Homemade Samoas

It's been a while since I've been to this website. Life has been so crazy that I haven't had time to update as much as I would like. Worse, I haven't had time to cook as much as I would like.  But I knew I needed to share a couple more recipes with my few loyal readers.

I realized the other day that it was almost Girlscout cookie season. I made these a couple months ago but haven't had the time to update this blog with a post. I used a 70% dark chocolate instead of regular semi sweet. It cuts the sweetness of the caramel a little bit, and you only need the smallest amount of chocolate on the bottom of the cookie to give a fantastic richness.

It's easy to find plenty of recipes for these same cookies anywhere on the internet, but that does not diminish my appreciation for them, nor my need to share.

Samoas

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• ⅛ tsp baking powder
• ¼ t salt
• ¼ t vanilla
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 ½ cup toasted coconut
• 7 oz soft caramels
• pinch salt
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 4 oz chocolate

Directions

1. Cream together butter and sugar. Add flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla and 1 Tbsp milk to form cookie dough
2. Wrap cookies and chill for 1 hour. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness and cut rings from the cookies
3. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Let cool completely before putting chocolate and caramel on them
4. Melt caramels with milk and mix in toasted coconut
5. Melt chocolate. Dip the bottoms and drizzle over the tops.

It's been a while since I've been to this website. Life has been so crazy that I haven't had time to update as much as I would like. Worse, I haven't had time to cook as much as I would like.  But I knew I needed to share a couple more recipes with my few loyal readers.

I realized the other day that it was almost Girlscout cookie season. I made these a couple months ago but haven't had the time to update this blog with a post. I used a 70% dark chocolate instead of regular semi sweet. It cuts the sweetness of the caramel a little bit, and you only need the smallest amount of chocolate on the bottom of the cookie to give a fantastic richness.

It's easy to find plenty of recipes for these same cookies anywhere on the internet, but that does not diminish my appreciation for them, nor my need to share.

Samoas

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• ⅛ tsp baking powder
• ¼ t salt
• ¼ t vanilla
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 ½ cup toasted coconut
• 7 oz soft caramels
• pinch salt
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 4 oz chocolate

Directions

1. Cream together butter and sugar. Add flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla and 1 Tbsp milk to form cookie dough
2. Wrap cookies and chill for 1 hour. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness and cut rings from the cookies
3. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Let cool completely before putting chocolate and caramel on them
4. Melt caramels with milk and mix in toasted coconut
5. Melt chocolate. Dip the bottoms and drizzle over the tops.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Alfajors with Coconut Milk Dulce de Leche (aka vegan caramel)

Alfajors are one of those amazingly simple yet delicious desserts popular in Spain and Latin America. I tried one for the first time when one of my friends came back from Argentina. After that, it seemed like these delicious caramel cookies were in every coffee shop coming alongside my espresso. It's funny how to are exposed to something for the first time and after that, you start to see it everywhere.

These cookies are different from the traditional alfajor because the lime zest cuts through the fat and sweetness of the caramel. Also, the coconut flavor adds an extra great dimension to the cookie. It tastes great on its own as an ice cream topping and is fantastic because it is essentially vegan caramel. I never thought I'd be able to find a vegan caramel sauce, but this is absolutely fantastic on sorbets and in these cookies.

Alfajors

Ingredients

• ¾ cups butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp vanilla or zest and juice of 1 lime
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup dulce de leche

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla
3. Blend in salt, baking powder and flour until dough comes together
4. Shape dough into ¾ inch balls and press to flatten
5. Bake for 11 minutes until firm. Let cookies cool completely and fill with dulce de leche

Coconut Milk Dulce de Leche

Ingredients

• 14 oz coconut milk
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar

Directions

1. Boil coconut milk, salt and sugar until thickened.

Alfajors are one of those amazingly simple yet delicious desserts popular in Spain and Latin America. I tried one for the first time when one of my friends came back from Argentina. After that, it seemed like these delicious caramel cookies were in every coffee shop coming alongside my espresso. It's funny how to are exposed to something for the first time and after that, you start to see it everywhere.

