Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

This past weekend was Father's Day which meant that I couldn't show up at my house without a batch of cookies. My dad loves cookies. Like father, like daughter. Before heading home, I made these Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies. Coconut oil is a really trendy ingredient right now so I was especially eager to try it out. Prior to this weekend, I had only ever used coconut oil in my hair and as a skin moisturizer. I love the smell- it always makes me feel like I am in the tropics. In addition to the benefits to your hair and skin, coconut oil also adds great flavor to baked goods. I am not always the biggest coconut fan, but I loved these cookies.

My boyfriend is also not much of a coconut fan. In order to get him to eat the cookies, I didn't tell him that they had coconut oil in them. I only mentioned that there might be a secret ingredient. Turns out my boyfriend loved them too. The coconut flavor is present, yet not overwhelming. Perfect for both the coconut lovers and the coconut haters. 

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe adapted from How Sweet Eats

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp coconut extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

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

In a stand mixer, beat together the coconut oil and sugar for 1-2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and coconut. Mix until light and creamy. With the mixer on slow speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix until just combined. Stop the mixer and gently fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.

Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets (my cookie dough balls were approximately 1 1/2 inches). Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Cherry Almond Vanilla Cupcakes

The combination of Father's Day and my cousin Erin's Confirmation created the perfect excuse to make cupcakes this past weekend. Not that I won't bake cupcakes any other day, but I can never pass up the opportunity to bake them for a party. Especially when there will be a bunch of kids at the party, cupcakes are guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. I made two different cupcakes for the party- these Cherry Almond Vanilla cupcakes and another recipes I am excited to share later this week. 

I came across this recipe in a special edition magazine released by Better Homes and Garden a few months ago and immediately put it on my must-bake list. Aren't they so cute? They might be the cutest cupcakes I have ever made. I love that the cherries make both the cupcake batter and the frosting a pretty pink color. There is also no shortage of cherry flavor. There is even a hidden cherry baked in to the middle of each cupcake- so fun! My family loved the Cherry Almond Vanilla Cupcakes and I am sure yours will too. 

Cherry Almond Vanilla Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Garden 
Yield: 24 Cupcakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 large egg whites

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

12 maraschino cherries, halved

Frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp maraschino cherry juice

1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking powder. Set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and maraschino cherry juice. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract. Beat until combined. Add the egg whites one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Alternatively add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture. Beat until just combined.

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tins. Press a cherry half into each tin. Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.

While cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add one cup of the powdered sugar. Beat until combined. Add the maraschino cherry juice and the almond extract. Finally add the remaining powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Beat until light and creamy. Pipe frosting on cooled cupcakes and top with cherries if desired. 

Peanut Butter Cup Truffle Brownies

My love of chocolate and peanut butter strikes again, this time in the form of brownies. Incredibly fudgy brownies with mini peanut butter cups scattered throughout. These might be the most fudgy brownies I have ever made. I hope you can tell just how fudgy they are from the picture above. As if the brownies themselves are not good enough on their own, the addition of peanut butter cups puts them over the top. I used the mini peanut butter cups from Trader Joes, but you could also chop up regular sized Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

My boyfriend declared these brownies one of his favorite things to ever come out of my kitchen. I guess he is a big fan of rich and fudgy brownies. I have made many different brownie recipes over the years, but these are the current favorites. Of course I am always trying to improve and find the best recipes, but for now this one is way up there.

Peanut Butter Cup Truffle Brownies
Recipe from Bake! by Nick Malgieri

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
10 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups mini peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9 inch  baking pan with aluminum foul and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Add the butter to a medium sized saucepan set above medium heat. Melt the butter and continue to cook until the butter begins to sizzle. Add the chocolate to the pan. Gently shake until the chocolate is submerged in the butter. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combined the brown sugar, flour and salt. Mix until just combined. Add two eggs. Beat until incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the remaining two eggs. Beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla.

Stir the butter and chocolate mixture until smooth. Add to the bowl of the stand mixer and combine with a rubber spatula. Gently fold in the peanut butter cups.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the brownies to cool completely on a wire rack. You might want to stick the brownies into the freezer before cutting in order to make the process a little easier. 

Homemade Parmesan Crackers

Given that I am a big-time snacker, I love all of the classic snacks- Cheez-Its, Wheat Thins, Gold Fish, Ritz Crackers. The list goes on and on. I have always loved crackers of all kinds. Naturally I was excited to try my hand at making homemade crackers. After a little research, I settled on this recipe for Parmesan Crackers to make and I could not have been happier with the results. First of all, these crackers are incredibly easy to make. From start of finish, they only took about 1/2 hour to come together. 

I loved the parmesan flavor of these crackers. However, I think that you could easily substitute other ingredients in order to meet your needs. When I make them again, I think I will experiment with other spices and herbs to give them even more flavor. I also love crackers with freshly ground pepper and think that would be a great addition to these crackers. Oh how I love experimenting in the kitchen!

Homemade Parmesan Crackers

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

Coarse salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Combine the flour, salt, cheese and butter in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add the heavy cream. Let the food processor run until a dough forms.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to be about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out individual crackers using a pastry wheel (my crackers were approximately 1 1/2 inch squares). Place crackers on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned in color. Allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

Temperatures reached 90 degrees over the weekend. While it was certainly hot outside, it was a nice change from the 40 degree weather we had over Memorial Day weekend. It is crazy how temperatures can change that much in just one week. I am looking forward to more nice weather over the upcoming months. The warmer weather also means that blueberries are almost in season. As I walk through the Farmer's Market each week, I always check for blueberries, knowing that it is still a little too early. While they haven't had any yet, I know that they are sure to make an appearance in the near future.

I have a lot of go-to blueberry muffin recipes. Blueberry muffins are my favorite muffins so I feel like I can never have enough good recipes. These Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins are one of my recent favorites. Brown butter makes everything better, right? I am also a big fan of a streusel topping on my muffin and this one does not disappoint.

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

Recipe from the Joy the Baker Cookbook by Joy Wilson

Yield: 12 Muffins

Muffins:

7 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

1/3 cup milk

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

Streusel Topping:

3 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

Melt butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Continue to cook until butter bubbles and becomes a medium brown color. Be careful not to burn the butter. Remove from heat. Pour the butter into a small bowl. 

In another bowl, combined the milk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Add the brown butter and whisk again. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir gently to combine. Fold in the blueberries but be careful not to overmix.  Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. 

To make the streusel topping, combine all the ingredients in a small bow. With clean hands, combine the ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the prepared muffins. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden in color. An inserted toothpick should come out clean. Let the muffins cool for about 15 minutes before serving.