Coconut Cupcakes

 

Working my way through the original Barefoot Contessa Cookbook let me to these little lovelies last weekend. And as hard as I tried to give all of them away, Brian and I were still left with a dozen. So we decided to exercise a little self control and not eat them all in one day. Yeah, that didn't happen. They maybe lasted until Monday. Brian would eat one for breakfast, then we'd each have one in our lunch, for an afternoon snack, and then for dessert. If I haven't mentioned it before, I love, love, love Brian's sweet tooth. He is so fun to bake for, and loves all my treats. Anyway, I mention all of this as a round about way of saying that these cupcakes are a. mazing. The use of the almond extract, that I've never used in cakes before, took these babies over the top, and gave them that little something extra. And, still wanting use up the extra buttermilk I had from two cakes ago, makes the cupcakes very moist. I got about 28 or so cupcakes from one batch, using regular size muffin tin. But I only used half a batch of frosting. I actually use this frosting for my coconut cake, and knew how much it made. So I cut it in half and had plenty to top the cakes with. Also, note that she uses extra large eggs in this recipe. Ina seems to be the only one using extra large eggs in baking, but I didn't doubt her, and went ahead and got the larger ones for this recipe. Loved the cupcakes. Love Ina.

I gave these away as a thank you. How cute do they look in this box?

I wrapped these up as pre-Valentine's Day treats!

Coconut Cupcakes
Ingredients:
3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups of sugar
5 extra large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pur almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut
 Cream Cheese Icing (recipe follows)

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
• In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes
• With mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. 
• Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well
• In separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
• In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. 
• Fold in 7 ounces of coconut. 
• Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
• Fill each cup to the top with batter
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops are brown and toothpick comes out clean. 
• Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes. 
• Remove to a baking rack and cool completely. 
• Frost with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle (or dip) in remaining coconut. 

Cream Cheese Icing
(This is the half recipe, for more just double)
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
3/4 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted

• In bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extracts. 
• Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth

Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Chocolate Buttercream Cake (or Cupcakes)

Making this recipe happened for two reasons. The first, and most common reason I make anything, I've been wanting to try this recipe. And two, I still had quite a bit of the German chocolate cake frosting that I thought I'd try on another variety of chocolate cake.

As I sit her on my computer and look and a ton of different blogs and cooking websites searching for new recipes to try, across the room sit my lonely cookbooks, just longing to have their pages flipped through. I have made a point of collecting some good books, but find that I barely look at them. So as a small goal, I want to try to cook out of them more often and then share the recipes with you. Here's the first one. This recipe comes from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, and while she has many different cookbooks, this is the original one. I have seen Ina make this cake in a tiered form on her show, and you can find the recipe online here. I was comparing that recipe with the one in the cook book, and it looks like she just doubled the recipe to make the larger cake.

I really liked this recipe. I actually don't have a ton of chocolate go to cakes, so was glad this one worked out. I made the recipe as written except omitted the coffee. I know the coffee just gives a depth of flavor, but I don't have coffee around, so I just omitted it.  I decided to put them in cupcake form, just for fun, and topped them with the left over frosting, and some new chocolate frosting (recipe to come). The recipe makes an even 24 cupcakes. Next time I think I will try this out in cake form.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
The Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients
1 3/4 all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanila extract
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together flour cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, on high speed, about 5 minutes
Combine the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee (if using) in separate bowl.
On low speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternately in thirds, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture.
Mix the batter only until blended.

Pour batter into two 8-inch, butter and floured, round cake pans, or 24 cupcakes.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes on a rack. Remove from pans to finish cooling

How Easy Is That?

A few posts back I mentioned that I was going to a book signing with Ina Garten, thee Barefoot Contessa at Willams Sonoma South Coast Plaza! She just released a new cook book "How Easy Is That?". If you watch her show you know that's a common catch phrase she uses. The signing was the day after my birthday and I looking forward to the signing more. I heard about it from my new and fabulous friend Michelle. She told me it was on Friday the 12th and I thrilled because I didn't have school that day. A while back I found out about a Giada signing, but couldn't justify taking a day off of work for it. So thank you furlough days.

Michelle had the inside scoop on book signings since this wasn't her first one. She works at Crate and Barrel and they hosted the previously mentioned Giada book signing. She also went to Williams Sonoma to check out the Bobby Flay signing, just to get a peek at him. That's when she saw how out of control the lines were! Michelle suggested we get there at 8 am, when the store opened to hand out the pre-ordered books. That was a great plan! We knew we were going to have to wait in line until the signing started at noon, but at least we'd get to wait inside the mall. We were in the first line, maybe about 40 people back. We sat on the floor next to Saks Fifth Ave, made friends with the people around us, ate the pumpkin treats the Williams Sonoma workers kept bringing around, and read through all the cookbooks we had purchased. We had such a great time talking all things Ina. My Mom kept saying she hoped Jeffrey, Ina's husband, was going to be there! No such luck. Then we dared her to ask Ina why Jeffrey didn't come. Good times! While we were waiting in side, having a fabulous time, the rest of the last comers were waiting outside in a line that went past two department stores and around the corner. And this is Orange County, is was kind of hot out there! Rumor had it though, if you were in line by 2 pm she would sign your book. The signing was supposed to be from noon to two.




