Chocolate Cherry Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Are you like me? Do you get excited when it is cherry season and grab a huge bag  of them? Then you realize that it actually takes awhile to get through that bag? And then you start to worry about how you'll finish them before they go bad?

 

If you aren't like me, well, I guess I applaud you. If you ARE like me, then put your worries aside. Cherries go great in desserts. This is a universal truth. Like ketchup makes everything taste better. Except Ketchup.

Well, here in Pittsburgh I finally got into a kitchen with an oven. (THREE ovens actually!) It was so nice to be back in a kitchen and creating delicious creations like these cookies. I found a recipe and added some things and took out others and the results were magic. Using cherries in their raw form (not dried) brings a pop of freshness and juice when you bite into these. The mixture of coconut, chocolate, and oatmeal makes for a wonderful base to deliver the tart/sweetness of the cherry. All the folks in my Summerfest program here in Pittsburgh agreed that these were amazing.

 

So, if you have cherries that need to be used, try this great recipe!

Chocolate Cherry Coconut Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from What's Gaby Cooking)

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup shredded coconut

1 cups old-fashioned oats

2 Tablespoons chocolate powder (hot chocolate mix works)

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup diced cherries

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars via stirring or electric mixer.. Mix together for 2 minutes until the sugars are incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Add the flour, baking soda, sea salt and baking powder and slowly combine, making sure not to over-mix the batter. Add the coconut, oats, chocolate powder, chocolate chips, and cherries. Gently fold them into the dough. Refrigerate batter while oven is heating.

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place small scoops of dough spread out 12 times onto each parchment lined baking sheet. Transfer sheets into over and bake for 14-16 minutes until the cookies slightly turn golden brown on the edges but are still soft and chewy in the middle. Remove from oven, transfer to cooling rack. Repeat process for remaining dough. Cool for a little bit and then enjoy!

Bake well and prosper

Pear Date and Coconut Cake

La di da di...oh, wait. Hey! I have a blog!

 

I've left my baby blog alone for over a month now. Time flies! I don't really have any reasons for not baking/posting. I was in Austin for a little bit in February, but besides that, I just haven't felt like baking. I'm going to blame the winter.

 

However, this past Sat I baked TWICE.

I usually always have dates on hand. Is that a weird food item to always have on hand? Well, I do. They are such an important part of eating a raw foods diet. Why important? Well, they help make desserts, which is important! 

 

I saw this recipe awhile ago and couldn't wait to try it. The cake turned out to be nice and moist. It's not overly sugary and I find it went well with chai tea. Next time I'll make sure to save time for the powdered sugar design on top. This is what one gets when making up something within a couple of minutes:

It's not awful, but I know I can do better!

 

Pear Date and Coconut Cake recipe found here: Hummingbird High

Bake well and prosper!

Pineapple Coconut Bread Pudding with Buttered Rum Sauce

It's almost the start of the New Year so I've been thinking about what my 2014 New Year's resolutions will be. This got me to thinking about what they were for this year and then I remembered that my resolution involved baking. And I quote (from my blog entry on Jan 16, 2013), "I have decided that 2013 is the year I take on more challenging recipes. Recipes that push me out of my comfort zone and hopefully make me realize that yes, I CAN do it. It will also help me understand different techniques of baking that I haven't dabbled in yet. (Or I'll learn from my failure with the new techniques.)"

 

I've done pretty well this year with trying new recipes that weren't my usual go tos (cookies & brownies.) In fact, I've never made a bread pudding before and lookie here! While it's not complicated, I did get to try something new!

 

I brought this to a holiday party and people raved about it. I used a basic recipe and added a couple ingredients to the bread pudding and then added a buttered rum sauce. I think THAT'S what made people rave. :)

 

Have you thought about your 2014 resolutions? Do they involve baking?

