Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Bananas are one of those things that I love to bake with. I never get tired of baking up some comforting banana bread or some big, yummy muffins. I love baking with them and having them. One thing that I've always had trouble finding was a good recipe for banana cookies. I tried my handful of tries and as well as tried several other recipes for banana cookies, but, I've never been to crazy about them. I don't want a cookies that reminds me of eating a banana muffin. I mean, its a cookie, not a muffin.

I recently have seen a lot of people talking about The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook by Elinor Klivans. I've heard that it's a really awesome cookbook to have on hand, so, when I got the money, I decided to go check it out. One of the recipes that appealed to me was the Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. They looked really good, and, healthy. After seeing the blogger Erin Cooks post on the cookies, I decided that I need to bake them right away.

What was so great about these cookies, for me, was that they didn't taste like a banana muffin. They tasted like they were really a Banana Cookies, which, was what I was looking for. I did, however, not add the chocolate chips. I wanted to make these so that my father could eat them too (who doesn't really enjoy chocolate... hard to believe, right?), so I didn't had the chocolate chips. Nonetheless, they still came out really well. This is a recipe I'll be keeping on hand.

Recipe

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 tbsp. butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
2 bananas, ripe


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together, set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until smoothly blended. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until blended.

3. Slowly add the flour mixture with the butter mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. Stir in the oatmeal. Use a large spoon to mix in the ripe bananas and mash, mixing just until they are evenly distributed.

4. Drop by tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until edges are lightly browned and the tops look dry, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Blueberry Hand Pies

With exams finally over and school coming to an end today, I felt like I should spoil myself a little with the fact of all the stress from studying for exams for the past week. We have a bunch of blueberries that we bought not to long ago that needed to be used (we stocked up on blueberries when there was a sale).

I wanted to make something that would for sure make me feel happy. And what better than pie! A feel good dessert in my opinion. I didn't necessarily want to make a big pie because I knew not everyone would want to eat it (with bikini season here), so I decided to make them in little individual pies. These aren't hard to make at all, and the dough is very good. It's kind of flaky, which I like. If your not into making your own dough or don't have the time, you could always buy store bought dough. That'll be just as good. Either way, they'll turn out great. These were killer!

Recipe

For the Filling

1 cup fresh blueberries
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
Milk for brushing top


For the Dough

1 1/4 cup flour
6 tbsp. butter, cold, cut in small cubes
2 tbsp. shortening
1/8 tsp. salt
3-4 tbsp. ice water

1. For the filling, in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat cook blueberries, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Stir frequently until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

2. To make the dough, get a food processor or use your hand, blend flour, butter, shortening and salt until the mixture resembles a coarse meal and has some pea sized pieces of butter left in it.

3. While pulsing, add water a little at a time until dough comes together when pinched in your hand. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 1 day. Preheat oven to 375.

4. When dough is ready, roll chilled pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a 1/8 inch thick rectangle. Cut 4 1/2 inch squares or circles. Fill with about a mounded tablespoon of filling. Seal shut with your fingers . Fold edges over in a decorative shape or seal with the tines of a fork. Re-roll dough scraps to make up to eight circles or squares, allowing it to rest about 10 minutes between rolling.

5. Place hand pie on parchment lined cookie sheet. When all the pies are on the cookie sheet brush with a little milk and generously sprinkle with sugar. Bake about 20-25 minutes until golden brown, rotating cookie sheet half way through baking. Store at room temperature.

Mocha Cupcakes

Coffee is most defiantly an addiction of mine. I absolutely love coffee. Anything coffee, I'll have. Baking with coffee, well, its something I love to bake with. From muffins to cupcakes to cookies to pastries. I love it. Muffins are my norm for coffee, but, I really wanted to have a cupcake to do. And what better than to have coffee and chocolate in the little package of a cupcake?

These cupcakes are very moist and super rich that it'll have coffee fanatics like myself jumping with joy. The Kahlua Frosting was fanamnal with these cupcakes. I got the recipe from a friend of mine whom loves cupcakes and loves making homemade frosting. She's totally against store bought frosting (as am I), and when I told her that I was making Mocha Cupcakes, she said that this would be perfect with them. And they were! They were to die for!

Recipe

Cupcakes

1 1/3 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, combine the milk and brewed coffee. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined.

3. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.



