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Coconut Lemon Bars

May 16, 2012 in bars

A few weeks ago I spent an entire weekend going through every cookbook I own and inputting each recipe that I wanted to make into a spreadsheet. I have some amazing cookbooks but I very rarely open them since recipes are so easily accessible on the internet these days. When I want to make something, I search Pinterest and bam, it spits out 50 different recipes of whatever it was that I wanted to make. So my cookbooks have been crazy neglected and I want that to change!

By day 2 of that little project I was pretty sick of going through recipes and started including recipes based solely on their name. Like these guys. They were called Lemon Bars and I added them to my spreadsheet because I love traditional lemon bars – the shortbread crust, a thick layer of lemon curd, and then a dusting of powdered sugar. I love those.

These are not those obviously.

Lemon Bars is probably the last thing I would have called these. They have a shortbread-esque crust but it’s made with brown sugar. Then – and this is going to sound completely crazy – you cover it with what basically amounts to German chocolate frosting (you know, the coconut pecan stuff), and then you bake it. And then finally the lemon comes into play when you glaze them hot out of the oven.

When these bars went into the oven I thought “Omg, this is one of the biggest disasters I’ve had in awhile” because they were so ugly. And then I said it again when they came out of the oven. But they are so tasty – I can’t even explain it. Coconut and lemon are perfect together anyway but for some reason it’s fantastic with the buttery crust and the slight crunch of the pecans.

You should make these. You’re going to call me nasty names as you’re making them but I promise you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.

(Also, can we talk about how cah-razy is it that I’m posting recipes from FOUR years ago down below?! Even crazier to think that it would be 5 years ago if I’d stuck with the same URL! I need a new hobby… Kidding!)

Four years ago: Cinnabon Knock-offs

Coconut Lemon Bars
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Yield: about 16
adapted from Blue Ribbon Recipes
Ingredients
  • For the crust:
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • For the filling:
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups coconut
  • For the glaze:
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
To make the crust:
  1. Preheat oven to 275F. Line a 9×13-inch bakng pan with parchment or spray with non-stick spray.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat flour, butter, and brown sugar until combined. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven.
To make the filling:
  1. Increase oven temperature to 350F.
  2. In another medium mixing bowl, beat together eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Sift in flour and baking powde; beat until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in pecans and coconut.
  3. Pour the filling over the crust. Bake for 20 minutes or until set.
To make the glaze:
  1. Whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, and lemon juice.
  2. Drizzle glaze on the bars as soon as they come out of the oven.
  3. Cool the bars completely before cutting.

 

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French Fridays with Dorie – Provencal Olive Fougasse

May 11, 2012 in ffwd

May is turning into such a great month for French Fridays with Dorie! First there was almond-coated fish and now bread! My favorite! And something I haven’t been making a whole lot of lately.

This is a Fougasse which is one of those breads that had always intimidated me. For starters, it just looks complicated. It’s also one of those breads that needs to sit overnight before being shaped and baked. The overnight sitters are always tough for me because I very rarely plan that far ahead. And it also means that I’m thinking about bread all night long. Torture!

The Fougasse is not nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be. Like I said, it sits overnight before being rolled out, marked, and then only has to rest for about 15 minutes before going in the oven. Probably one of the easier “fancy” breads I’ve attempted since it really doesn’t have to be a specific shape.

This Fougasse is studded with olives, rosemary (I used dried), and lemon zest. The olives, even though they are so strong, don’t really add the typical olive flavor, just more of a saltiness. My 2 year old can’t stand olives but he loved the bread!

Fougasse is a cousin of focaccia so it had that crisp exterior with a nice, fluffy interior. Mine didn’t rise in the oven as much as I’d hoped it would but it was likely an issue with my oven and not the recipe. I’m looking forward to trying other Fougasse recipes now that I know how simple they are.

(The members of French Fridays with Dorie aren’t sharing all the recipes because we want to encourage you to check out Around My French Table.)

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Lemonade Iced Tea Sorbet

May 10, 2012 in frozen goodies

I know, I’m a day early again this week. I really didn’t think that whole Frozen Friday thing through, huh?

This sorbet was the very first thing my ice cream maker ever made for me. Seriously, the night I received the ice cream maker I threw the bowl in the freezer and then stood there, opening the freezer door every 5 minutes, waiting for it to freeze. I had been saving this recipe for months and was way excited to finally get to try it. And it was obviously amazing because I’m sharing it on the blog for the second time!

If you love a refreshing glass of sweet tea with lemon in the summer, this is perfect for you! It’s sweet with just a bit of lemon and you can change up the flavor by using different teas. I used a black tea with orange for this batch and it was extra delicious. I have made this a number of times and each time I stop the ice cream maker about halfway through so I can have a slushy one. I think it’s my favorite way to enjoy this recipe!

Lemonade Iced Tea Sorbet
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adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 4 black tea bags
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
  • 1 cup ice water
Instructions
  1. Combine 2 cups boiling water and tea bags in a large bowl; steep 5 minutes. Discard tea bags. Add sugar to tea mixture, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cool completely. Stir in juice and 1 cup ice water; chill 1 hour.
  2. Pour tea mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker; freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm.

 

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Lemon-Raspberry Coffee Cake

April 19, 2012 in cake

Why yes, this is the 2nd coffee cake I’ve posted in the past week. I told you guys I liked to eat cake for breakfast!

This coffee cake is different from others that I’ve made. To me, coffee cake is a little denser than, say, a birthday cake but this one has more of the birthday cake texture. It also has a cheesecake filling in the center but mine kind of blended in with the rest of the cake. The recipe makes it sound like there are supposed to be distinctive layers but like I said, mine just melted into the cake as it baked. You can still taste it though, and that’s the important part! And last but not least, raspberries!

I absolutely love the lemon and berry combination and it was especially lovely in this fluffy cake. It’s also very good with whipped cream.

One year ago: Baked Vanilla Doughnuts

Lemon-Raspberry Coffeecake
5.0 from 1 reviews
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Yield: about 9 servings
adapted from Better Homes and Garden
Ingredients
  • For the cake:
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • For the cheesecake filling:
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Butter and flour a 9×1 1/2-inch round cake pan.
To make the cake:
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt making sure to remove any lumps. Set aside.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar and the butter with mixer on medium until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat on medium for another minute. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to the sugar mixture, beating just until combined after each addition; set aside.
To make the cheesecake filling:
  1. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium until combined. Add lemon zest and egg; beat until combined
To assemble:
  1. Spoon half the cake batter into prepared pan, spreading to edges. Pour the cheesecake filling on top and spread it to the edges. Spoon remaining batter on cheesecake filling and spread to the edges. Gently press raspberries into the cake.
  2. Bake 50 – 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Use a sharp knife to loosen the edges of the cake; remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
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Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

April 16, 2012 in candy

Strawberries are one of those things that I have a real love/hate relationship with. I love them because they are delicious but I hate them because  it seems like the day after I buy them, I find a moldy one down at the bottom of the container. I, of course, go nuts thinking WHAT IF THAT STRAWBERRY TOUCHED ALL THE OTHERS?! and end up throwing the whole thing out.

That happened last week.

This week I bought more strawberries. A lot of strawberries.

Whenever I overbuy strawberries, I start thinking about pound cakes or angel food cakes or anything that I could turn into strawberry shortcake. Because why eat plain strawberries when you can put them on cake and top them with whipped cream?!

This Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake was perfect for a shortcake-like dessert. Lemon and strawberry is an amazing combination and the poppy seeds added a fun texture with just a bit of nuttiness. I expected my kids to turn their noses up to it when they saw the “black spots” but they loved it!

Two years ago: Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti

Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
Print
adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup butter softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 teaspoon flour. Set aside.
  3. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add egg whites and egg, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon rind and vanilla.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine 1 2/3 cups flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan.

 

 

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