Coconut Bird Nest Cupcakes

 

This past weekend I had a totally adorable Easter/Spring party complete with an Easter Egg Hunt! I'm sure it was almost as much fun for my neighbors to watch a bunch of grown ass adults run around the yard looking for eggs as it was for us to find them. More fun than it was being a kid though because I get to swear at my friends and eat as much candy as I want - and no one can stop me!

  

Look how CUTE!!!

After not baking for over a month I was pretty eager to flex my culinary muscle. There was quiche, deviled eggs, rainbow fruit on a stick, biscuits, cream cheese strawberry rhubarb danish, and of course these sweet little coconut bird nest cupcakes! 

Earlier in the day, before I had tasted one, I was lamenting to my friend that I have yet to find a vanilla cake recipe I really like, and that they all tend to have a heavy, cornbready flavor and texture to me. Despite the fact that these are coconut cupcakes, I think this will be my go-to vanilla cake recipe as well! The coconut flavor is mild enough that you might miss it if not for the addition of some shredded coconut (if you want it to be more prominent, I suggest adding a touch of coconut extract to the cake, frosting, or both). The texture, though, is perfect - light, but not too delicate, and moist without being greasy. I only wish my carb-deprived belly could have fit more!

Coconut Bird Nest Cupcakes

Makes 18-20 cupcakes

For the reduced coconut milk:

2 13-14oz cans unsweetened coconut milk

For the cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp

1 1/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs, room temp

1 cup reduced coconut milk, room temp

seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

(coconut extract to taste, optional)

For the frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp

2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/3 cup reduced coconut milk, room temp
2 Tbsp coconut rum

seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

1/8 tsp salt

(coconut extract to taste, optional)

1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut, lightly toasted

1 8 oz bag Cadbury mini eggs

1. For the reduced coconut milk: Pour coconut milk into a deep, medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 30-45 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. 

2. For the cupcakes: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter with the paddle attachment until smooth, then add the sugar and beat on medium high speed, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the vanilla bean seeds and remaining egg. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low just until lightly blended. Add the 1 cup reduced coconut milk and mix just until blended. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until blended. 

4. Divide the batter among the prepare muffin tins and bake until cupcake tops spring back when gently touched and a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes in tins to rack and cool for 10 minutes before removing from tins to the rack to cool completely. 

5. For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add the confectioner's sugar, reduced coconut milk, rum, vanilla bean seeds and salt and beat on medium low until blended, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Increase speed to medium high for a minute until light and fluffy. 

6. To decorate, top each cupcake with 2 tablespoons or so of frosting, and spread the frosting around so there is a small indent in the frosting in the center of the cupcake, almost exposing the cake. Gently press the toasted coconut around the frosting, then arrange your eggs in their "nest." Enjoy!

Blood Orange Panna Cotta

It's Valentine's Day eve. Maybe you're procrastinator and had grand ideas about a romantic dinner for your sweetie but never actually got around to planning it. I'm sure you're in good company. 

I'm a procrastinator too. Normally around this time of year I like to make all sorts of dumb little Valentine's Day baked goods and crafts. I don't know why. I'm not crazy for the manufactured love of V-day. Maybe it takes me back to my childhood where all the little twits in my class had to pretend to be nice to me for one day and give me a card.. suckers.

This year however, I did nothing. I kept putting it all off, and with snowstorm after snowstorm, mid-February sort of just snuck up on me. C'est la vie. I did make these panna cotta though, and the good news is you too can STILL make these for tomorrow! Hell, you can put it off for another 12 or 16 hours if you want and still have them ready for V-day evening. Hooray for procrastination! 

Blood Orange Panna Cotta

(makes 12-14  4oz mason jars, or about 6 cups)

For the Panna Cotta:

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

seeds of 1 vanilla bean, pod reserved

1 1/2 tsp fresh ground cardamom

2 tsp blood orange zest

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups Greek yogurt

3/4 cup blood orange juice (about 3-4 oranges)

4 tsp unflavored gelatin

For the Blood Orange Syrup:

3/4 cup blood orange juice (about 3-4 oranges)

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp pink peppercorns

3 cardamom pods, crushed

2 blood oranges, supremed

chopped pistachios, for serving

1. To prepare the panna cotta: In a small bowl add the 3/4 cup blood orange juice and sprinkle the gelatin on top to let it bloom. Set aside.