Kahlua Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
6 tbsp. butter, room temperature
2 1/2 tbsp. Kahlua
2 cups powdered sugar


1. In a bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Mix in Kahlua, then powdered sugar in one cup increments until frosting reaches desired consistency. Apply to cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Torte

Theres been a blogging group that I've really been wanting to join for awhile now. Tuesdays with Dorie. You have to have a book to join this group, and I didn't have the book; Till now. I finally got the book so that I could finally join the group, and I didn't hesitate to join.

It was actually kind of funny. Before I saw what the next challenge was, I looked threw the book to see what all recipes there was. And one of them that really shout out to me was the Peanut Butter Torte. It was just beautiful, and sounded, as well as looked, unbelievable. I knew that I wanted to make it soon; And who knew that'd it'd be one of the first things that'd I'd bake!

This weeks challenge was the Peanut Butter Torte. I knew that I was going to love this because, I mean, come on. It's peanut butter! One of those things that make you happy and certainly bring bake being a kid.

I really liked the crust for this. An Oreo crust is my favorite kind of crust to have on an cake, cheesecake, or anything else that has a crust. I was kind of unsure as to if it'd pair will with the peanut butter. I didn't really think that'd be that good together. But they were! They were excellent together! And I defiantly have gotten my peanut butter dose!

Recipe


1 1/4 cup peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. instant espresso powder
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbled
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, melted
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup confectioner sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp. milk
4 ounces chocolate, finely chopped


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toss 1/2 cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chips together in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Put the Oreo crumbs (you can crumbled in a food processor or a blender), melted butter and salt in a small bowl and stir to combine until moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and the sides of a springform pan (they should go up about 2 inches up on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

3. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let cool completely before filling. With a stand mixer, whip 2 cups on the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in 1/4 cup of confectioner sugar. Scrape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

4. Wipe out the bowl (no need to wash) and beat in the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup of confectioner sugar on medium speed until cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, 1/4 cup chopped peanuts and the milk.

5. Using a spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Stir in the crunchy peanut butter mixture, gingerly fold remaining whipped cream.

6. Scrape the mousse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish it Up

7. To finish the torte, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave bowl over the water till it starts to melt. Remove from the saucepan.

8. Bring the remaining 1/2 cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and blend until glossy. Pour over torte, smoothing with a metal spatula. Scatter remaining 1/2 cup peanuts over torte and chill until the top is set. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cream Puffs

Cream Puffs; A light, but rich, hollow pastry puff which may be filled with a sweet filling, or, if you prefer, with savory filling. And I, have yet to ever trying one believe it or not. Call me crazy (like everyone else), but I have yet to ever tried cream puffs.

I actually decided yesterday after watching a new drama called Absolute Boyfriend that I wanted to try making cream puffs. In this drama I was watching, there was a girl who said to being to make the best cream puffs around. As she made them, I was thinking, "Hmm.. wow. That seems easy."

From what I heard from other, cream puffs are hard to make. I defiantly disagree with that. These were actually not hard at all. They're quite easy to make. I have no idea why people make a big fuss about them being hard to make.

What did I think after having my first ever cream puff? I'll put it simple... "Oh yea."

Recipe

1 cup water
3 1/2 ounces butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup bread flour
3 large eggs, beaten
2 egg whites [reserve yolks for custard]


1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Do not grease baking sheet, as the grease will cause the dough to flatten.

2. Cut up butter into small pieces. In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water and butter; bring mixture to a full rolling boil.

3. Remove pan from the heat and add flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until blended. Reduce heat to medium; return pan to heat and continue stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat and transfer the dough to the bowl of a mixer. With the paddle attachment, mix at low speed until the dough has cooled slightly.

4. In a small bowl, add eggs and egg whites; Whisk until mixed together. At medium speed, beat the eggs/egg whites in slowly (at first the eggs will act like they don't want to mix in, but they will). When all the eggs are absorbed, the dough is ready to use. The dough should be soft and a little sticky, but be able to hold its shape.

5. Place dough into bag. Cut the end off one corner with scissors, to make an opening about 1/4 inch. Squeeze the mixture onto the baking pan.

6. Bake for a total of about 20 minutes. At 1 minutes into the baking, lower heat to 375 degrees F. and continue baking until golden brown. Approximately 5 to 10 minutes longer for the small puffs, and 15 to 20 minutes longer for large puffs.

7. Remove from the oven and immediately prick the lower side of each puff with the tips with something sharp. Turn off oven and return puffs to the oven. Leave the door open slightly and allow the puffs to dry out for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and oven and let puffs cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack before filling.

Makes about 2 dozen large puffs, 3 dozen medium puffs, to 5 to 6 dozen small puffs.

For Custard

1/2 cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract


1. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 5 tablespoons flour and a pinch of salt. Stir in milk, a little at a time, until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

2. Boil for 1 minute, then pour a small amount of hot liquid into the 2 egg yolks, and stir. Then return now heated egg yolks to saucepan and stir until mixture starts to bubble again. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cover and chill in refrigerator till ready to use.

Key Lime Cups

So, I was just sitting around the other day, trying to think of something to do with these green melt away chocolates that I've had. Reason is because I've been eating them all the time now, but it would taste better that have them made into something rather than just eating them by themselves. So, while I was sitting around... It came to me.

Well, it came to me after seeing a Reeces that Chris was eating. Then I just though, "Cups.. Green Cups.. Lime.. Key Lime Cups!" So then I came up with the idea to make Key Lime Cups. They're very simple; A lot like my Peanut Butter Cups, except, not Peanut Butter. The inside is just like a Key Lime Pie filling, but now, put into a chocolate cups. These are well loved, especially with lime fanatics!

Recipe

1 1/2 cups green chocolate melts
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup bottled or fresh key lime juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs


1. Set 2 dozen mini muffins wrappers on a baking sheet. Melt half of the chocolate, using a microwave-safe bowl and cooking it in short 30 second intervals until smooth.

2. Using a spoon, pour a little bit of chocolate in each muffin wrapper and using a small clean brush to paint the chocolate up the sides of each wrapper. Chill candy for 10 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together condensed milk, key lime juice, vanilla and eggs . When mixture has come together.

4. Once candy has chilled, spoon generous amounts of key lime mixture into each candy cup. Chill for another 10 minutes.

5. Melt the rest of the chocolate and fill each muffin cup once they have chilled. Chill until set (I would recommend longer than this. Like around a few hours. It taste much better after sitting in the fridge for awhile).

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies

You know, I think that maybe no one would ever have guessed that I liked blondies more than I liked brownies. Since I make brownies all the time, one would most likely think that I loved brownies more than a decadent, lushes blondie. Oh how wrong people would be if they were to believe such a thing...

I'm a serious addict when it comes to blondies. One of the reasons that I don't make them that often is because, if I have the chance to eat the entire thing of baked blondie, I will... No joke. Not it one day, but I'll defiantly be snatchy when it comes to my blondies. If I see someone taking one, I'll be right behind them as they walk, staring them down with evil eyes for they had taken one of my precious blondies! Haha, ok, that may seem crazy, and I'm not to the extreme of such, but I really do love blondies and I will eat loads and loads of them, which, is the reason why I don't make them all the time.

With brownies, being that they are so extremely rich, that just having one is far enough for me. It's to rich that I can't extend even just one. With blondies however, I never get tired of the chewy, melt in your mouth taste. I find that any blondie taste amazing and I also find it hard for there to be a 'bad' blondie. Same as how I feel about brownies. I don't think there is really a 'bad' brownie; Not that I've experienced yet.

I find that blondies are best with pecans, chocolate, and coconut. I think the combination is just wonderful and amazing together. I think the combination of pecans, chocolate, and coconut alone is a great combination (as you will seem to find out...)! But, when you put that combination into a blondie; Ohh! It's just to die for. But, you'll die of true bliss happiness if you take a big, huge scoop of ice cream and top it on a blondie. Just to die for.

Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup flaked coconut


1. Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9" x 12" baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, mix the butter and peanut butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and mix until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

3. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate, peanuts and coconut. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the blondies have just begun to brown around the edges. Allow them to cool completely before cutting.

Rainbow Cupcakes

What lurks behind the beautiful cupcake? Well that'd be my new little stuffed animal Apple! Chris bought me her the other day. She's so cute. She's the only one that I like out of the Hello Kitty collection. I don't really like Hello Kitty, or that white.. thing. Or that... Panda thing. I do like Chococat and Kuririn though. As you can see, I know a lot about the little Hello Kitty collection. I'm a bit of a dork. I learned all the names though from my friends baby sister. She' of was obsessed with Hello Kitty; And all the characters! She had a giant Hello Kitty! It was about 5 feet tall. It kind of scared me...

Anyways, thats all beside the point of the reason I made these cupcakes. To be completely honest, and it may seem kind of weird, but when I look at my little stuffed animal Apple, makes me think of... Spring. All the beautiful and bright colors that come along with the season of Spring. Then I thought, well, I could make bright, spring like cupcakes. Which is how I came along to making these little adorable cupcakes.

These cupcakes are super moist! Very delicious, and so fun to make. You can color them and decorate them however you choose. I even got my little brother and my boyfriend doing it. We all came up with our own little creations and spent time together, enjoying each others company. This is one of the things that I really love about making cupcakes. You can have friends and family help out, and we all came make our cupcakes the way we want and decorate them how we'd like them!

Recipe

For Cupcakes

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Food Coloring


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, beating until combined.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Measure out the milk and vanilla, then stir to combine.

3. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.

4. Divide the batter into a few different bowls (However many different colors your using depends on how many bowls you'll have). Put desired food coloring in each bowl. Do it one drop at a time, stirring each addition drop till you get the color you are wanting.

5. Scoop batter into cupcake cups, alternating with different colored batter, and fill to about 2/3’s full. Bake cupcakes for about 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

(Apple was very happy ^_^)

For Soft Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. milk


1. Beat butter at medium-high speed until creamy. Sift powdered sugar into the mixer bowl (right on top of the beaten butter). Beat to combine.

2. Add the vanilla and the milk. Beat until combined. Spread on top of cupcakes or cake.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

These brownies were made mainly for my boyfriend Chris who actually asked me if I'd bake him something today. And whenever someone asks me to bake something, especially friend or family, I'm always excited and ready to bake.

When I was sitting down on my bed yesterday, looking threw one of my Baking book by Williams-Sonoma, he asked, "If I find something that I like in that book and really want it, would you bake it today?" Oh course I would! I'm always ready to bake, and I was so happy when he actually wanted me to bake him something.

As he looked threw the book, he at first thought he wanted muffins, but then decided he didn't. He knew he didn't want bread. He didn't want to have my make a big pie, cake or cheesecake when it won't be eaten when made. Then we he got to the brownie section, he was like "Yes!" He then choose these Chocolate Mint Brownies. I was actually happy because I had these brownie bookmarked to bake, so, now I get to finally bake them.

These brownies are very and divine delicious, especially for someone who loves mint (Me, Me, Me!!). I love anything and everything mint. Mint is one of my favor flavors, and these brownies defiantly made me all happy and giggly from it yummy chocolate-ness. What could have made these better? A big serving of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with it!

Recipe

For Brownies

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour

For Icing

1 cup confectioner sugar
3 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. milk, or as needed
2 tsp. peppermint extract
Food Coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 8 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil (or a 9 inch pan for thinner brownies; I did this one).

2. To make the brownies, combine the chocolate and butter in a large heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly.

3. Whisk the sugar, peppermint, vanilla and salt into the chocolate mixture. Whisk the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition, then continue to whisk until the mixture is velvety. Add the flour and whisk just until incorporated. Four and scrape the batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake until the top is just springy to the touch and toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. About 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

5. To make the icing, combine confectioner sugar, butter, 1 tbsp. milk, and peppermint extract. Stir until necessary, thinning with milk if necessary. The icing should be thick. You can add food coloring to it if you desire.

6. Spread the icing over the cooled brownies. Put sprinkle on top if desired. Cut into 2 inch squares. Remove brownies from the foil. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

DBC: Perfect Party Cake

This month's Daring Bakers Challenge has finally came. And this months was the Perfect Party Cake. I don't know about everyone else, but these last few challenges has been sort of easy. I'm still waiting on something that just really challenges me. But lately that hasn't been the case...

None the less, I was still excited about this months challenge. I'm mean, who doesn't like cake? I pretty much followed the recipe all the way threw, except for the filling. I did not use raspberry because my mothers actually allergic to them. I decided to make a strawberry frosting for the filling because everyone likes strawberries.

I was sort of suprised at how fast this cake went! On the first day I made it, I didn't think to many people would really want to eat some, however, by the time it was 6 pm, more than half the cake was gone! Apparently, my aunt and cousins found out that I had made a cake, and came over to get some. Not that it bothered me, I was actually flattered that they came and got some and loved it.

And it was a very nice came. I especially loved the coconut on top. I toasted my coconut because that how I generally like coconut. It being toasted just tastes so much better in my opinion. This months challenge was a very great cake, and now I'm ready for the next challenge. I'm hoping for something very challenging.

Recipe

For the Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut


1. To make the cake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.

3. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

4. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean

5. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

1. To make the Buttercream, put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.

2. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.

3. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.

4. On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

1. To assemble the cake, using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.

2. Spread it with one third of the preserves. Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream. Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover). Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top. Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.



Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Playing Around
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.

Fresh Berry Cake
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Tropical Coconut Cheesecake

Easter has come! Yes! Easter is always so fun; For me and my family at least. Even now, I still go easter egg hunting. Makes me feel like a little kid again. Plus, I do it for my little brother. I mean, he's still younger than me. But as I grow up and get older, my parents kind of stop doing the things they did for me as a kid for my brother. Because they've already done it. So it forces my little brother to grow up faster. And I don't want that. I want him to have fun as a little kid like I did. Plus, I'm still a kid inside. I still love doing these kind of things.

For Easter, we usually go to a brunch at a restaurant called Dubsdread. This is the only time they actually do a brunch, and it's always packed! You have to make reservations a month in advance just so you can have a table! But we always make sure to do such. They're food really good to. There's so much to choose from. This year, my boyfriend got to come with us for the first time. He loves buffets (which he shouldn't!!), so he was in heaven we he saw all what they had. It was fun with just the 5 of us, my mom, dad, brother and Chris. But, then we had to go see the ENTIRE family after words.

We went over to my aunts house to see everyone; And I mean everyone. Had to of been 100 people in that house. We're a big family here. Which, I like my big family :]. After going to my aunts, we head back home to have dinner with my grandparents (on my fathers side). And they love it when my mom cooks and I bake. They'll eat everything to. They're big eaters. I decided to make a cheesecake for them. I know my Nana loves cheesecake, and my grandfather, well, he'll eat anything really. With all the sugar he eats, you'd never know he was actually diabetic!! But he's started to get his sugar intake under control.

After a long day, it was great to get to sit down, with your close family, and have a slice of a delicious cheesecake. I even gave the cheesecake a light pink color to it for the holiday. It was so cute; And it was so good. And everyone loved it, which was what I was hoping for. Everything turned out great.

Recipe

Coconut Cake Base

2 eggs
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 (18-ounce) jar pineapple ice cream topping, divided

Cream Cheese Filling

24 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 (8.5-ounce) can cream of coconut
4 eggs
1 cup sweetened coconut
1 tablespoon rum

Garnish

1/2 cup toasted sweetened coconut


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan.

2. Combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, coconut, baking powder and flour in a medium bowl and spread in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly. Spread with 1/2 of the pineapple topping, reserving remaining topping for use later in the recipe.

3. Place cream cheese in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Beat on low speed until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until combined. Add the cream of coconut, and beat again. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until well incorporated. Add the rum and coconut and beat until just combined. Pour over prepared base and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven and cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Place the remaining 1/2 cup of sweetened coconut in a glass pie plate and toast in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until it becomes golden. Sprinkle the toasted coconut around the outside of the cheesecake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 12 to 16 servings

Peanut Butter Sandies

If your a peanut butter lover, than these are totally the right cookies for you! To he honest, I think the cookies are just an excuse to have pure peanut butter. Because it taste just as if your licking peanut butter from the spoon; But you don't want to just say, "I want peanut butter." No, you dress it up in the form of a cookie!

I decided to make these to send to a friend of mine, along with other cookies, so that he could have some. I was already sending my Chocodoodles and my Chocolate Chunk and Dried Cherry Oatmeal Cookies, and I wanted to add something else to the batch of cookies. I already have chocolate, as well as oatmeal, so, why not peanut butter?

My whole objective with these cookies were to make them taste as peanut butter-y as possible. Which, these defiantly defined pure peanut butter very well. The ones I had in sent to work and friends, they were devoured in 1 second flat! It was well loved. This recipe is very simple. And it's much better than just have peanut butter on a spoon!

Recipe

1 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup flour
1 cup light brown sugar


1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and peanut butter. Slowly add flour and mix until thoroughly combined.

3. Using your hands, roll about a tablespoons of dough together into a ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and press slightly to flatten.

4. Bake 8 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly golden. Allow to cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes then carefully remove to wire racks to continue to cool. It is best to allow them to cool completely before eating, they "set" while they cool.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies