Monthly Archives: March 2012

Chocolate Coconut Boyfriend Cookies

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They always say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

I one hundred percent agree. If my man didn’t already love me, then I’m also one hundred percent sure that these cookies would definitely do the trick. And if it didn’t, well then maybe he’s just not the man for after all — just kidding! To me, these are the definition of man cookies; chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.

I found these coconut creme Hershey kisses at Target and I knew that I was going to have to bake something really awesome with them. Since the boyfriend loves coconut and has a birthday coming up this weekend, I figured why not surprise him with some cookies? Of course, it won’t be a complete surprise, as I am kind of spoiling it here but he still has yet to taste them! So aha, I still have some semblance of surprise! I plan on sneaking these cookies into the movies this Friday when we (finally) see the Hunger Games, shh!

Even though he has yet to taste them, I know that they will be a hit. Believe it or not, our three year (gasp!) anniversary is coming up next week and if I have learned anything about him in these past three years, it’s what he likes to eat. I mean, obviously I can only think about food and cooking all day so of course I would be quick to pick up on his favorites. Whenever we go out to eat, I can usually pinpoint what he is going to order before he even finds it on the menu, I’m just that good. Or I’m just that creepy, I’m not sure.

I do know, however, that if it’s got the words: prosciutto, bacon, fresh mozzarella, jalapeno, chocolate, coconut, coffee, taco or starts with ‘fish’ and ends with ‘chips’ — then he will definitely be there. Lately he has been a big fan of fish tacos and fish & chips, probably because I’m allergic and he is tired of me always trying to eat his food; so this is the surest way that it all stays on his plate and in his tummy.

In honor of my man’s birthday and our quickly approaching anniversary, I am dedicating next week’s blog posts and recipes to the love of my life; for allowing me to feed you strange things, for always putting up with my obsessive need to grocery shop whenever we are out together and for listening to countless stories about other blogs that I’m sure you don’t care about, this is for you so you better be hungry :) Next week I’ll be introducing a series of boyfriend-inspired recipes.

Chocolate Coconut Boyfriend Cookies
makes about 3 dozen

3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shredded coconut
1 c. coconut creme Hershey kisses, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until creamed. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually mix into the butter mixture. Once mixed, stir in the coconut and Hershey kisses.

Spoon the dough onto a baking sheet and bake for about 12-15 until crisp on the edges and slightly glossy looking on top. Remove from sheet and cool.

Maybe some stretchy pants should be part of his birthday gift as well? Just kidding, cookies made with love have practically negative calories. What do you like feeding your loved ones?

Peanut Butter & Apple Stuffed French Toast

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Looks like I’m stuck on breakfast again.

In my defense, though, this idea has been stuck in my heads for weeks but I’ve just been too lazy to actually create it, photograph it and most importantly, eat it. But man, I am so glad that I finally did it because it was even better than I imagined; crunchy, sweet, tangy, warm, nutty…and easy, let’s not forget about that crucial detail.

I’ve seen stuffed french toast on dozens of brunch menus and I’ll admit, I’ve never ordered any. I have no clue how to really stuff french toast, although I can’t really imagine that it would be much different than this. I can also imagine that this recipe is about four times healthier than any other stuffed french toast. It’s full of fruit, healthy fats and fiber — what a great way to start your morning! Or, you know, your lunch hour.

I love the combination of apples and peanut butter, and they both certainly did not disappoint in this dish. I am already thinking of all the lovely combos that could be united in french toast form; peaches, blueberries or cherries…I think I’ve found my new food obsession. Oh, and if you get really lazy while in the process of making this or lose electricity or something, you can just skip the frying and enjoy a nice PB&A sandwich, another one of my favorites.

Peanut Butter & Apple Stuffed French Toast
makes 2 servings, one “sandwich” each

4 slices bread, preferably light whole-wheat
2 tbsp. peanut butter (or any nut butter)
1 small-medium apple, sliced thinly
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Smear 1 tablespoon of peanut butter onto two slices of bread. Top those slices with the sliced apples. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla and cinnamon until combined. Pour the egg mixture onto a small plate or shallow bowl.

Heat a skillet or frying pan, sprayed with non-stick spray, to medium-high heat. Take one of the slices with apples and peanut butter on it and gently dip the bottom of the bread into the egg mixture; carefully shake off any excess liquid. Place egg-side down into the pan. Take a bare slice of bread and lightly dip it into the egg mixture as well; place on top of the bread in the pan to create a “sandwich” – make sure the egg-dipped side is face up.

Cook the sandwich for about 4 minutes, flipping halfway through, until both sides are golden brown. Transfer french toast to a plate and repeat with the other two slices. Cut in half and serve with maple syrup. Feel free to sprinkle with more chopped apples.

I cannot get enough. I ate this for lunch, about five hours ago — still full. This is wonderful.

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

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I love being home for break for one big reason: I don’t get stuck with two dozen cookies and the most delicious loaf of bread to eat all by myself. I have four happy mouths to taste everything, five if you count the dog (probably the most willing taste-tester, but you can’t always trust her judgement).

While everyone is at work and school, it’s just me and the dog in the kitchen together. So, whether it’s on purpose or not, she ends up eating quite a few things. However, she did not get any of this bread. It was gone within hours. I’m one-hundred percent serious when I say that my family and I gobbled this up; it was half gone within an hour of leaving the oven. Now that’s impressive.