Pineapple Coconut Bread Pudding with Buttered Rum Sauce (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients for Pudding:

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

12 slices bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used country-style white bread)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

 

Ingredients for Sauce:

6 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons white sugar

4+ teaspoons of rum

Directions for pudding:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 baking dish. (Or use ramekins.) Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in pineapple, butter, coconut, and raisins. Stir in bread until well coated. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake in preheated oven until bread is fluffy, about 40 minutes.

Directions for sauce:

When pudding is ready to be served, melt butter in a pan on the stove and stir in the sugar and rum. Once completely melted, drizzle over the bread pudding while warm and enjoy. 

Bake well and prosper!

SexyPop Brazilian Coconut Popcorn

A couple of weeks ago I was the lucky recipient of some SexyPop popcorn. Are you familiar with Pirate's Booty? Well guess what! That company recently introduced this fun, yummy, gluten free, cholesterol free, GMO free and rbGH free popcorn line. I enjoyed munching on the pepper flavored ones. Also the cheesy ones. Oh, and the salted ones. So, I guess I enjoyed them all!

 

When I first tried the Brazilian Coconut flavor, I instantly wanted to make it into a popcorn dessert.

So I did!

I took 3 ounces of dark chocolate, melted it in a pan on the stove with a teaspoon of coconut oil. Once it was nicely melted I drizzled it over the popcorn and then tossed in some organic shredded coconut and some chopped up macadamia nuts. The combo was light and delightful. I stored the left overs in the freezer so the chocolate wouldn't get too messy.

 

The next day I took it to my cheering spot for the NYC marathon. It was the perfect snack to eat while cheering on the marathoners as they gallantly ran by me.

Aren't the trees AND the runners amazing? I enjoyed my view and cheering on the runners. Cheering works up an appetite and this popcorn treat hit the spot for the couple of minutes I took from cheering to fill my tummy!

Bake well and prosper!

Raw and Gluten Free Magic Bars & Blog Birthday!

"Happy birthday to my blog! Happy birthday to...oh wow. FOUR years?!" Those were the thoughts that coursed through my mind while getting ready for this post. I cannot believe I have been blogging about my baked goods (and sometimes my life) for four years. It doesn't seem like four years. It seems like two and a half. It's been so fun and cathartic and, well, delicious!

 

I must admit that I was a little saddened to read last year's blogiversary post...and the year before's post...and the blogiversary post from 2009. Besides travelling more (yay!), it seems like not much has changed in my life over four years except for the apartments I live in and my hair. (Which is nice and "long" now compared to when I had a pixie cut.)

(Yes, that IS me eating a fried oreo in Little Italy.)

 

Besides these two things I'm still working the same day job, I still sing operatically, I still run (well, I did until my injury last week), and I still love hanging out with my friends whenever possible. (And sometimes I do more than one of these things at a time!)

It's not that I was expecting some drastic change in my life within the last fours years, and quite frankly I can be very thankful that nothing drastic HAS happened. Whew!

 

But then I realized that one thing has changed (besides me joining pinterest...). It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me so maybe that's why I didn't think of it right away, but, in the grand scheme of my blog, it IS rather important:

 

I enjoy eating healthy!

 

Yes, ever since Feb, 2012, I've incorporated more fruits, veggies, and nuts in my diet. There are also many weeks when I do a raw foods diet.

 

Don't worry. I still love desserts and still completely believe that life IS too short to skip dessert. But my taste buds have become a little more picky and I prefer artisnal, lightly crafted desserts more than the heavy, super processed, and preservative heavy desserts. The fact that there is an abundance of blogs out there with posts on those kind of desserts makes me feel ok about the lack of them on my blog. (Mind you, I'll still bake them from time to time...especially around Christmas time.)

 

I've actually been enjoying baking vegan, gluten-free, raw,  or just healthy desserts recently (which I'm sure that you, my awesome readers, have noticed.) It's so fun to make up my own recipes as well, like the recipe for this post. I loved my raw and gluten free magic bars so much that I've been making single serving parfaits for myself each day this week.

Besides this "hits the spot" recipe, some of the other recipes I loved/am proud of that I made this last year are:

•Overnight Coffee Loaves I was so proud of myself for making these. They were perfect, just perfect (and even more so when eaten right after they came out of the oven.) I hope to make them again when I have more time to take better photos of them.

•Homemade Donuts This recipe pushed me out of my baking comfort zone which resulted in amazing donuts. Once again, I was very proud of myself for the success of these donuts.

•No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Granola Cookies  These were an instant hit and it's hard to eat just one. I'm currently wishing I had one to eat right now...maybe I'll make a healthier version of them soon...

•Raw & Gluten Free Honey Bunches of Oats Bars I made up this recipe after making my own almond butter for the first time. I was proud of my own recipe and happy with the yumminess of the bars.

•Heart Shaped Italian Macarons This recipe required a lot of attention and I'm happy to report that both times I made macarons in the last year they all turned out to be scrumptious. These heart shaped ones were so cute! Next time I'll try to make some without splits on top.

•Cherry Poppyseed Cake I'll just reiterate what I wrote about this cake back in summer: This cake is so lovely, especially for summer seeing it's somewhat light in consistency and uses cherries. I added a nice whipped cream that helped bring out the flavors of the poppy seeds and the cherries. I highly recommend making this cake.

•"Almazing" Almond Bars I am dead serious about these bars being amazing. I'm craving one right now just thinking about them!

•Cherry Lemonade Bars with Lavender Frosting Thankfully I decided to enter a baking contest this year. While I didn't win, this is hands down my favorite recipe of the year. I made it three times within a week since it was so amazing. (And part of the recipe is mine!)

 

There are plenty more recipes I loved this past year, but these are the ones that stick out in my mind the most.

 

Hopefully my next year of blogging will be just as successful when it comes to baking. I can't wait for another delicious year! 

Raw and Gluten Free Magic Bars (an Erika Beth original recipe)

1 cup raw & pitted dates (I used medjool dates)

2 Tablespoons of nut milk (I used a mixed nut milk)

1 Tablespoon of raw honey

1 cup pecan butter (I made my own - feel free to substitute a different nut butter)

1/2 cup of gluten free dried oats

1/4 cup of unsweetened, dried, and shredded coconut

2 Tablespoons of cacao nibs

 

In a medium bowl, stir the honey into the nut milk and then soak the dates in the mixture for an hour. Then put the dates and the milk into a food processor and process until the mixture becomes sticky and like caramel. Mix the pecan butter with the oats and spread evenly on the bottom of a small square container (about 4x4 inches. *see photo below). Once an even layer is on the bottom of the container, spread the date "caramel" evenly on top of that layer. Then sprinkle the coconut on top of the caramel layer. Then sprinkle the cacao nibs on top of the coconut. Refrigerate for at least an hour and then cut into small squares and enjoy.

Bake well and prosper!

Gluten-Free Almond Butter Cookies

Wow...I've been on an almond kick, haven't I? If you've noticed, this is my 3rd post in a row involving almonds. ("Almazing" Almond Bars and Raw & Gluten-Free Honey Bunches of Oats Bars are the other two.)

 

Well, what can I say? I love almonds and I love making almond butter in my new food processor. My shiny, magical, incredibly awesome 12 cup food processor. 

I'm still in awe. (And I still need to watch the instructional video that came with it...)

 

Want to see something else I recently got for my kitchen (since I haven't posted about my kitchen in awhile?) Sure you do!

Aren't these the cutest?! (Don't worry, I still have my giraffe measuring spoons!) I bought these a couple of weekends ago when I was hanging out with my best friend from college. She's leaving to do a year abroad in England and when I use these spoons I'll think of her. Especially when I use the 1/4 tsp one because we have an inside joke about squirrels...

 

Thinking of my best friend being abroad for a year is exciting and a little sad at the same time. Thankfully, I made these cookies and got to eat them for comfort. (Don't worry...they are rather healthy cookies!)