2. In a small saucepan set over medium low heat, combine the sugar, milk, heavy cream, vanilla seeds and pot, cardamom, zest and salt. Stir just until the sugar is fully dissolved, taking care not to heat the milk too much. Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt. Remove the vanilla pod, squeezing out any vanilla goodness inside and discard. Stir in the bloomed gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved and no lumps remain. Pour the panna cotta mixture into individual mason jars or greased molds (if planning to unmold) and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until set.

3. To prepare the syrup: In a small saucepan combine the juice, water, honey, peppercorn and cardamom pods. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half. Allow it to cool to room temperature then use fine sieve to strain out the peppercorns and cardamom pots, reserving the syrup in a small bowl. Add the blood orange supremes to the syrup and refrigerate until needed.  

4. To serve: If unmolding, gently use a thin knife around the edges of your mold to loosen the panna cotta and unmold on your serving dish (otherwise serve directly from your jars.) Pour a few spoonfuls of syrup on top along with a couple orange supremes and garnish with chopped pistachios.

(inspired by and adapted from Yes, More Please!)

Raspberry, Pistachio and Cardamom Overnight Oats

More breakfast recipes! Except this one is a lazy man's breakfast recipe - throw everything in a jar, give it a stir, throw it in the fridge, and forget about it until the morning. Perfect for me since I am decidedly NOT a morning person.

I have to dissent from the majority though and say that I don't find oatmeal all that filling. I'm convinced this is just something people say to make you feel bad about your desire to throw back a plate of eggs and bacon. For this reason I tried to bolster the protein and fat content of these oats with the addition of greek yogurt and nuts to make the oats a little heartier. They make for a great breakfast that's on the lighter side, or a tasty and nutritious snack.

This recipe is also very customizable, so experiment with spices, sweeteners, fruits and liquids to suit your tastes. They will keep in the fridge for several days, so double or triple the recipe as needed.

Raspberry, Pistachio and Cardamom Overnight Oats
(makes two 1/2 pint servings)

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp chia seeds

2 Tbsp honey

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

2-4 Tbsp chopped shelled pistachios

1/3-1/2 cup fresh raspberries, or enough to fill your jars

1. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients until well incorporated, crushing some of the raspberries as you stir. Distribute equally between two 1/2 pint jars, or other 1 cup containers, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve chilled or dump into a bowl and microwave for 30-60 seconds. 

Brown Butter Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Bourbon Bacon Pecans

If you're cooking Thanksgiving dinner for your family, then I know that the last thing you're probably thinking about right now is pumpkin pancakes. It's more likely that you're still trying to figure out exactly how long that turkey is going to take, or playing tetris with said turkey and the 10 different casserole dishes in your fridge, or maybe you're busy ironing napkins and thinking to yourself "when did I become this person?" 

But perhaps if you're choosing R&R over being trampled in a riot at Walmart on Black Friday, and you've had a couple days full of turkey sandwiches and soup, you'd like to use up the leftover pumpkin puree from that pumpkin pie and make what amounts to dessert for breakfast. Or, if you're really lucky, you have an awesome family member who wants to treat you to it!

These aren't your average pancakes - they're super fluffy pancakes flavored with pumpkin and warm spices, laced with brown butter and topped with cinnamon whipped cream and sweet, salty, bacon-y pecans. Yeah, they're good. This recipe makes a big family sized portion of pancakes, but it's easy enough to half the recipe. They are surprisingly tasty even after being reheated, though!

Brown Butter Pumpkin Pancakes

with Maple Bourbon Bacon Pecans

For the pecans:

1 egg white

3 Tbsp bourbon

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup maple sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked until crisp and finely chopped

3 cups raw pecans, coarsely chopped

For the pancakes:

1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into several slices

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 Tbsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp clove

1 tsp kosher salt

2 cup milk (room temp)

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (room temp)

2 eggs (room temp)

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp powdered sugar

pure maple syrup, for serving

1. For the pecans: Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.  In a large bowl, whisk egg white until foamy, then whisk in the bourbon, vanilla, maple sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the pecans and bacon and toss to coat. Spread the nuts in an even layer on the prepared pan and bake int he preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan and setting aside.

2. For the pancakes: Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced stick of butter, whisking frequently. Continue to cook the butter and wait for it to foam up and then subside. Watch for small brown specks to form in the butter - it should smell toasty and nutty. Once it reaches this point remove from the heat and measure out 4 Tablespoons of the melted butter and place into a medium bowl. Pour the remaining butter into a small vessel and stick in the fridge or freezer so it can harden up for serving.

