super pricey, and since we live on a student budget... I have began to make things I never would have thought of even trying before. I first made this before I left for the states, so Broc had something to eat for breakfast while I was gone. It is a favorite around our house. And it is one of those great recipes that I can make with my kids and let them dump and stir to their hearts content! So easy to throw together and tastes divine.

Homemade Granola

Recipe courtesy Kristen Morgans

3 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups chopped nuts (I used almonds)
3/4 cup flaked coconut
4- 6 Tablespoons honey (or sugar) I used honey
4 Tablespoons butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Mix together oats, nuts and coconut. Set aside.
In a saucepan combine honey (or sugar), butter, salt and sweetened condensed milk.
Cook over medium heat until well blended and sugar is dissolved.
Pour over oat mixture and spread on a cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes or until light golden brown. Watch the color carefully- do not overbake! It will continue to cook as you take it out of the oven. Store in an airtight container. 

The Boy Version Ruffle Cake

So I have been slightly obsessed with ruffle cakes. 

Mainly the ridiculously cute pink girly ones... like this! 

via

I often think of how perfect this would be for a little girl's birthday party! So so lovely! With two boys I only get to dream of throwing frilly parties and making ruffled cakes.  

Well this past summer we went back to the states for my SILs wedding. While we were there we had a pre-birthday celebration for Mr. Jack! Since we live in the Caribbean our family wouldn't get to see him dig into his first cake so we celebrate a month early. It was a pretty last minute, thrown together kind of a party. And I knew I didn't have time to create a cute fondant cake... so as I began to start decorating his cake, I came up with the boy version ruffle cake! I really needed an excuse to try out the ruffles! 

I guess for Jack's sake I shouldn't refer to them as ruffles. 

I am no pro at ruffles this design but it was actually pretty easy, especially since it was my first time attempting it. 

Sometimes it helps to watch someone do it before you attempt. Here is a great video tutorial. Or Martha has a pretty good write up tutorial as well. 

The frosting tip used to make those adorable ruffles looks like this.

via 

 I used a 6" cake pan for this cake. Although, I think for a first birthday "dig into cake" 

I would probably use a 4" next time. 

Wait for it...

Finally! Planning his attack!

Using your hands is such a waste of time...

... and in a manner of seconds the cake is destroyed!

Gingerbread Men Sugar Cookies

I love a good traditional Christmas. And nothing says Christmas better than decorating gingerbread men! The first Christmas Broc and I were married was my first attempt at gingerbread men cookies. It was a new recipe, and my skills of baking / cooking back then were very lacking. Seven years later, I am still using the same recipe. It is a bit different than the traditional gingerbread recipes, in that there is no molasses. I like to think of these as gingerbread sugar cookies. They are soft, moist, spiced to perfection and when decorated with some cream cheese spice frosting... oooh yummy Christmas goodness! We make these guys every December 23, it has become one of our traditions. It has seemed to work out perfectly. Christmas Eve is always filled with so many things, wrapping, family, dinner parties, etc... so it just makes sense to make them on the 23. Then they are already made and ready to set out for Santa on Christmas Eve night! 

Crew is at the best age! Christmas was so magical for him this year. This was his creation! Just perfect! 

Now onto the recipe:

Gingerbread Men

1 (3.5 ounce) package cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg 

1 1/2 cups all- purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, cream together the dry butterscotch pudding mix, butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in egg. Sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon; and stir into the pudding mixture. Cover and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheets. On a floured surface roll dough out about 1/4 inch thickness. (Original recipe says 1/8 of an inch, but I like to my men to be a little thicker.) Cut into shapes using cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 8 minutes. Or just until the edges are golden. Do not overbake!!! I promise these guys are much better soft!  Cool on wire rack. Frost using cream cheese spiced frosting. 

This frosting was a first try this year! I usually do a traditional cream cheese frosting to decorate these men. But decided to spruce it up a bit and throw in some spices. It was the perfect addition the gingerbread men needed! Oh I just love this frosting. 

Cream Cheese Spice Frosting

1 (8- ounce) package cream cheese, softened

4 Tbsp. butter (half of a stick), softened

1/8 tespoon salt

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (I never measure, just add until it is tastes right)

2 Tbsp. canned milk, warmed to room temperature (your frosting will curdle if you add it cold)

2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Vanilla (I promise this vanilla makes all the difference)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

a shake of ground nutmeg

In a bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in salt and vanilla. Gradually add canned milk and powdered sugar. If you want a stiffer frosting add more powdered sugar or omit the canned milk. If you like it a little more light and creamy add more milk. Always taste as you go! Frosting recipes should just be a base. I always taste and add to my liking. Be creative and try new things. If you have never ventured out to add your touch in cooking/ baking, frostings are a great way to start. Spruce up whatever it is you are making by adding a little hint of something new!

