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

Constantly on the Move

Well hello there! My poor little blog has been left alone for over a month due to me travelling around the world. (Well, America and Europe.)

First, I went to Florida to visit my 97 year old grandfather. Yes! 97!

Then I was back in NYC for a couple of days before I headed to Europe. First stop in Europe was London where I ran a 10K and goofed around with my best friend from college.

Next stop was Durham, UK, to see where my bestie was getting educated for the past nine months.

So, she's been going to Hogwarts. Cool.

Then we headed up to Edinburgh, Scotland, where I had some proper tea at Edinburgh Castle.

After many fun filled days, I said good bye to her and went to Trondheim, Norway, where the sun never set! It was beautiful and I had tons of fun with my Viking-tall friend and his pals.

No. No photoshop on the above photo. Norway is just that beautiful. And check out what one coffee shop called a blueberry muffin! 

Mmmm. It was delicious.

After floating down the river in Trondheim a couple of days, I bade farewell to my friend and went to Brussels, Belgium, to visit another good friend of mine.

He actually just became owner of La Reserve in Brussels, so if you're over there, check it out! Seeing he's in the restaurant business, he knew where to take me to eat and be merry. SO MUCH GOOD FOOD IN BELGIUM! I can't wait to go back. 

Brussels really enjoys comics which is great seeing I do, too! They paint many different sides of buildings with cute murals. Super cute, right? 

Something else that was super was the breakfast my amazing Belgian friend brought one morning. I think the photo speaks for itself:

After much fun in Belgium I boarded a train headed for Paris. Yes! Paris. The only place in Europe I've ever wanted to visit and I was finally there!

You can find many a blogpost on Paris food and tourist sites, so I will leave you with two things you can't find much of.

Me, singing again at Dîner en Blanc, but this time in PARIS!!!! (Here's my outfit followed by a little snippet of Que sera sera.)

And then, my wonderful vegan friend from Toulouse came up to Paris to take part in the diner and she made an amazing vegan dessert.

It was a cherry almond clafoutis and it made a really good meal into a really great meal.

After another fun and ethereal Dîner en Blanc, I headed back to NYC and ran a 10K the next day. (I have a problem and should seek help. I know.)

Then, 34 hours after landing in NYC, I was off to Pittsburgh which is where I've been for 2 weeks. And guess what! Today I baked. Check out the next post to see what I made. (It was yummy!!!!)

Bake well and prosper!



Lavender Lemonade Cocktail

Hello faithful readers and those who have stumbled across my site by chance! Let's lift a glass together and help me celebrate my next journey in life: after seven years at a desk job, I'm off to pursue singing opera! I'm finally taking that next step and throwing myself out there. But first I'll be doing some travelling. Yay!

So look forward to blogs from abroad and blogs from Pittsburgh this summer. They might be sporadic, but they should be interesting!

Lavender Lemonade Cocktail (my own recipe)
Bring 2 cups of water to a simmer and stir in 2 Tablespoons of honey. When honey is mixed into the water, turn off the burner. Add 2+ Tablespoons of lavender and steep for at least 15 minutes (longer for a stronger lavender flavor.) Strain the lavender through a fine mesh and pour the liquid into pre-made lemonade (1/2 gallon or less.) Stir in and cool in refrigerator. Add Jack Daniels or some vodka to the drink or enjoy by itself.

Bake well and prosper!

Soft Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Yesterday morning I felt like I was on a different planet while at the local chain grocery store. No one knew what I meant when I asked where the malted milk was. I even had a lady comment, "You're not from here, are you?"

 

Malted milk! It's not that exotic. I had to explain how it's the powder they use in an ice cream malt and also that it can be found in the middle of malted milk balls (like Whoopers.) Unfortunately, that grocery store didn't carry it. Thankfully, a store near where I sing did carry malted milk.

 

I am SO thankful that it did carry it. These cookies are amazing! They are so soft, so chock full of chocolate chips, and contain a hint of the malt flavor. If you're looking for a different way to make chocolate chip cookies, look no further!

Soft Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe found at Cookies and Cups (great insider tips and step by step info)

Bake well and prosper!

Matcha Tea Cakes

No. You aren't seeing things. That IS green. It comes from matcha powder which is finely ground green tea. (So it's full of antioxidants and caffeine!)

I've recently been enjoying drinking matcha in Organic Avenue's Matcha Chia Glo. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I went to a paint your own pottery place and painted this:

Yes. Thank you. I'm very proud with how it turned out. To me it seemed to beg for some type of green dessert and I automatically thought about green tea.

I decided to top this cake in two different ways. First I made a light matcha frosting.

It wasn't green enough for me so I decided to sprinkle the powder on top of the cakes.

Definitely green enough! Almost Wicked Witch of the West green. :)

 

I brought these into work to share with coworkers. When I saw we had some sliced almonds in the office, I added some "flare" to the glazed cake and quickly snapped a photo with my iPhone.

Both versions are great but I think I enjoy the frosted version a tiny bit better because it's sweeter. Either way, the mixture of almond milk with matcha makes for a yummy afternoon treat. So, what do you think? Would you consider baking with this green powder?

Matcha Tea Cakes (adapted from my Mom's Best Recipes Book)

Ingredients for Sponge Cake:

2 eggs

1 C sugar

1/2 C almond milk

1 T butter

1 C flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

2 teaspoons matcha powder

Ingredients for Frosting (if you decide to frost the cakes):

almond milk (at least 4 ounces)

powdered sugar (at least 2 cups)

matcha powder (at least 4 Tablespoons)

 

Or just dust matcha powder on top of cakes.

Cake:

In a small saucepan, scald almond milk, turn off heat and add butter. In a mixer, beat eggs until light, add sugar and beat well. Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the matcha powder. Stir in almond milk mixture. Bake in greased pan (8x8 inches) for about 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool well. Cut in narrow bars.

Frosting:

Frost sides and bottom with frosting made by mixing a little bit of powdered sugar and a little bit of thin almond milk at a time.  Add slivered almonds (or even roll in slivered almonds) if desired and enjoy.

Bake well and prosper!