Katie of What Katie’s Baking, you have won the little mug!
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Monthly Archives: February 2011
Recipe: Coconut-Almond Macaroons
Tags: almond, baking, coconut, macaroons, recipe
I’ve been on a bit of a coconut binge lately. I love the distinct nuttiness and chew. It began with the raised coconut doughnut from DoughBoys. That freaking doughnut dominates my thoughts and I would gladly eat one everyday of the week. But, alas, I cannot if I want to live past the age of 30. My heart thanks me.
To quell my cravings, I decided to make these insanely simple coconut-almond macaroons. Whoa buddy, not only are these delicious (and gluten-free by default), they took minutes to make. You simply whisk an egg white with some sugar, then throw in coconut and chopped almonds. There’s also some vanilla and a pinch of salt, but really…those are minor details.
These cookies are soft and chewy in the center, crisp and nutty on the outside and full of coarse bits of almond. If you were feeling extra decadent, you could dip the bottoms in melted dark chocolate, though I think they are perfect as is.
If you haven’t already, enter my GIVEAWAY!
It’s Wednesday. It’s a Give Away!
Tags: giveaway, misc.Good Wednesday dear friends!
CONTEST CLOSED
I’ve been holding onto this mini-mug and saucer for months now. I purchased it from Lavender Ridge, a quaint gift, garden shop, and event space here in Reno . They actually make lavender Bath, Body, and Home/Kitchen products on site…it smells like lavender heaven there!
Anyway, about the GIVEAWAY! The mug only holds a few ounces of liquid, but it’s super cute and would be perfect for sipping espresso…if you’re into that sort of thing…or tiny sips of tea or cocoa.
To be eligible for the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment at the end of this post about your favorite cold-weather beverage.
You can enter the giveaway TWICE if you TWEET about this giveaway @cindyishungry, and post a comment on this blog again (so I know about your tweet for sure).
The giveaway will end at Midnight (PST) on Saturday, February 26th.
I will announce the winner, using random.org, on Sunday!
Collections, Hoarders, and Jam Thumbprints
Tags: apricot, baking, cookie, pistachio, thumb-print-cookie
When I was a kid I loved to collect things: stickers, erasers, pogs, rocks & gems & shells, and troll dolls. I had boxes of stickers arranged by color. A box of erasers, arranged by size and color, one of which (a tiny strawberry), I shoved into my right nostril when I was 5 and then proceeded to panic until I could muster up enough snot force to rocket it out of my head.
I’m sure you wanted to know that little tid-bit….
I had rocks and gems and shells, arranged by color and lustre. And Pogs, remember those? I also had a colored-coded stack of pogs capped off by my hologram Lion King slammer. My troll dolls lived on a shelf, in a row, and the ones with the bejeweled belly buttons were (surprise!) color coded. Are you seeing a pattern here? If there was a collection of items in varying colors, I would arrange them into a rainbow. It’s just how I rolled (and still do, I love to organize by color).
This also applies to cookies. See, when I would visit my grandparents they always had store-bought jam thumbprints in at least 3 flavors. I would get my little plate of cookies and arrange and rearrange them according to their jewel-toned bellies. Then I would systematically eat the outer cookie ring, leaving the jammy centers for last.
I was a weird kid, it’s okay. I know.
Now, as an adult, I try not to collect too much…I have Hoarder-phobia…which means I watch Hoarders nonstop on Netflix, then I purge my apartment of any and all unnecessary or unused items. This has yet to affect my book and cookbook collections ( we have a storage closet full of books, sigh) and serve-ware/small plate/bowls/utensils hoard….I mean collection.
Also, as an “adult”, I make cookies from scratch. The jam in these, unlike the cookies of my childhood, is not gummy. Also, they contain ground nuts. You can do a variety of jam fillings and arrange them in a cookie rainbow if you feel so compelled. Or, you can do one jam filling so your adult friends will stop making fun of you for being all rainbows and unicorns…or whatever.
Meyer Lemon Pull-Apart Bread
Tags: baking, bread, breakfast, brunch, coffee cake, lemon, meyer lemon
This bread is one of those recipes that immediately caught my eye, I love lemony treats. It’s also one of those recipes that has been lost in my abyss of bookmarks for months. As it is the season for citrus, my local grocery store has been stocked with all kinds of zesty goodness. We are big fans of oranges and grapefruits, simply segmented maybe with a drizzle of maple syrup or a sprinkle of Pico de Gallo (I love this stuff on apples and mangoes too), but I do most of my citrusy baking with Meyer Lemons. I love them, sweet-sour and such a perfect sunny yellow.
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Happy Love Day!
Tags: holiday, life, valentine's dayI love Valentine’s Day. I’m not ashamed. Pink + Red is a favorite color palette. I still love exchanging Valentine’s and candy with my friends. My Husband, Sean, and I keep it low-key. Usually a relaxing day, maybe a long walk with the dogs, and some Chinese take-out from the carton, on the couch…with some bubbly champagne of course. We exchange cheesey, cheap gifts, candy, and funny and/or mushy cards. This year I picked up a majestic Eagle calendar from a discount store for Sean. He loves it, we had a good laugh. I almost got him a really amazing Bald Eagle/wolf sweatshirt, but I feared he would wear it in public to torture me…and he would. We’re a couple of nerds in love.
If you’re not feeling the love, I get that too. I have so been there. The last Valentine’s Day I was single, I made anti-Valentine’s. I pulled quotes from songs cynical about love, “Love Rhymes w/Hideous Car Wreck” anyone? Feel free to ignore today ;)
What are your plans (big or small) for today?
Vanilla Macarons with Cream Cheese and Jam
Tags: almond, baking, cookie, cream cheese, jam, macaron, vanilla
Oh, sweet macaron!
There isn’t much say about these sweet sandwiches that hasn’t already been said. I love them and fully admit that I have fallen for their cute, round shape and rainbow of color and flavor options. Despite their famed trickiness, I have made many batches of macarons over the years. Some were a great success and some were epic fails, ending with me flinging sheets of imperfect macarons into the trash between fits of tears and foot stomping. Glamorous…I know. I also know that with things like this, practice makes perfect and technique can make or break your efforts. That being said, I have learned a few things about macaron baking.
“Liquify” or “Age” your egg whites. If I plan on making macarons the next day, I will leave the whites in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, on the counter overnight. If this grosses you out and you fear contamination, go ahead and put them in the refrigerator for a while…like a week…in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap.
Food coloring. Powdered food coloring is preferable, as it doesn’t add moisture, but liquid or gel color can be mixed into the granulated sugar if that is what you have. I usually only have gel color on hand, and I have had good results using this method.
Allow your piped, unbaked shells to dry at room temp for a bit, allowing them to create a little crust, which encourages the much coveted foot to form.
Also, use 2 baking sheets in the oven…again, gentle encouragement of the foot.
Oven temp. I have a crazy oven that runs about 30 degrees hotter than the dial suggests. Your oven may be weird too, so I suggest purchasing an inexpensive oven thermometer so you can be sure what your oven temperature really is.
My favorite macaron making resources are the blogs, Cannelle et Vanille and Tartlette, as well as the book I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita.
Hopefully none of this scares you and discourages you from making macarons. I’m simply a home baker and I’ve managed to pull it off a few times. I think the most important thing is probably just trying it out. And then, trying again.
Vanilla Macarons
adapted from I Love Macarons
Almond meal can be found in the baking section or natural foods section of many grocery stores. You can also make your by grinding blanched almonds with the powdered sugar. I filled these with cream cheese frosting and jam. I used store bought jam this time, I like Bon Maman.
3 oz. almond meal
5.25 oz. powdered sugar
3 large eggs white, brought to room temperature
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean seeded
food coloring, optional
Line a baking sheet with either a silicone baking sheet or parchment. If you are using parchment, you can trace 1-inch circles onto it and use that as a guide as you pipe the shells.
Mix granulated sugar w/ food coloring, if using, set aside.
Place almond meal and powdered sugar (and vanilla bean, if using) into the bowl of a food processor and grind into a fine powder. Sift the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Set aside.
Either with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or beater, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Gradually add granulated sugar to egg white with the mixer on medium speed. Stir in vanilla extract if using. Continue to beat on high speed until glossy and firm, but not dry.
Add half of the sifted flour mixture to egg whites. Stir with a spatula while scooping it up from the bottom of the bowl. Add the rest of the flour and mix lightly in a circular motion. Once the flour is incorporated, press the batter against the side of the bowl, spreading it out. Scoop the batter from the bottom and fold it over. Repeat this step 15 times. The batter should be thick and drip in a slow ribbon from your spatula.
Fit a pastry bag with a round tip and fill bag with batter. Pipe rounds onto baking sheets, leaving plenty of room between each. The batter will spread as you pipe, so pipe small circles. Rap the sheet against the counter to release any bubbles. Dry shells on the sheet pan until a crust forms, 15-30 minutes depending on the humidity in your area. If the batter doesn’t stick when you touch the shells, they are done.
Heat oven to 375 F. Stack the baking sheet on another, empty sheet. Place onto the middle rack in the oven. Bake 14-15 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. If the insides are still too soft after 15 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 300 F and cover the tray with foil (so shells do not brown) and continue to bake for 2-3 minutes more. Cool completely on a wire rack before removing and filling.
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese at room temp.
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine cream cheese and vanilla. With a stand mixer or electric beater, beat until light and creamy. Add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate. If refrigerating, bring to room temp and beat again until it becomes light and spreadable.