Raspberry Coconut Macaroons!

The weather in Seattle for the last week or so has been positively summer-like. We have had maybe 8 days of sunshine and dry dare-I-say, heat.  There was even a 90F degree day where I thought the thermometer in my car must be broken.  Sun in the spring means the color green is everywhere!  When you live in gray for the better part of the year, sun and green are not overlooked or taken for granted.  It is one of the aspects of living in Seattle that I love - life and nature are appreciated, in the moment.

Berry season is in the beginning stages here but every store seems to be ready for the onslaught.  It is how I know we are really approaching the Pacific Northwest no one talks about.  The one where it doesn't rain.  Where the early mornings and late evenings still require a jacket but the days are filled with warm sunshine that lasts well after 9:00 pm.  And every store has stacks and stacks of berries.  Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, but closest to my heart are raspberries.  They are just so versatile.  They are equally good on a tart as they are in a vinaigrette. (OK that may be an exaggeration.)  They are amazing cooked, perfect for jam, gorgeous right out of the container, or in this case: paired with coconut and chocolate.

I saw this recipe on Marthastewart.com and was sold.  It is very easy and doesn't take long to make with a really elegant result.  The hardest part was that the cookies need to bake for 25 minutes and they smelled heavenly!  There is something about toasting coconut that is intoxicating!

The freshness of the raspberries not only brings out even more fruitiness of the coconut but also adds moisture and creates a softer texture that I didn't know was missing from a coconut macaroon.

They would be excellent still if you wanted to serve them without the chocolate. (Alternative universe) The chocolate definitely makes them bonbon-esque.  If you prefer milk or white chocolate to dark they both would make a nice variation. My biggest caution is to watch them carefully in the last few minutes of baking.  There is a fine line between toasted and burnt when coconut is concerned.  Simply lovely little cookies. 

INGREDIENTS

·        2 cups dried sweetened flaked coconut

    3 tablespoons granulated sugar

·         1 large egg white

·         Pinch of coarse salt

·         1/2 cup fresh raspberries

·         6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

·         2 teaspoons coconut oil 

·         DIRECTIONS 

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine coconut, granulated sugar, egg white, and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined, scraping down sides of bowl, if necessary. Add raspberries and pulse until just incorporated. (Do not overprocess.)
2.   Scoop mounds of coconut mixture 1 inch apart onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, using a 1/2-ounce (1 1/4-inch) ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to form small mounds.

3.   Bake until macaroons are lightly golden, 28 to 30 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer macaroons to a wire rack and let cool.

4.   Place chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted. Add coconut oil, stirring until combined, then remove from heat.

5.   Dip bottoms of macaroons in chocolate or completely cover with chocolate, transferring as dipped to a wax-paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Garnish as desired while still warm, then refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. Serve chilled.

Tiki Pops are BANANAS!

We eat alot of Pops in our office.  We go though a long sampling and testing process before we finalize our pop molds.  There is so much to live up to!  Are they fun? Do they make you smile?  How easily do they slide out of the silicone sleeve?  How does the handle feel in your hand?  Does the shape work as well with Kool-Aid and it does with yogurt?  These are many of the things we play around with before a new Tovolo Pop Mold makes the cut.

The Tiki Pop Molds fit all this criteria and more!  They are expressive and cool. I will say of all the Pop Molds these (and the Yetis, and the Monsters, and the Dinos!) are my favorite because they have so much personality.  The thicker the liquid you freeze, the more detail you will see because it becomes opaque when frozen.

This recipe is SUPER easy and surprisingly healthy.  It is simply bananas, nutella, and coconut milk pureed in a blender.  I add a little shredded coconut to the mold before I poured in the banana mixture because I thought it would look like hair - it kind of worked.  The color isn't the prettiest but I think they look and more importantly, taste great!  They have a really fresh banana flavor the coconut milk reinforces the tropical feel.  Texture is really creamy but they are non-dairy!  I add just a scoop of nutella but you could use chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, or even just a tablespoon of cocoa if that is your preference.

Ingredients:

2 bananas - mine were just ripe which is how I like to eat them.
1/3 cup light unsweetened coconut milk - I was trying to keep the sugar factor on the low side.
2 T Nutella or other chocolate spread - more if you like.

In a blender, blend all ingredients until very smooth and creamy in texture. Pour into the Tovolo Pop Mold of your choice.  You want to pour the liquid to the first ledge to make sure you don't overflow when you put the handle into the mold. Before you put the handles into the molds tap the base, with full sleeves, gently on a flat surface to remove most of the air bubbles.  Place in your freezer for at least 8 hours.  When frozen, remove the sleeve and enjoy!  Send us pictures of your favorite Tovolo Pop Mold Popsicle!

Sparkly Vanilla Cookies with Peanut Butter Filling

Well folks, we have hit the cookie motherload!  Let me start at the bottom, there are the crispy and slightly chewy, vanilla bean, sugar cookies dotted with coarse rainbow sugar. Then as if that weren't enough, sandwiched between two of these vanilla-scented beauties is a healthy dollop of luscious, soft, slightly sweet, slightly salty peanut butter buttercream.  I am drooling just thinking about them.
As you bite into the crispy edge of the cookie sandwich, the creamy center starts to ever-so-slowly squish from the middle to the sides as if to escape.  Luckily, the peanut butter is just thick enough in consistency not to completely ooze onto your fingers.  You get a little crunch from the course rainbow sugar sprinkled on top, a little salt from the peanut butter, and are left with lingering vanilla beans on your tongue to finish off your first perfect bite.  

By themselves, the cookies are delightful.  A good basic sugar cookie elevated by real vanilla beans and made sparkly by brightly colored sugar.  You could use non-pareils or jimmies but I liked the texture the coarse sugar created.  The key for me is to bake them just so that the edges get golden brown but the middle is still soft and just an eek under fully baked.  

batter specked with vanilla beans!

sparkly little dough balls

Ok, now to make this little lovelies. I pieced these gems together from combining the cookie recipe from Joy the Baker with the Peanut Butter Buttercream recipe of Handmade Charlotte.  

Sparkly Vanilla Sugar Cookies

adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla paste
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup coarse rainbow sugar sprinkles like India Tree (you could also use jimmies or non-pariels)

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla paste and egg and beat until fluffy.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. The dough will be thick (you may have to finish incorporating the mixture with a spatula). 
4. Place the  1/4 cup sprinkles in a bowl. Scoop up 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Dip the ball in the bowl of sprinkles to cover lightly. Put the balls on a plate. Repeat with the remaining sprinkles and dough. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours.
5. Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with Tovolo Silicone Baking Mats.
6. Transfer the chilled dough balls to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space in between each ball.
7. Bake until the cookies have spread and are just beginning to brown around the edges, but are mostly pale and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Peanut Butter Butter Cream!

INGREDIENTS

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Add butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl and combine on low speed. Add vanilla paste and salt, then slowly add heavy cream.  Beat until fluffy and smooth!

To assemble, line up like-size COOLED cookies and scoop a generous tablespoon of buttercream onto one cookie.  Use the Tovolo Scoop & Spread to spread the peanut butter buttercream move evenly onto the cookie.  Atop with the second cookie and gently squeeze together.  Any leftover buttercream is yours to eat without anyone being the wiser.

Eat at will!

Heaven help me!

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