Happy Baking! 

Turkey Cookies!

Turkey Day is coming up! I actually came up with this idea last year as I was in charge of bringing the treat for Crew's Thanksgiving preschool party. It ended up that I procrastinated (typical of me) and was left to come up with something that I already had or could find at the only grocery store where we were living. I found a lot of cute ideas using candy corns, but wouldn't you know they were out of them at the store. So I was forced to come up with my own turkey treat, using what I had. Luckily I made something work!

What you need:

BODY: Fudge Stripped Cookies
HEAD: Mini Chips Ahoy (I actually couldn't find these either, so I used a small round cookie cutter and cut out a small circle out of each cookie)
FEATHERS: Pretzel sticks
BEAK: Pepperidge Farm Gold fish
WADDLE: Twizzler Pull and Peel, cut into small pieces
EYES: Mini Chocolat chips
Chocolate Frosting to glue it all together.

Happy Turkey Day!

My New Favorite Frosting!

I have always thought powdered sugar and frosting go hand in hand. That was until I tried this new recipe. It looked kind of wierd calling for only flour, milk, vanilla, butter and sugar - regular white sugar NOT powdered sugar. I thought it seemed interesting. And so I tried it.  

Let me tell you I have a new favorite frosting! This is hands down the best frosting I have ever had! Well I have a few favorites but this is definitely in my pool of favorite frostings! I love it! It is perfectly sweet with a silky smooth texture! It doesn't have that overly sweet taste that many frostings have that use powdered sugar. You know when trying to get your frosting to that perfect consistency and you add more and more powdered sugar only to find that by the time you add enough powdered sugar, it completely ruins the flavor because it is just too sweet? Well, problem solved! And it's whipped to perfection! This is the perfect recipe. Consistency, flavor and texture... A+! It would be a lovely accent on any cake! 

I love the site that I found it on. She goes through a complete step by step guide with pictures of how to make this magical frosting. Check it out here.

The Best Whipped Frosting

makes enough to frost a 9″ layer cake or one dozen cupcakes generously

1 cup milk

5 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (not powdered sugar)

In a medium saucepan, whisk one cup of milk with 5 tablespoons of flour. Heat over medium until the mixture begins to sputter, whisking constantly. Continue to stir as the mixture thickens. You will know it’s done when it reaches the consistency of thick cake batter, after about 7 minutes of heating and whisking. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and set aside to cool COMPLETELY.

Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or using a hand held mixer, beat 2 sticks of softened butter (1 cup) with 1 cup of granulated sugar until light, fluffy, and white in color, about 3 solid minutes of beating on medium-high speed. You want the sugar to be totally incorporated into the butter.

Be sure that the milk/flour mixture has completely cooled, and add it to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat all ingredients for about 1 minute on high speed, scraping down the bowl halfway, until they are smooth and well blended. The frosting should be as light and fluffy as whipped cream.

My FAVORITE ... Coconut Cupcakes!!!

Broc surpised me with this book a couple of Christmases ago. It has some amazing recipes in it. Knowing that I am slightly obsessed with cookbooks and that I am on a never ending quest to find the best recipe, it was the perfect gift. I highly reccomend it! And you know any recipe by Ina Garten is going to be fabulous! 

So in this fancy little book was where I was first introduced to...

The Barefoot Contessa's COCONUT CUPCAKES!!!

Coconut cupcakes happen to be one of my favorite kinds of cupcakes! And these babies are amazing! A hands down favorite for me! The combination of the cake and the frosting together are  perfection! If you are going for the wow factor - these are the cupcakes to make! I'm telling you- a little bit of heaven in every bite! They are elegant and perfect for any party or occasion!

So I think there is one ingredient that is key to making these babies so good. It is my staple secret ingredient to baking. Let me introduce you to the best vanilla on this planet:

Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Vanilla

I never really thought that it made a difference which brand of vanilla extract I used. I thought they were all the same. That was until I tried this! This stuff will change your life. I promise. After trying this there is no way you will ever go back. You can purchase it at any specialty food store like, Williams-Sonoma, or Orson Gygi (if you live in UT). I usually purchase the huge 32 oz. bottle and it definitely gets used!

Now onto the recipe.

Coconut Cupcakes

Courtesy of The Barefoot Contessa

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

14 oz. sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanill and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Enjoy!