 

These cookies are gluten-free AND chewy. Yes, I know. You don't see those two words describing cookies usually, but it's true. And guess what! They're very easy to adapt with your favorite chocolate or nuts or toppings!

Gluten-Free Almond Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 C of raw almond butter (I made mine with 2 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar. I highly suggest making yours with brown sugar, too!)

1 egg

1/4 C honey

1 teaspoon baking soda

dark chocolate chips or chunks of a dark chocolate bar

raw pecans pieces (only need around 10)

1/4 C shredded coconut (I used unsweetened dessicated coconut)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Add almond butter, egg, salt and baking soda into a stand mixer. Mix until well combined.

3. Add honey and mix until well combined. (Dough will be really sticky.)

4. Stir in chocolate.

5. Measure approx 1 tablespoon of dough and drop onto prepared cookie sheet. Space approx 1″ apart.

6. Sprinkle coconut and salt on top of each drop of dough to your liking and then press pieces of pecans on top of the dough.

7. Bake for approx 8-10 minutes and remove from oven when slightly golden. Cool on baking sheet for 4 more minutes and then transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool before enjoying.

Bake well and prosper!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Have you been seeing as many zucchini recipes online as I have this summer? It seems like everyone with a garden has had an influx of zucchinis this year.

 

Well, personal gardens are a little hard to come by in NYC, but I asked the one person I know with one in Astoria and he said that he planted late and is hoping to see some in a couple of weeks.

 

This meant that last night I had to buy some from the grocery store. No biggie. But then I couldn't find any and started getting frustrated in the produce section. So I finally settled for the green squash that was near a gourd and figured it was close enough.

 

When I went to the self-check out aisle and scanned in the green squash, it said, "zucchini" as the item.

 

Well I learn something new each day...

This recipe also called for chocolate chips and I wanted to use some organic chocolate. I love sweetriot and was happy to discover that they had a dark chocolate bar with coconut in it. Since this recipe called for coconut already, I figured this was a win-win!

While this recipe has many components which needed many bowls, it was relatively easy to put together.

These bars are rather hearty with all the oatmeal that's called for. You would probably associate them with granola bars more than cookies (like I did.) They are nice and moist with subtle flavors. I think next time I make them I'd add a kick of some spice. Now what spice goes well with zucchini?

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Coconut Cookies (adapted from Two Peas & Their Pods)

1 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded zucchini
2 cups old fashioned oats (Erika's Extra: I used gluten free oats bc I had them on hand)
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes (Erika's Extra: I used desiccated semi-sweet coconut. I suggest using the sweetened flakes)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (Erika's Extra: I used the chocolate bar mentioned above and chopped it up in my food processor)

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut oil and sugars, mix until smooth. (Erika's Extras: I did this with my hand and not via a blender. It worked fine.) Add egg and vanilla extract. Next, add the shredded zucchini. Mix until combined.
4. Add flour mixture until combined. Stir in oats, coconut, and chocolate chips.
5. Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or cookies are slightly golden around the edges and set. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Bake well and prosper!

Raw Almond Joy Macaroons

I suppose I can add this recipe to my New Year's resolution: try new methods of baking/making dessert. The thing is, I'm very familiar with the raw foods lifestyle. In fact, and this might come as a shock to you, I eat a raw foods diet a lot.

 

Are you back on your chair yet?

 

I know. It's a little alarming. Someone with a baking blog who eats raw?!

 

Well, it's true!

 

And I am happy to say that I finally made a raw dessert!

Usually I buy raw desserts to consume. Then I saw a recipe for one that didn't require a dehydrator!

 

I found some cacao nibs and some dates and made these yummy treats. Try it for yourself or make it for your raw foodie friend or a celiac friend since they are also gluten free.

Raw Almond Joy Macaroons (adapted from Oh Ladycakes)

1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or un)

3/4 cup raw almonds
Pinch of salt
8 pitted medjool dates
3 tbsp raw almond milk (or water) (Erika's Extras: I used water)
1/4 cup cacao nibs

1+ Tablespoon of agave nectar

Blend the coconut, 1/2 cup of the almonds, and salt in a food processor. Blend until conformed into a thin constitency/dough. Add the dates and blend until combinded. Add the water or almond milk and continue to blend in or stir in with a spoon when transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the cocoa nibs. Coarsely chop the remaining almonds and add them into the mixture along witht he agave nectar. Grab a little less than a tablespoon of the dough and roll into a ball. Drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. After 30 minutes in the freezer they are ready to eat. Keep stored in a container in the freezer until they're all gone (which shouldn't be more than 3 days since they're so good!)

 

Erika's Extras: Feel free to reduce the recipe. Easy to do when there's no eggs involved.

Bake well and prosper!

Almond Joy Poptarts

Lalala! <---- That's me singing. Why am I singing on my blog? Because it seems like it's all I do in my free time right now. I'm happy if I get time to bake since singing has taken up most of my baking time too!

But I don't mind. Especially when I get to dress up as a countess. Check it out:

 

Pretty awesome, right?

My next costume won't be as pretty, pretty princess-y seeing I'll be playing a pants role (a boy.) Ha!

Thankfully, between that show and rehearsals tonight, I had time to bake. These "poptarts" were buttery and yummy without being too sweet.

Almond Joy Poptarts (adapted from Cookies and Cups)

1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

3 oz cold cream cheese, cubed

1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 tsp water
raw, unsalted almonds for garnish

I made the chocolate frosting from my Chocolate Eclair Dessert recipe.
1/2 T butter, melted
1 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted (Baker's squares)
1 1/2 T milk
1 T white corn syrup
1/2 t vanilla
3/4 C powdered sugar (Erika's Extras: I would suggest sifting the powdered sugar)

1. In a large bowl, cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour until mixture form coarse crumbs. With your hands blend the mixture until a smooth dough forms.

2. Flatten dough, wrap in cling wrap and chill for 1 hour, or until firm.

3. To make filling combine coconut and sweetened condensed milk. (Add more condensed milk as needed.)

4. When dough is chilled, remove from fridge and roll out on a floured surface into a 17x10 inch rectangle. Dough will be very thin.

5. Cut dough with a knife into 2 x 2 1/2 inch rectangles.

6. Spoon a heaping teaspoon amount of coconut filling onto center of half the rectangles. Moisten edges with water and place another rectangle of dough of top, pressing edges together.

7.Using a fork, seal the edges together all the way around.

8. Whisk egg and water together to form an egg wash and lightly brush egg wash over the top of each mini tart.

9. Bake at 375° on a parchment lined baking sheet for 10-12 minutes or until edges golden.

10. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

11.When cooled, place an almond on top of each tart. Make the chocolate topping by mixing all the ingredients together. Pour a teaspoon+ of frosting on top of each tart and allow to set.

Bake well and prosper!

No-bake Chocolate Crackle

When I made the Vegan Breakfast Cookies last week, I shared some with my coworker and explained to her how I used coconut oil for the first time ever. Another co-worker overheard and told me about a coconut oil based dessert they have in Australia (which is where he's from.)

I promptly asked for a link to a recipe and last night I finally had time to make them. (After being released early from an opera rehearsal. Yippee!)

I didn't want to buy a whole box of Rice Krispies that I wouldn't finish eating, so I decided to make this recipe with some Special K I had on hand. Man, these things are good (and sugary)! Super quick and no oven needed, these are a great last minute recipe to make for a party. I should have named them Special Krack!

No-bake Chocolate Crackle

Ingredients

4 cups of Special K (or cereal of your choice)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup desiccated coconut (shredded if you can't find desiccated)

1cup+ ounces of coconut oil

3 Tblsp cocoa

In a large bowl, mix the Special K, powdered sugar, cocoa, and coconut.

Slowly melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat.

Allow to cool slightly.

Add to the large bowl, stirring until well combined.

Spoon mixture into paper cupcake liners and refrigerate until firm.

Bake well and prosper!