These cookies are different from the traditional alfajor because the lime zest cuts through the fat and sweetness of the caramel. Also, the coconut flavor adds an extra great dimension to the cookie. It tastes great on its own as an ice cream topping and is fantastic because it is essentially vegan caramel. I never thought I'd be able to find a vegan caramel sauce, but this is absolutely fantastic on sorbets and in these cookies.

Alfajors

Ingredients

• ¾ cups butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp vanilla or zest and juice of 1 lime
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup dulce de leche

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla
3. Blend in salt, baking powder and flour until dough comes together
4. Shape dough into ¾ inch balls and press to flatten
5. Bake for 11 minutes until firm. Let cookies cool completely and fill with dulce de leche

Coconut Milk Dulce de Leche

Ingredients

• 14 oz coconut milk
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar

Directions

1. Boil coconut milk, salt and sugar until thickened.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Coconut Milk Kanten (agar agar)

Kanten is one of those great desserts I often had in my childhood. Most people know it as agar agar: a red seaweed based powder that's full of fiber and really great for you. My grandmother would make it as a jello replacement and though I didn't like it back then, I love it now even more than jello. The texture is more firm and it does't wiggle and jiggle in those silly jello cubes. 


This one is a coconut milk kanten recipe I found. My grandmother never made the recipe this way (she normally made it with tea) but I think I like this coconut milk recipe best. It's rich, refreshing and only slightly sweet. It has just the right amounts of everything and a little will go quite a long way. You can color it with food coloring if desired or leave it white. Either way, it tastes fantastic and is a great way to introduce protein and fiber into your diet in the form of a gelatin dessert.

Coconut Milk Kanten

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp agar agar powder
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 800 ml water
• 200 g sugar
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Simmer agar agar, water, sugar and salt in a pot until sugar and agar are dissolved
2. Remove half a cup and color it a desired color. Pain the inside of cute silicone ice cube trays the desired color. Let set slightly
3. Mix coconut milk with he remaining agar mixture and pour into molds.
4. Let set completely in the refrigerator before serving

Kanten is one of those great desserts I often had in my childhood. Most people know it as agar agar: a red seaweed based powder that's full of fiber and really great for you. My grandmother would make it as a jello replacement and though I didn't like it back then, I love it now even more than jello. The texture is more firm and it does't wiggle and jiggle in those silly jello cubes. 


This one is a coconut milk kanten recipe I found. My grandmother never made the recipe this way (she normally made it with tea) but I think I like this coconut milk recipe best. It's rich, refreshing and only slightly sweet. It has just the right amounts of everything and a little will go quite a long way. You can color it with food coloring if desired or leave it white. Either way, it tastes fantastic and is a great way to introduce protein and fiber into your diet in the form of a gelatin dessert.

Coconut Milk Kanten

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp agar agar powder
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 800 ml water
• 200 g sugar
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Simmer agar agar, water, sugar and salt in a pot until sugar and agar are dissolved
2. Remove half a cup and color it a desired color. Pain the inside of cute silicone ice cube trays the desired color. Let set slightly
3. Mix coconut milk with he remaining agar mixture and pour into molds.
4. Let set completely in the refrigerator before serving

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Coconut Flour Pancakes

These are some of the best gluten free pancakes I've ever tried. I discovered this recipe simply because I had a container of coconut flour I had used to make a gluten free cake. Needing to use the rest of it, I've been experimenting with other recipes.

The ratios look off, but this recipe is great for 2 people for breakfast. Coconut flour is a very thirsty flour, so it does need that high a ratio of eggs and milk. They are still light and fluffy, but a little grittier than normal pancakes.

Coconut Flour Pancakes
Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tbsp milk
• ⅛ tsp baking soda
• ⅛ tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp dried coconut
• 1 tsp honey

Directions

1. Mix together eggs, milk, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey
2. Add coconut flour and dried coconut, mixing thoroughly until fully combined
3. Heat skillet with butter. Cook pancakes, flipping once when they begin to bubble.

These are some of the best gluten free pancakes I've ever tried. I discovered this recipe simply because I had a container of coconut flour I had used to make a gluten free cake. Needing to use the rest of it, I've been experimenting with other recipes.

The ratios look off, but this recipe is great for 2 people for breakfast. Coconut flour is a very thirsty flour, so it does need that high a ratio of eggs and milk. They are still light and fluffy, but a little grittier than normal pancakes.

Coconut Flour Pancakes
Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tbsp milk
• ⅛ tsp baking soda
• ⅛ tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp dried coconut
• 1 tsp honey

Directions

1. Mix together eggs, milk, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey
2. Add coconut flour and dried coconut, mixing thoroughly until fully combined
3. Heat skillet with butter. Cook pancakes, flipping once when they begin to bubble.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Coconut Flour Cake with Fudge Frosting

I have never subscribed in the belief for food with special dietary restrictions. Most of my friends feel the same way. They shun most things vegan and gluten free if those foods are pretending to be real food (such as coconut flour pretending to be cake, or something as sinister as vegan cheesecake)

One of my coworkers asked me to make him a dessert with coconut flour as be has been trying to keep a gluten free diet. It wasn't as restrictive as vegan or dairy free or no refined sugars, so I decided to give gluten free baking a try for the first time.

The cake was a lot more moist and spongy than I expected it to be given the density of coconut flour. The fudge frosting was a little too sweet for me, but it was delicious and tasted like a chocolate orange you get at Christmas time. The cake will be a staple for all my gluten free friends in the future. In the future, I will also double the recipe to make a double layer cake.

Coconut Flour Orange Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 eggs
• 1 orange zest
• 1/2 orange, juiced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch cake pan with butter and coconut flour
2. Sift together baking soda, salt and coconut flour
3. Melt the butter so that half is melted and the other half is very very soft
4. Mix in honey, orange zest, eggs and coconutmilk with the butter using electric beaters
   
   
5. Slowly add coconut flour while mixing, making sure to remove all the lumps from the cake
6. Pour cake into pan and bake for half anhour or until cake is set and tester comes out clean.
7. Poke holes in the top of the cake with toothpick and squeeze the juice from half an orange over the top

Orange Fudge Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 lb powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2.5 oz unsweetened chocolate
• juice from the other half orange
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut

Directions

1. Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together in the top of a double boiler
2. Combine sugar, milk and orange juice, mixing with electric beaters.
3. Add hot chocolate and butter. Continue mixing on high until thickened and cool
4. As necessary, put frosting in the refrigerator to chill faster and continue beating until frosting is the right consistency.
5. Frost cake and top with the unsweetened coconut.

I have never subscribed in the belief for food with special dietary restrictions. Most of my friends feel the same way. They shun most things vegan and gluten free if those foods are pretending to be real food (such as coconut flour pretending to be cake, or something as sinister as vegan cheesecake)

One of my coworkers asked me to make him a dessert with coconut flour as be has been trying to keep a gluten free diet. It wasn't as restrictive as vegan or dairy free or no refined sugars, so I decided to give gluten free baking a try for the first time.

The cake was a lot more moist and spongy than I expected it to be given the density of coconut flour. The fudge frosting was a little too sweet for me, but it was delicious and tasted like a chocolate orange you get at Christmas time. The cake will be a staple for all my gluten free friends in the future. In the future, I will also double the recipe to make a double layer cake.

Coconut Flour Orange Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 eggs
• 1 orange zest
• 1/2 orange, juiced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch cake pan with butter and coconut flour
2. Sift together baking soda, salt and coconut flour
3. Melt the butter so that half is melted and the other half is very very soft
4. Mix in honey, orange zest, eggs and coconutmilk with the butter using electric beaters
   
   
5. Slowly add coconut flour while mixing, making sure to remove all the lumps from the cake
6. Pour cake into pan and bake for half anhour or until cake is set and tester comes out clean.
7. Poke holes in the top of the cake with toothpick and squeeze the juice from half an orange over the top

Orange Fudge Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 lb powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2.5 oz unsweetened chocolate
• juice from the other half orange
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut

Directions

1. Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together in the top of a double boiler
2. Combine sugar, milk and orange juice, mixing with electric beaters.
3. Add hot chocolate and butter. Continue mixing on high until thickened and cool
4. As necessary, put frosting in the refrigerator to chill faster and continue beating until frosting is the right consistency.
5. Frost cake and top with the unsweetened coconut.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad