Month: November 2017

coconut cream bars

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Despite ending my amateur baking activity/fetish/obsession (?), I was still motivated to try something new and experimental (motivated by getting rid of ingredients, that is): coconut cream bars.

I had never made these before so I tried something new. I don’t usually taste-test my own baking (that’s what working in an office full of sugar-hungry people is for!). But in this case, I felt a bit worried, so I put one of these coconut cream bars in my mouth as I was setting up all the baked goods for my office to test. Once I could tell it tasted fine, I spit it out and threw it away. I know. I’m a fucking weirdo.

What I can say is that I think the biggest, best difference about these simple bar cookies is that they are made with brown sugar, which adds more depth and flavor.

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Coconut cream bars
Crust
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter

Preheat over to 175C. Line a 13″x9″ rectangular pan with parchment.
Mix all ingredients together and press evenly into pan.
Bake 12-15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 160C.

Coconut cream filling
3 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
3 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups coconut

Whisk all ingredients but coconut together. Stir in 3 cups of coconut. Pour over crust and top with remaining one cup of coconut.
Bake 25-30 minutes.

explorer of regrets

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Untitled
–Nadia Tuéni

Screen Shot 2017-10-16 at 21.39.50

Original

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Photo by Caleb George on Unsplash

Pumpkin-stuffed snickerdoodles

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I don’t eat most of the things I bake – in fact, none of them. But I ate one of these because I cut one in half for the sake of the picture and thought, “Eh, why not?” But then, I really like pumpkin. These were not, as far as I know, the most popular of the cookies I brought to the office for Halloween this year… but I think if a person gave them a chance, they’d be pleased.

Pumpkin-stuffed snickerdoodles
Cookie dough
1 cup butter
1 cup vegetable oil
¾ cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs
4 ¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon (+ colored sugar) to roll

Filling
2 cups (10 ounces) white chocolate chips
1 cup pumpkin
1 ½ cup finely ground gingersnaps
1 ½ cup digestive biscuits
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 (8 ounces/about 225 grams) package cream cheese

First, make filling: melt white chocolate in microwave; stir, heat in 15s intervals, stir well each time, do not overheat. Smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. Mix pumpkin, crumbs, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and cream cheese. Add the white chocolate and mix – place in the fridge to chill and firm. Roll pumpkin filling mix into balls and place on wax paper – cover and freeze until firm.

Cookie dough: Beat butter, oil, sugars, eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and add dry ingredients to the butter mixtures in 3-4 additions. Form a ball and chill dough at least one hour.

Mix sugar and cinnamon together, and preheat oven to 180C. Bake for 12-15 m – scoop out balls of dough – press filling ball in and cover over with another bit of dough until completely covered – roll to seal. Roll in cinnamon and sugar mix and bake.