I love when I haven’t been home in a while because it means that my mom has huge piles of food magazines that I can catch up on. I found this recipe in a Better Homes and Garden Magazine and oh, it looked so good that I knew I was going to have to try and make it. I mean, it’s practically and cinnamon bun in one big loaf, what’s not to love?

My sister and I had a baking marathon with several batches of cookies and this delicious bread. It smells so amazing and she was super upset that she had to go to work before it was done. I think we managed to save her a little bit but I can’t quite remember because it disappeared so very fast.

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread
makes one loaf

3/4 c. milk
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 package)
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 tbsp. sugar
1 egg
3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter, melted
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. milk

Heat the milk until warm and pour it into a stand mixer bowl, add the yeast. Stir until the yeast is dissolved and let sit about 5 minutes, until slightly foamy.  Once foamy, beat 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tbsp. of sugar, egg and salt into the yeast/milk mixture. Beating on low, add half of the flour. Beat on medium for about 2-3 minutes and then stir in
remaining flour.

Using your hands, shape the dough into a ball and put it in a greased bowl. Cover and set aside; let rise 45 minutes to an hour, until doubled in size. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface to a 20×12-inch rectangle. Brush the top with the 1/4 cup melted butter and sprinkles with the mixture of 3/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon.

Cut the dough in five strips and stack them on top of each other. Then cut these into six pieces. Taking a one of the stacks, place them cut side up in the loaf pan; continue with the remaining strips. Cover and let rise again for 45 minutes until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake the loaf for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing. Drizzle with glaze if desired (for the glaze, whisk ingredients together until desired consistency, then drizzle); pull apart slices and enjoy!

My house smelled wonderful for hours after this.

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

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In my family, tea solves most, if not all, problems.

There is just something about tea that has this healing power. Maybe it’s just my family, I don’t know but a warm cup of tea can do wonders. Keep the coffee away, I’m not a fan but I can hardly ever say no to a cup of tea. And if the tea seems to fail, then cookies are the next best thing. So, why not have your tea and eat it too?

Months ago, I read about a cookie recipe using Earl Grey tea on Martha Stewart’s website or one of her magazines, I can’t exactly remember. I do remember, however, thinking that it sounded so awesome. If only I had some loose earl grey tea. I must have put it on my grocery list a dozen times but I always, without fail, would forget to look for it on my numerous trips over the past few months.

The other day I was looking through my kitchen at home (because I swear, everything is in a different place every time I come home) for some peanut butter and I found an entire container of loose earl grey tea! I immediately thought of those cookies I had seen so long ago. Now that I finally had that key ingredient, I figured it’d be a great time to finally try these cookies out!

And oh my, they are so delicious. I could not stop eating the cookie dough and I have never been so anxious for something to come out of the oven. Not only do these taste fantastic; a crunchy, sweet tea cookie — but they look so different than any other cookie. They’re almost sophisticated in appearance and it makes me want to throw a tea party circa 1994 with my stuffed animals and dolls.

Early Grey Tea Cookies (adapted from Martha Stewart)
makes about 2-3 dozen

2 c. flour
2 tbsp. loose earl grey tea leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 granulated sugar*

*the original recipe called for confectioners sugar, I was out and in a pinch
used regular sugar.

In a food processor (or bowl of a stand mixer) pulse the flour, tea and salt together. Then add the butter, sugar and vanilla; continue to pulse/mix until a dough is formed. Using your hands, gather the dough together and place on a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap. The dough may be a little crumbly, but it will all come together.

Roll the dough into a log shape, about 2 inches thick. Wrap up in the wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30-45 minutes. Once firm, Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cut the log into 1/4-inch slices and place on lightly greased baking sheet (or lined with parchment paper). Bake about 12-15 minutes until golden around the edges.

Make sure to serve these with a large pot of tea.

Reasons I Love Being Home For Spring Break — according to my iphone

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It’s barely been three days into my break and I am loving it. I didn’t go anywhere exotic or anything for spring break. I’m spending my week off at home with my family. It feels so good to be home since I haven’t been home since…January 13th, I think. It’s been awhile. The best part about being home? Having my double-sized bed back!

Oh, and let’s not forget about not having to wake up to any alarms. I still set one occasionally, just because I don’t really like to sleep past 9:30 but I am not touching any of those super early alarms at all this break. No way. This morning, I woke up on my own at 8:15 and it was glorious.

And I can take my exercise outside now! The weather has been so beautiful and I am taking full advantage of it by running outside in the sun (as compared to the treadmill at school). It almost feels like it’s summer.

I’ve also spent a lot of quality time with this little fireball. My puppy and I are enjoying the weather together. I love her, until she tries to eat my breakfast; which is all the time! The next picture was taken while I was eating breakfast and she thought that we might share.

Speaking of breakfast and eating, how could I have forgotten one of the most important reasons that I love being home? The kitchen. It’s big and has counter space (unlike my apartment) and I cannot wait to start cooking up a storm in there :) My dog likes that too because she knows that she will get to eat any dropped food.

I’m also able to dedicate a lot of my time to working on my thesis. I’m hoping that I can make a lot of progress throughout this week, I apologize for the lack of recipes these past for days as I have been getting settled in here at home, but they’ll be more soon! I promise. I just love being at home and spending time with my family. I’ve been going through some old photographs as part of my thesis and I have found some really great ones.

Including this one of me when I was a little. Yes, that is a plastic rolling pin in my hand. I think that must mean something about my love of baking/cooking now. I hope everyone is enjoying this weather and I’ll be back soon with something delicious!