Sep 29 2014

Bakery-Style Coconut Macaroons

Posted by Megan {Country Cleaver} in Baking

Put a plate of treats in front of me and see which one I go to first. Odds are it’s going to be the coconut treat. The more coconut the better, I say! And because of my coconut infatuation, Jen and Emily’s recipe for Bakery-Style Coconut Macaroons spoke to me and begged to be made. They are, quite simply, divine.

Six ingredients. That’s it. I never knew that macaroons were so easy. They always seemed reserved for special holidays, but now I want them all year long.

It’s actually more like 5 1/2 ingredients because we won’t even use the egg yolks. So go ahead and separate the eggs. (Save the yolks for another use. Ice cream would be lovely. Or homemade mayonnaise. Hollandaise even. Lots of options!)

Using a fork, flake the almond paste until it crumbles into fine little pieces. Set it aside for later.

Whip the egg whites until light and fluffy and soft peaks form. This is best done with a stand mixer and a whisk attachment. If you’re feeling super ambitious, go and do it by hand! You will have some wicked toned arms in no time.

When the eggs whites are completely whipped, add in the shredded coconut.

With a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites and the coconut together until the coconut is completely coated in sticky egg whites.

Next, fold in the shredded almond paste from earlier.

And don’t forget the almond extract! The flavor is absolutely lovely.

Adding in a pinch of salt will help balance out the sweetness of the coconut, so don’t forget it.

Give the whole batch one final mix to combine.

Lastly, grab your favorite cookie scoop and plunk these macaroons down on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the coconut edges are golden brown and slightly crunchy.

And that’s all there is to it! Six ingredients and you have an incredible coconut treat just like the kind you get from your local bakery.

Be sure to check out Jen and Emily’s TK recipe box and their site, Layers of Happiness, for more home-cooked love. This mother-daughter blogging pair just knows the way to our hearts! Next on my must-make list: their Best-Ever Chewy Homemade Brownies. How can you argue with that? Thanks girls for this gorgeous recipe!

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Bakery-Style Coconut Macaroons

by Jen and Emily @ Layers of Happiness on April 2, 2014 in Cookies, Desserts, Gluten-Free

See post on Jen and Emily @ Layers of Happiness’s site!

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Description

These 6-ingredient homemade coconut macaroons are sweet, moist, gooey, and extra chewy, just like what you’d find at any local bakery. The secret is almond paste, which gives them an irresistible extra chewy/sticky caramel texture.

Ingredients

4 whole Large Egg Whites
1 bag (14 Oz. Size) Sweetened Coconut, Shredded
½ cups Sugar
½ teaspoons Almond Extract
1 pinch Sea Salt
1 package (7 Oz. Size) Almond Paste, Shredded

Preparation Instructions

Preheat over to 325°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are foamy and very frothy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix by hand with a rubber spatula until well-combined.

Scoop macaroons using a medium cookie scoop onto a prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and set. Cool for about 10 minutes and enjoy or store in an airtight container to keep moist.

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Megan Keno is the writer and photographer of Country Cleaver, a food blog fueled by Nutella and images of June Cleaver—if June wore cowboy boots and flannel, that is. A self-proclaimed country bum, Megan creates from-scratch recipes that range from simple to sublime and how-to’s to build your cooking repertoire. But she couldn’t do it without the help of her trusty—and furry—sous chef, Huckleberry. He’s a world class floor cleaner.

Sep 26 2014

Looks Delicious: Sausage Breakfast Bagel Strata

Posted by Betsy (TK) in Looks Delicious!

Do you look forward to making breakfast on the weekend? I love the leisurely pace of it, plenty of time to make something from scratch without simultaneously having to pack lunches or scurry around getting myself—and possibly other humans—dressed. Also, it’s the weekend. Something a little rich or decadent is allowed. I always get excited to have houseguests, because I love waking up a little earlier and making scones or muffins. Typically, family and friends don’t mind being offered something warm from the oven first thing in the morning. Serious hostess points.

Sometimes, though, it’s great to prep a dish the night before and then just pop it in the oven and enjoy some idle time sipping your coffee. Or, let’s be real, doing some laundry, or playing legos with a 6-year-old … just a hypothetical. This Sausage Breakfast Bagel Strata from our wonderful member Justine would be great for company and can be assembled the night before. I love the idea of a breakfast strata made with bagels. Looks darn delicious. Hope you enjoy some yummy breakfasts this weekend!

Sep 24 2014

Let’s Talk Hard-to-Find Ingredients

Posted by Erika (TK) in Kitchen Talk

Have you ever spent the good part of a day trying to find a specific ingredient for a recipe? Maybe you had to spend an hour or two on research alone because you had no idea what it was or where to find it. And perhaps it was something so singular, you had to special order it online and wait 5 to 7 business days before finally being able to tackle that particular recipe.

For the most part, there are always acceptable substitutes. Sometimes, you can simply omit the ingredient and call it a day. But once in a while, a recipe actually hinges on one or two specific items, or perhaps you’re trying to create a particular dish for someone and you know it just won’t be the same without that ingredient.

I know many of us would go the extra mile if it meant creating something truly special in the kitchen, and I thought it might be fun to share our stories of just how far we’ve gone to do just that—our adventures in the search for that elusive ingredient or even tool to make a recipe work. So tell us:

Do you have any stories about your adventures tracking down an item for a recipe?

A few days ago, I was tasked with finding a specific kind of vermouth for a special cocktail. Now, I’m someone you rarely find standing by the bar or holding a drink, so I had no idea what I was agreeing to. I searched online, made phone calls, and even expanded my search to include two neighboring states, just to find this particular ingredient. I asked if there was an acceptable substitute and was told that it absolutely had to be that item. Five hours later, I finally gave up and decided to do the errands I put on hold while trying to go from here to tarnation trying to track down this bottle of vermouth.

It was 9:30 PM when I walked into our local grocery to pick up some coconut milk and chorizo (that’s a whole other story in itself). I noticed they had a new wine section and I decided to check it out. Lo and behold, there on their vermouth shelf sat four bottles of the vermouth I had just spent 5 hours trying to track down.

Moral of the story: Don’t underestimate your local grocery. Larger moral of the story: Don’t volunteer to procure something you know nothing about.

How about you? Have any stories to tell about searching for hard-to-find ingredients? Or maybe you discovered a substitute that you can share, and spare us all from hours of Googling and driving around. Tell us your story below!

Sep 22 2014

Chocolate-Dipped Tahini Cookies

Posted by cookincanuck in Step-by-Step Recipes

When autumn hits and school starts, I start scrambling for cookie and snack ideas to surprise my kids with when they come home from school. These cookies taste like indulgent treats, but are actually packed with goodness. The kids will never suspect a thing!

These easy Chocolate-Dipped Tahini Cookies by Tasty Kitchen member Norma caught my eye and I happened to have everything in my fridge and pantry to make them. If you haven’t used tahini before, think of it as peanut butter-like. Made from sesame seeds, it’s a thick spread that is used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. Tahini can be found in most grocery stores, usually near the peanut butter.

The tahini is just one part of these cookies. There’s crunch from chopped almonds, chewiness from oats and sweetness from a heavenly dip of chocolate.

Let’s get started.

For this recipe, you will need oats, cinnamon, dark chocolate, almonds, pitted dates, tahini (sesame paste), honey, maple syrup, brewed coffee and chocolate chips.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the oats and cinnamon.

Chop the dark chocolate and add it to the bowl. The pieces don’t have to be perfectly even, so just chop away!

Add the chopped almonds to the bowl and stir to combine. The almonds add the perfect bit of crunch to the cookies.

Place the pitted dates in a small bowl and microwave for 25 seconds until soft. Smash the dates with the back of a fork.

Stir in the tahini, honey, maple syrup and coffee.

Transfer the tahini mixture to the bowl with the oats.

Stir well until combined. If you can’t stir properly with a wooden spoon or spatula, get your hands in there and mix it up. A little trick I’ve learned is lightly coating your hands with cooking spray to stop the cookie dough from sticking to your fingers.

Use a cookie scoop to form 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to flatten the cookies slightly.

Bake the cookies until they are golden brown. That should take 15 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool.

If you want to dip the cookies in chocolate (and, really, why wouldn’t you?), melt the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Be sure to do this on 50% heat, stirring every 15 to 20 seconds, so that the chocolate doesn’t separate or burn.

Dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate. Serve or store in an airtight container, preferably in the fridge.

Thanks so much to Norma for this wonderful recipe! Be sure to check out her site, Allspice and Nutmeg. Her Summer Squash Tacos with Haloumi and Zaatar-Spiced Oven Fries look absolutely amazing.

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