3. To the medium bowl with the 4 Tablespoons of brown butter, add the milk, pumpkin puree and eggs and whisk until well blended (it helps if these ingredients are at room temperature.) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and salt. Gently, but quickly, mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. 

4. Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease. The pan is ready when a drop of water skitters across the surface of the pan. Drop 1/4 cups of pancake batter onto the pan and cook on one side until bubbles begin to form on the surface, about 2 minutes or so. Flip over and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes, or until golden brown. 

5. To serve, whip the heavy cream, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Top the pancakes with a bit of the cooled brown butter from the fridge/freezer, a drizzle of maple syrup, a dollop of whipped cream and prepared pecans.

Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

It's been awhile. Not that I haven't been cooking, I just haven't done much in the way of photographing what I cook. I fell off the regular blog updating wagon after a major snowstorm in October that knocked out power to parts of my state for over a week and cancelled/postponed Halloween. Then stupid daylight savings time kicked in. Curses! It gets dark around 4:30 in the afternoon which doesn't give me much available light.

Guess it's time to break out the artificial lighting and beat the ol' seasonal affective disorder in the process. I hope to update with a few seasonal yummies soon, but in the meantime these are one of my favorite recipes for super flaky, cheesy, scrumptious biscuits. 

I love making biscuits because they're so easy to throw together, but satisfying like a warm loaf of bread. These are great as a holiday side or just to whip up beside a nice bowl of soup on a chilly evening. The key is to not overwork the dough. Fold/knead the dough only until it just holds together in a solid mass, and hold yourself back from adding extra liquid unless totally necessary.

 

Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes 6-8 biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup very cold butter, cubed

1/2 cup high quality sharp cheddar, shredded

3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers (alternatively, you can use a food processor if you have one) cut in the butter until a coarse meal forms. Add the cheese and toss to incorporate. Stir in the buttermilk slowly, just until all the flour is moistened and the crumbs hold together if you pinch a bit between your fingers. You may use less than the 3/4 cup of buttermilk to achieve this.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead by folding the mixture over itself in half and flattening. Repeat 5-10 times, or until it holds together in a fairly solid mass. Pat into a 1 inch thick round and cut into biscuits using a 2 to 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Any excess dough can be folded back together and cut into additional biscuits. Place biscuits about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 14-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Best eaten fresh and warm with a good schmear of butter!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I think I might have a problem. A pumpkin problem. As soon as the air becomes crisp and the leaves begin to change, I have an irresistible urge to bake and cook everything with pumpkin. 

I can't help myself. Autumn is my favorite season and Halloween my favorite day of the entire year. When I see pumpkins piled up in front of the local farm stands, I know fall has arrived. I just want to carve them and decorate them and eat them!

These muffins are one of my favorite autumn treats. I make them every year, and when September rolls around I start to get the requests: "When are you going to make those chocolate chip pumpkin muffins?!" It seems they have quite the following, and for good reason - they're moist, spicy and perfectly pumpkin! Adding some rich chocolate chips is just the cherry on top.

You'll notice I have a pretty specific protocol when it comes to baking my muffins. Like many other doughs and batters, be careful not to overwork the muffin batter or you'll make one tough muffin. A little streak of flour here and there is just fine. I also start them off at a slightly higher temperature to give them a little extra lift, then lower it back down. Give them a whirl and you'll have requests too!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 12

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375F. Grease and flour or line 12 muffin cups.

2. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder & soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt  in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. In a large bowl beat together the eggs until light colored and thick. Beat in the pumpkin and butter until smooth (a few little chunks of butter are ok.) Mix in the chocolate chips.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir JUST until combined. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups filling them to a little more than 3/4 full. 

5. Place in the oven and bake at 375F for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350F and bake for another 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for a few minutes, then turn out to cool completely. Enjoy!

Giant Cinnamon Roll of DOOM!

What is that monstrosity? Is it a cinnamon roll or is it a cake?

It's evil. Pure evil, that's what it is. Or one giant cinnamon roll... cake.

See, yesterday I was sitting there pondering my next baking exploit as I often do, and I was torn between cinnamon bread and some kind of cake. I wanted something yeasty and yummy for a cold day, but a loaf of bread just didn't seem interesting enough at the time. Then I remembered a photo I had seen of some coffee cake shaped like a cinnamon roll. Perfect!

