Blondies, Bars, and A Cookbook Giveaway!

I've been in a funk lately and haven't been cooking or baking. I'm not really sure why. I haven't had much of an appetite either and I think that's probably why the lack of interest in being in the kitchen. Thank goodness for Mr. H and his ability to prepare a meal or we would have starved this past week. (Thanks babe!) Last week, I went to visit my friend, Maranda of Jolts and Jollies. We baked together while her son and Hayden "played" together. We pretended that we were getting the kids together for a playdate, but really is was so we could play in the kitchen with sugar and flour!

We baked from the new cookbook, Back In The Day Bakery Cookbook from Cheryl and Griffith Day. If you haven't checked out this book yet, put it on your list because there was not one thing in there that I didn't want to make. It's a great cookbook- the pictures are bright and clear and the recipes themselves are not overly complicated. I chose to make Drunk Blondies that were cram packed with toasted coconut, chocolate chips and pecans but they were so perfectly balanced in flavor that not one ingredient stood out over the other.

These blondies were so buttery and chewy and delicious. My absolute favorite part was the edges though- oh my goodness, they're good! There's also a healthy dose of Bourbon in these too, hence the name, Drunk Blondies, but the alcohol taste was subtle. If you're not a fan of baking with spirits, simply leave it out, but I thought it was a nice addition. Maranda chose to make Lemon Pie Bars that were perfectly tart and sweet and had a melt in your mouth crust. Both recipes were winners! Are you interested in winning a copy of Back In The Day Bakery Cookbook? Scroll down to the end of this post to see how!

Drunk Blondies from Back In The Day Bakery Cookbook

Printer Friendly Version 

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons bourbon
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
• 1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13x2-inch baking pan and line with parchment, allowing the ends of the paper to hang over two opposite edges of the pan. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. 

Put the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir with a spoon until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and bourbon, and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the flour mixture, followed by the pecans, coconut, and chocolate chips. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut the blondies into bars. The blondies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

TIP: The easiest way to toast coconut is in the oven. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the coconut in a baking pan and bake for 5-8 minutes, tossing every couple of minutes with a heat-resistant spoon to ensure even browning. Keep a close eye on the coconut, because it can burn easily. 

For the recipe for Lemon Pie Bars and for a chance to win your very own copy of Back In The Day Bakery Cookbook please visit my friend Maranda at Jolts and Jollies. Tell her your most memorable back in the day baking memory and this book could be yours! While you're there, kick up your feet and stay awhile. Happy Baking!

Homemade Granola In Minutes

I have a quickie recipe for you today that would be perfect for Mother's Day or any day of the week. I'm talking about homemade granola. Most granola recipes have you bake the oat mixture in a low oven for about an hour or more, then you have to run to the oven every ten to fifteen minutes to stir it all up. And if you're anything like me you run to the oven when the annoying timer goes off, you open the oven door, pull the rack out being oh so careful to turn the mixture with the spatula only to knock the granola out of the pan and scatter all over your oven. And since it's so dang hot in there, you have to wait til the hour is up before you can clean it and you wind up with burnt little granola crispies on the bottom of your oven. Sounds like fun right? NOT. 

This recipe is easy peasy and made on the stove top in a large skillet in less that 20 minutes. It comes from my bloggy friend Danelle of Let's Dish. I've made several of her recipes and I've never been disappointed in any of them. I've made this recipe three times already and enjoyed it every single time. The first time I made it with dried cranberries, the second time I used dried cherries, blueberries and banana chips for crunch and the third batch I made for my mom. She didn't want coconut so we left that out and added cashews instead of almonds. Basically you can make it any way you want  by switching up the nuts and fruits and have it still turn out delicious. I especially love the unexpected addition of the sesame and sunflower seeds- don't leave those out. 

My favorite way to eat it is standing in the pantry, with the door still open, and scooping out little pinchfuls of the crunchy nuggets and chewy fruit. One nibble, two nibbles, four nibbles later, then I finally dish myself up a proper serving with yogurt and I turn it into a parfait with fresh fruit. The cool and creamy, the crunchy, the chewy, the burst of fresh fruit, the nuttiness. Oh, it's just so good! You can have it as a snack, for breakfast, or dessert anytime of year. One of the best parts is that it makes a healthy amount and stays fresh in the pantry in an airtight container for weeks (if it lasts that long). You can make it now and serve it up this weekend. If you ever have overnight guests it would be a nice addition to a continental breakfast like my friend Heather of Kitchen Concoctions set up. It would also make a thoughtful gift packaged up in a jar with a pretty label and a ribbon. It's certainly not a gift I'd refuse. 

Skillet Granola adapted from Let's Dish

Printer Friendly Version 

• 4 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup sunflower kernels
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup dried fruit

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Stir in the honey, brown sugar, vanilla and almond extracts.  Add the oats, nuts, coconut, sunflower kernels and sesame seeds to the pan and stir until well coated with the butter/sugar mixture.  

Continue cooking, stirring frequently until granola is a dark golden brown, 10-20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in dried fruit.  Pour onto a cookie sheet and allow to cool completely.

Cowboys Gone Wild

Seriously, where does the time go? Again, another week has flown by. It seems like it was just Christmas, and now Easter is fast approaching. Like it's just a couple weeks away! How did this happen? It's not like I was sleeping and it it just passed on by, because let's face it, I'm not getting much sleep these days! It's just really hard to believe that a quarter of the year is already gone.

The passing of time, has really nothing to do with these cookies, except that I made these a couple weeks ago back in January and it's almost April. I'm just in shock I think. Anyone else out there feel the same way? Or maybe time is standing still, and in that case you should bake these cookies to help pass the time :-) I have a favorite recipe for Cowboy Cookies that I've shared here before but when I saw this version on Let's Dish that included the addition of corn flakes I knew I had to try them. Mr. h bought a ginormous box of corn flakes awhile back and they seem to be multiplying in the dark corner of my pantry. I've eaten several bowls with milk, used them in Rustic Apple Pie, to coat chicken in and now these cookies and I still have some left.

Somehow while making these, I knocked the bowl of cookie dough off the kitchen island and it fell to the ground and shattered all over the floor. Hayden was in the other room but he, as curious as he is, had to come and see what was going on. Luckily, I had already portioned out most of the batter into balls so I didn't lose too much. The ones that I did bake, were delicious, especially when still warm from the oven. They were chewy, but crispy, and you could really taste the corn flakes when first baked. They next day the corn was more subtle but it definitely added a textural element to the cookies. I think I'd like to experiment with my favorite Cowboy Cookie recipe that has cinnamon in it, by adding crushed corn flakes to it in addition to the coconut, pecans, oats and chocolate chips. yum!

Corny Cowboy Cookies from Mel's Kitchen Cafe via Let's Dish
Printer Friendly Version 

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup crushed corn flakes
• 2 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the milk, vanilla and eggs and beat well.

Stir in cornflake crumbs and oatmeal. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix. Stir in the coconut, nuts, if using, and chocolate chips.

Place tablespoon-sized balls of dough on a lightly greased or lined cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. (I used a medium ice cream scoop and baked them til golden- about 12-13 minutes.)

Makes 3-4 dozen, depending on size

Pie Party Recipes: Chocolate Macaroon Pie

Toasted buttery coconut and chocolate ganache together in one pie. This is the second of the recipes I'm sharing that I made from my Pie Party. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart in her new Pies & Tarts book. There are several pies from that book that had me drooling, but I loved the short ingredient list and simplicity of this one. Martha called it "Crisp Coconut and Chocolate Pie", but to me it was more like a macaroon so I changed the name of the recipe. Also to say "chocolate pie" is a little misleading because it's filled with chocolate ganache, which is nothing more than heavy cream and chocolate, but tastes like a rich, deep, silky, chocolate truffle.

This pie is made up of only 4 ingredients- coconut, butter, chocolate and cream. I was a little confused by how much coconut to use though because Martha says to use 11 ounces, or about 6 cups. But the Baker's coconut package states that 14 ounces is just over 5 cups. I ended using the full 14 ounce bag, which was a bit too much. So I recommend using and weighing out 11 ounces if possible. This pie was simple and delicious, but a little sliver went a long way. To me the combination tasted like a Mounds candy bar (you know, the one you eat when you don't feel like a nut). If you like coconut and chocolate together, then this pie is a winner. It's also gluten free so if you know someone who is sensitive to gluten, this pie is perfect.

Chocolate Macaroon Pie adapted from Pies & Tarts

Printer Friendly Version

For the Crust:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 11 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

For the Filling:

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a food processor, process butter and one-third of coconut until mixture forms a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Sprinkle remaining two-thirds coconut over mixture, and combine with your fingers.

Place a 9-inch pie plate on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Press coconut mixture into bottom and up sides of pan to form crust, leaving top edges loose and fluffy. Place a foil ring over edge to prevent burning.

Bake until center begins to brown, 10 to 15 minutes, remove foil, and bake until edges are browned, 4 to 6 minutes more. Transfer crust to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the filling: Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan; pour over chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Let sit 10 minutes, then stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is just combined. Pour into coconut crust.

Refrigerate until filling is set, 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Carrots For Breakfast? Yes!

Do you make resolutions for the new year? Did any of you resolve to eat healthier this year? If so, then I have a healthy and delicious breakfast recipe for you today. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions because they often get broken and I can't stand the guilt and shame I bring upon myself when I don't follow through with them. Instead I just try to do better everyday, though sometimes I slip. The one silent resolution I did make this year was to read more to Hayden- simple yet gratifying.

Anyway, back to this recipe. Carrot Cake Pancakes. Sounds and tastes completely indulgent but they're light in calories and cram packed full of goodies. I've made these pancakes before but I didn't like the way the photos turned out so I never blogged them. I decided to make them again (only better this go round) when Grimmway Farms offered me some of their carrots to make a recipe with. Grimmway Farms, also known as Cal-Organic and Bunny-Luv has some great California grown produce. We used to feed our bunny, August, Bunny-Luv carrots and he, of course, loved them :-)

These pancakes are delicious. They have all the basics that are in the actual cake, including shredded carrots, brown sugar, nuts and spices. But I decided to kick them up a bit by adding crushed pineapple, sweetened shredded coconut, and raisins. Of course most carrot cakes are topped with cream cheese frosting, but a single pat of butter and some golden maple syrup is all these really need. These pancakes are dense, hearty and satisfying but not heavy. If you're looking for a little something different to try this weekend, I hope you'll try these pancakes. They also freeze and reheat well so make a double batch to enjoy during the week.

Carrot Cake Pancakes adapted from Picky Cook

Printer Friendly Version

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups grated carrot
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 3 Tablespoons crushed pineapple
• 3 Tablespoons shredded coconut
• 3 Tablespoons raisins
• 3 Tablespoons toasted chopped pecans
• butter for pan

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a large bowl with a whisk.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and eggs together.

Add sugar mixture to the flour mixture and gently combine with a large spatula. Do not overmix. Fold in the carrots, orange zest, pineapple, coconut, raisins and pecans.

Heat a cast iron skillet/griddle/other large skillet over medium heat. Coat the bottom with butter. Spoon (1/4 cup) batter into the skillet and gently spread the batter out a little bit. Cook for a couple minutes or until you see the top covered with bubbles. Flip over and cook another minute or two.

Keep pancakes warm in 190 degree oven until you are ready to serve. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Makes about 12 four-inch pancakes.

Ooooh, come to momma!

If you'd like to give Grimmway Farms carrots a try, just tell me how you'd use them and you may be chosen to receive a coupon for free produce. Thank you Grimmway Farms!

The recipients of the Grimmway Farms coupons are revealed HERE.

Summer On A Stick

Hello again! Did you guys miss me? I missed you! You'd think that being on bedrest would give me lots of free time to blog but I've been watching lots of TV and playing games on my iPhone and a friends' borrowed iPad instead. I'm addicted to Words with Friends, Hanging With Friends and a new game I discovered called BubbleXplode. CAN'T. STOP. PLAYING. I even got my MIL hooked on the bubble game ;-) I've read a few blogs in the past week, I just haven't commented much lately. You guys have been making some yummy things!

Just before I was placed on bedrest, I made these delicious pops. It's so stinkin' hot here--about 106 degrees F every single day! I just couldn't make myself turn the oven on, so I whipped up these bad boys. This pregnancy, I've craved key lime pie like nobody's business. Surprisingly, I haven't made one in awhile, but I want it often and never tire of it. It's just so refreshing and bright and so were these popsicles. More recently, I made coconut lime cookies and liked them so much that I knew these would be a hit. Just like the cookies, the coconut adds texture, while the lime is the star.

I really liked these coconut lime popsicles. The hubby, not so much. He took one bite, made faces because he thought they were too tart and tried to give his pop back to me. I ate mine in about 2 minutes flat, then finished off his. Yes, siree! I was expecting more of a coconut flavor, but was pleasantly surprised that they tasted like frozen key lime pie on a stick. Even the texture was the same- not icy, but creamy and dense. Delicious. I've got a couple left to last me the rest of the week and I'm glad that I don't have to share them.

Coconut Lime Popsicles adapted from Tish Boyle

Printer Friendly Version

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup cream of coconut
• 1/2 cup milk (whole or lowfat)
• grated zest of one lime
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. (I cooled mine in a bowl set in a water bath to speed up the process. The simple syrup (sugar and water) can be made ahead of time, though.)

Combine the remaining ingredients with the simple syrup in a blender and process until well blended and smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 4-6 hours, or until firm.

Makes 3 cups of liquid or 8-10 pops

In pregnancy related news, I went to the doctor today for another check up. My blood pressure was good, but I still had protein in my urine. My condition still hasn't gotten any worse, so that's a good thing. I'm going to the doctor twice a week and the Mister and I are being monitored very closely. I'll find out next Tuesday just how big he's gotten. 2 weeks ago he was 4 pounds 1 ounce. Anyone want to take a wild guess at what his weight will be next week? Who ever guesses it correctly will get a little prize from me!

The Blame Game

Last Tuesday I had dinner at a friend's house and brought this coconut milk-cream cheese flan over for dessert. The very next day I had to do my glucose test at my OB's office to check for gestational diabetes. If you've never had to have a glucose test, consider yourself lucky. It involves drinking a sickly sweet orange beverage, that tastes like a cross between flat orange soda and orange Gatorade, then you wait an hour and they take your blood. A couple days later I found out that I failed my test by 2 lousy points! You have to score a 135 or lower and I scored a 137. I'm putting the blame on this sweet sticky flan :-)

Because I failed the first glucose test, I had to do do another test this morning, only it took close to 4 hours to complete and they took my blood 4 separate times, every hour on the hour. I had to do the test while fasting and was starving since I hadn't eaten in 15 hours. NOTE: Don't deprive a pregnant women of food and beverage. It's not pretty. After that I had to go to my OB to get a shot, so I was poked 5 times within a matter of hours. But it's over now, I survived and I got a delicious lunch afterwards and a long nap after that. If it sounds like I'm complaining, I am. hee hee! But I'm entitled to that every once in a while.

So, onto this flan. It's made with coconut milk and cream of coconut, but surprisingly didn't taste at all like coconut, just caramel. It also has cream cheese in it that makes it extra creamy and firm. The end product was more like a cheesecake with a baked caramel sticky syrup on top- cheesecake in texture, and flan in taste. I thought it was good, but not at all what I was expecting. My older brother is a flan lover- he'll go to a restaurant and order 3-4 servings for dessert. I saved a big hunk of this for him and while he ate it and seemed to like it, the first thing he said was "this tastes like cheesecake". So decide for yourself if you want to make this, but don't eat it before you go in for a glucose test.

Coconut Milk-Cream Cheese Flan from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

Printer Friendly Version

For the Caramel:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For the Custard:

• 16-ounces cream cheese, room temp
• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 1/2 cup cream of coconut
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 7 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Boiling water as needed

To make the caramel: Combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook, gently swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and starts to turn color. Increase the heat to high and boil until the syrup turns to a deep amber color, 3 to 5 minutes. If the mixture gets too brown it will start to smoke and smell burned and the caramel will be ruined, forcing you to discard the mess and start again. Once you begin making the caramel, do not leave the pot! Caramel can go from perfection to disaster in just seconds.

Immediately pour the caramel into a 9-inch cake pan, swirl to completely coat the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan, and set aside. WARNING: Caramel will be extremely HOT. Thus it will cause the pan to become very hot as well. If necessary use an oven mitt so you don't burn yourself.

To make the custard: In a blender or food processor, combine all the custard ingredients (except the boiling water) and blend or pulse at low speed just until smooth and combined. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into the caramel-lined pan. (Not all of my custard fit into the cake pan. My pan was completely full to the top and had to bake a smaller ramekin of the custard separately).

Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 300°F. Place the cake pan in a larger roasting pan and place the roasting pan on the oven rack. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil, piercing the foil in several places to allow steam to escape. Bake until the flan is firm to the touch in the center and doesn't jiggle when the pan is moved, 50 to 60 minutes. (Mine took 1 hour and 30 minutes to cook all the way through).

Transfer the flan from the water bath to a wire rack and let cool. When completely cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, preferably overnight.

To unmold: Run a table knife carefully around the edges of the pan, pressing it against the side of the pan to loosen the flan but avoiding cutting into the custard. Hold a serving platter (one large enough to hold the lovely, golden sauce) over the top of the flan and invert. Shake the pan gently to release the custard. Remove the pan and let the caramel sauce flow around the sides of the flan and pool around the edges of the serving plate. Serve immediately.

Serves 8-10

How 'bout a sunset kissed slice o' flan?

A Tropical Party In Your Mouth

Chewy Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies. Let that sink in for a minute. Sugar cookies that are crisp on the edges, yet soft and chewy in the middle, that have shredded coconut and zesty lime in them. Yes please! As my friend said, these were a tropical party in her mouth. I've wanted to make coconut lime cookies for awhile now. Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod shared them on her blog last year and I was set to make them until I saw a different recipe on Foodbuzz shared by Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Adventures. Tracey made both versions and said these were the best she had tasted. Well that solves that problem!

I made these a couple weeks ago and I was intrigued by them because they have a couple ingredients that set them apart from other sugar cookies. Firstly, there's cream cheese in them that contributes to their softness. And there's a combination of melted butter and vegetable (or canola) oil in these that helps with the ever slight crispness on the edges and the chewiness in the center of the cookie. Finely chopped shredded coconut also plays a large part of the texture here as well. The taste of the coconut was really subtle but it was the lime zest that was the star. Because of the softened cream cheese, the melted butter and the oil, the cookie dough was really soft, so handle these as little as possible and work quickly.

I have to tell you a funny story about these cookies though. I shared a few with a couple different friends as well as my mother. My friends ate theirs slowly, savored them and shared only with a select (lucky) few, declared them fantastic, then regretted sharing them because they were gone so quickly. My mom opened up her plastic baggie of cookies, inspected them and asked if I had dropped them on the ground before giving them to her. She saw flecks of lime zest in the cookies and thought it was grass! ha ha! Don't really know if that was a compliment or not, but as least our grass is green and not brown :-)

Chewy Coconut-Lime Sugar Cookies from Cook's Illustrated via Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Printer Friendly Version

• 2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 oz.) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz.) sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling
• 2 oz. cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm
• 1/3 cup vegetable (or canola) oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine 1 1/2 cups of sugar, the lime zest, and cream cheese in a large bowl (no need to stir them together yet). Put the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a pie plate and set aside. Pour the warm butter over the cream cheese mixture and whisk to combine - the mixture won't be completely smooth yet, that's fine. Whisk in the oil then the egg, milk and lime juice. Mix until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet, until a soft dough comes together.

Portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a cookie scoop, using about 2 tablespoons for each cookie. Working quickly (if you handle the dough too much you're more likely to wind up with flat cookies), roll the dough into a ball with your hands then roll in the sugar set aside in the pie plate previously. Repeat until you've used all of the dough, placing 9 cookies on each baking sheet. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the dough balls into discs that are about 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the remaining sugar in the pie plate, using about 2 teaspoons per sheet of cookies.

Bake the cookies, 1 tray at a time, for about 11-13 minutes, or until the edges are set and beginning to brown. The tops will be puffy and slightly cracked. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to the rack to cool completely.

Makes 24-28 cookies.

I had my cookies with a refreshing limeade. Pour chilled Sprite into a glass filled with ice. Squeeze fresh lime into Sprite and stir. Garnish with a girly umbrella straw.

For a cherry limeade- Make drink as above, add marachino cherry syrup (from the jar) as well as a few whole cherries. Enjoy!

"Famous" Cake for a 70th Birthday

It's finally here- the cake recipe I promised you over the weekend! A couple of you were correct in guessing that it was an Italian Cream Cake. Most Italian Cream Cakes I've seen have cream cheese frosting on them, with a garnish of chopped pecans on the sides of the cake. But this recipe, incorporates the nuts into the frosting, which adds a nice texture. Having the nuts mixed in also means that the frosting doesn't have to be so perfect looking. It is much more forgiving and rustic, which is perfect for the beginner cake decorator or for those intimidated about layer cakes.

I use an ice cream scoop to measure out the cake batter to ensure that each layer will bake up evenly.

This recipe comes from my favorite hometown cookbook, that was given to me by my grandmother several years ago. I've made several recipes from it and it never fails- this one was no exception. I found out about this particular recipe from my great aunt when I went to visit my great grandmother last December. My aunt Mary is a wonderful baker and crafter so I made it a point to show her my blog and share with her a few of my favorite recipes. She told me about her "famous" cake recipe that she makes for her family and I became intrigued because I had never made an Italian Cream Cake, but always wanted to. I asked her for the recipe only to find out that I already had it in my tattered and trusty cookbook.

This triple layer cake was destined for a special occasion- my father-in-law's 70th birthday! He is a sweets fanatic and well deserving of this treat. I'm not sure why this cake is called Italian Cream Cake, because it's origins are not from Italy, but that's okay, I'm not bothered by it. Are you? It was moist and tender and full of texture from the coconut and pecans. The frosting was sweet and nutty, just like the birthday boy, and complimented the cake perfectly. This would also make a great centerpiece for your Easter table or could be a welcome surprise for your Momma on Mother's Day. Don't forget about this cake, it's "famous" after all :-)

Italian Cream Cake adapted from Gwen Feagley

Printer Friendly Version

For the cake:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans

For the icing:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temp.
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.

Cream butter, shortening and sugar together in a large bowl. Add 5 egg yolks one at a time, until each is fully incorporated.

Add dry ingredients, vanilla and buttermilk to butter and sugar mixture.

Stir in coconut and pecans and set aside.

In another large bowl, beat 5 egg whites until stiffly beaten but not dry. Fold egg whites into cake batter by hand, being careful not to overmix.

Evenly divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in pans on rack until cool to the touch.

For the icing: In a large bowl, mix butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.

Add vanilla and slowly add powdered sugar, half a cup at a time, until fully incorporated.

Stir in chopped pecans.

Frost and fill the layers with icing. Enjoy!

P.S. This cake also makes a great accent piece on your side table. Doesn't it look like it belongs there?