The signing started at 11:45 am, Ina was very prompt. The line moved fast. You could take pictures but she wasn't going to pose for any. As we got closer I snapped a few of her signing other peoples books. When it was your turn they had workers taking your camera and would get a picture of her signing your book. I turned around when she took mine, but I have like a million chins in that picture, so I'm not posting it! But we got a few others. We all were deciding what we would say to her, I ended up just telling her thanks for coming and my mom was like, "we love you!" She was friendly, but didn't have time to chat. I had her sign two books, then my mom had her sign one, then Brittany came and had her sign one. The workers moved us right along after three books were signed and we kind of held up the line trying to figure out what happened to the fourth. Ina tapped the table and said laughing, "Come on ladies, pay attention." That's quite typical of us, to hold up a line of 2,000 people. Ina talked just like she does on her show. She looked really pretty, much better than on TV, and she looked smaller too. While in line we were talking about what color of shirt she would be wearing. She had a blue button up on all three of the different cookbooks we had. At the signing she wore a black button up with black pants.




I'm kind of amazed I have so much to say about a five second encounter with Ina, but it was so fun. I would do it again in a heartbeat. However, I wouldn't wait in a four hour line for just anyone. Ina is special. So classy. While in line we read an article in the Costco Connection magazine about her. In it she talks about how she gets asked to expand her "brand" beyond food to accessories, furniture even clothes. She said, "I wear the same thing everyday, you don't want me to do your line of clothing." But that's what I love about Ina, she's all about the food, keeping it real, but sophisticated, and getting back to the basics.

Easy Sticky Buns

Every year on my younger sister Brittany's birthday I surprise her with a birthday breakfast baked good. Something like cinnamon rolls, or blueberry muffins. This year I thought I'd use her birthday as an excuse to try out a Barefoot Contessa recipe I've had printed out forever. (Plus I'm going to her book signing on Friday at South Coast Plaza on Friday, so I thought I'd brush up on her stuff! I am so excited, but more on that Friday.)

The recipe I tried was for sticky buns that I thought looked like a quick and easy way to make cinnamon rolls using puff pastry. This was my first time working with puff pastry and I must say I'm a huge fan. That stuff is amazing. I actually tried to make this recipe a few months ago, but when I got home from the store I had bought phyllo dough instead of puff pastry, needless to say I didn't make the recipe. I loved the texture of the sticky buns. They aren't as doughy as a cinnamon roll, more like a pastry, makes sense, right? They have the same ooey gooey center as a cinnamon roll, made with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. These took all of about ten minutes to prepare and taste best warm. The brown sugar turns into a hard caramel when they cool, but still a tasty treat. I had a few the next morning and they were just a good cold! I made some with nuts and some with out. I preferred the ones with nuts. I used walnuts instead of pecans, like the recipe calls for, and I omitted the raisins. While I do love natures candy, I don't enjoy them in my cinnamon rolls!

All in all I think the birthday girl was pleased with her breakfast goodies. And I know she enjoyed her cake, same one as last year!

Easy Sticky Buns Recipe

Steak Sandwiches

Today was a perfect summer day. I spent the afternoon at the beach with my parents, Brittany and friends Erin and Kelli. The sun was actually out today, something we've been missing here in Orange County lately. It's wasn't too hot or too cold. And I think I even got a little color on my way too white for this late in the summer skin, without getting burned. After the beach we headed to the pool and hot tub, a perfect way to rinse all the sunblock off our faces and SPF 4 tanning oil off our legs. While at the pool we decided to make dinner and thought that nothing says perfect summer dinner like corn on the cob and watermelon. And so to go along with that Britt suggested steak sandwiches, something I made a few times last summer, and we loved.

Tonight's sandwiches were even better than we remembered. We made a few changes from the first go around. I got the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa, and it instructs you to cook the steak in a pan on the stove, which I did the first time. But tonight my mom and dad barbecued the steak and it was so much more tender. When you cook the steak in the pan, you then remove the meat and saute your onions in the juices. Since we did it on the barbecue I added a little olive oil to a pan and the poured in the juices that were on the plate of the finished steak. This makes the onions have amazing flavor, don't skip this step. Dad sliced the steak into thin pieces, last time I did thicker slices. The thinner slices were easier make the sandwiches with and way easier to eat. I make the sandwiches on the country French rolls from Trader Joe's. Top these little lovelies off with the dijon mustard, mayo, and sour cream spread, and a little arugula and you have one tasty summer sandwich. A perfect way to finish off the perfect summer day.

Steak Sandwiches Recipe

Double Chocolate Cookies

I haven't been the best blogger lately, but I have definitely been baking! Last week I was watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa and Ina had a guest, Kathleen King, on. Kathleen is the owner of Tate's Bake Shop in South Hampton. In the episode they showed some video of her shop, and I fell in love. It was adorable. On the episode Kathleen and Ina made a chocolate cookie of Kathleen's. I have been searching forever for a good chocolate cookie recipe that actually turned out. I have tried cake mix ones, one from Paula Dean's Cookie Swap episode, and a few others, and nothing. All of them turned out flat or crunchy, or just not my favorite. But Kathleen's cookies were perfect, perfect texture, perfect taste, easy to follow recipe. My batch was eaten up by me and Brian in no time.

After watching the episode and then looking at the recipe online, people had made comments about the differences, but I just followed the recipe as it was printed and that was correct. I did go by the cooking temperature she said on the show, 375, and cooked for about 13 minutes, I like mine softer. I didn't put in the almonds because I didn't have any and figured they'd be just as good without. And when I was putting in the chocolate chips Brian walked in and thought we should have a few extra handfuls. It was good, but I don't need major chocolate chips in every bite, especially in a chocolate cookie. But to each chocolate lover their own! I loved the white chocolate chips in these too. I know that Dutch chocolate can be hard to find, so just look for it at your more upscale grocery store. But no major changes, all worked out well and I finally have my chocolate cookie recipe.

Double Chocolate Cookies Recipe