Of course, one slice of this isn't any different than having a single cinnamon roll, but something about a GIANT cinnamon roll makes me feel like a little kid about to get away with something I shouldn't.

If you're anything like me though, it will be very hard to have just one slice of this thing. That's where the evil comes in. The edges get a little gooey and caramelized like a sticky bun, and besides the nice crunch of the top, the whole thing is like the sweet, tender center of a cinnamon roll which I think is everyone's favorite part. Drool....

Giant Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

Dough:

1/3 cup warm water

1/3 cup milk

1 Tbsp active dry yeast

1/2 cup (4oz) unsalted butter

3 Tbsp sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

3 cups all purpose flour

Filling:

5 Tbsp very soft unsalted butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp orange zest

pinch of salt

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Whisk together the water, eggs, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Set aside for 5-10 minutes, or until it gets a little bubbly and foamy.

2. Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melty and soft. It shouldn't be too hot at this point, but just check that it is warm and not HOT before proceeding.

3. Whisk the milk & butter mixture into the yeast mixture and combine. Add the salt and nutmeg and whisk until blended.

4. Add 1 cup of flour and give the dough a stir to combine. Add the remaining flour and mix until a dough begins to form. Transfer the dough to a well floured surface (it will be sticky) and knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and slightly elastic, adding small amounts of flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Place the dough into a large, buttered bowl and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

5. Filling: Meanwhile, whisk together the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, orange zest and salt in a small bowl for the filling and set aside.

6. Once the dough has risen, gently deflate it and return it to a floured surface. Shape into a rectangle and using a rolling pin, roll it out to 9 x 30in. Smear your very soft butter across the surface of the dough. Sprinkle your sugar filling evenly over the buttered dough.

7. Roll the dough from the long side to make a tight roll. Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the roll lengthwise.

8. In a well greased or parchment lined 9 to 10 inch springform pan, begin to coil one half of the roll around itself starting from the center. Pinch together the end of that half to the other half and continue coiling that around until you have one big spiral. (I actually did this on a large cookie sheet first and then transferred it to the springform pan. Do whatever works best for you)

9. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for about 30 minutes, or until puffy. Preheat the oven to 350F and cook for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until a smooth icing forms. Drizzle over the baked cinnamon roll after it has cooled for 10 minutes or so. Enjoy!

Egg Stuffed Potatoes

I likes me some eggs. Poached eggs on toast is one of my favorite comfort foods and I'll eat it any time of the day. I think a runny egg yolk makes almost anything taste awesome x10. Not much beats the creamy, rich flavor and texture a nicely cooked egg adds. I also happen to think that adding an egg to almost anything makes it a meal. Lucky for me it really does! Eggs are a great source of protein and good fats, especially if you're cooking with high quality eggs.

Speaking of which, I've become a real Egg Snob lately. I've been buying eggs from local farms as much as I can and find myself turning my nose up at the pale yellow yolks you find in grocery store eggs. They make me sad. If you've never had a real farm fresh egg, you should so go out of your way to find some. It's worth it, trust me.

I also love potatoes. Mmm, starchy goodness. It must be my Polish genes. When I happened across this idea at Home cooking in Montana, I knew I had to try it.

These little potatoes are so delicious. You can stuff them with just about anything you'd like - various cheeses, veggies, meats, etc. Of course, the bigger the potato, the more fillings you can fit in! They're great as a light dinner alongside a salad, or would be perfect for a brunch dish as well. Best of all, they're super cheap and easy!

Egg Stuffed Potatoes

2 PRE-BAKED Potatoes

2 Eggs

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Various Filling Ideas:

cooked meats: crispy bacon, ham, sausage, leftover chicken/steak, tofu etc

veggies: chopped broccoli, spinach, roasted garlic, asparagus, onions, peppers, salsa

CHEESE!: cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack, gouda, muenster, you name it!

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Slice just the top of your (already cooked-through) potatoes off to expose their fleshy goodness. Scoop out some of the flesh - you want plenty of room for your fillings, but you still want a good later of potato. Reserve the flesh for another use.

2. Sprinkle the inside of each potato with a little salt and pepper. Place some of your fillings into the hollow of your potatoes. How much you use will depend on how big your taters are. Just make sure to leave room for your egg. 

3. Carefully crack a whole egg into each potato. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper to taste, and add a bit more cheese and fillings to the top.

4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny. (Bake for a few minutes longer if you prefer a firmer yolk.)