coconut – Page 2 – The Pajama Chef

Healthy Tropical Banana Muffins

January 7, 2015January 1, 2015 Sarah

Fresh ginger, yogurt, and coconut oil make for a healthy tropical banana muffin that you won’t be able to resist!

Banana muffins… can you ever have enough recipes? I think not. These banana muffins aren’t your basic cinnamon/nut laced version. These banana muffins are tropical and healthy. Perfect for a dreary January morning, methinks. And the shredded coconut on top is just the start of the amazingness!

It’s honestly been a few months since I made these delicious muffins, so I don’t have one in front of me right now. Sad day! But I do remember just how wonderful these tasted. It’s only been recently that I’ve started to buy fresh ginger, and let me tell you… fresh ginger is just SO wonderful. It’s fragrant as you’re grating it, and then it adds a little extra burst of flavor with the bananas, coconut oil, and warm spices. These muffins are a nice way to escape on a lil vacation at breakfast or snacktime, even if it’s just an average winter weekday back at home. Enjoy!

one year ago: Cranberry Steel Cut Oats with Caramelized Pears
two years ago: Mexican Cornbread Pot Pie
three years ago: Lasagna Soup
four years ago: Whole Wheat Cornbread

Healthy Tropical Banana Muffins

Servings: 12 muffins
Time: 20 minutes
Print

adapted from A Hint of Honey

Ingredients:

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour [could use all white whole wheat/all all-purpose]
1/4 cup all-purpose flour [could use all white whole wheat/all all-purpose]
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt [or plain yogurt/sour cream]
2 tablespoons brown sugar [may want to increase to 1/4 cup if using plain yogurt or sour cream]
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large ripe bananas, mashed [about 1 cup]
shredded coconut, for topping

Directions:

Grease muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper liners. Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, stir together yogurt, brown sugar, oil, eggs, ginger, vanilla, and bananas. Fold wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full, then top with shredded coconut. Bake until golden, approximately 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Leftovers can be frozen for a later time.

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Mango Coconut Muffins

June 9, 2014June 7, 2014 Sarah

I love fruit. Love, love, love it. Crisp apples, slightly underripe bananas, juicy peaches, sweet blueberries… I could go on and on. I love them all. Nine times out of ten I’d choose fruit over chocolate–whether on its own or in a dessert. But when you add chocolate to fruit…? Oh man. I’m in heaven. Heaven! Like these muffins, a basic coconut batter filled with juicy chunks of tropical mango, coconut flakes, and white chocolate chips.

These muffins are my dream come true!

You can make these muffins with the regular variety you buy in the grocery store but my favorite kind of mango is the Ataulfo mango, also known as the honey or champagne mango. They are rich and sweet, and in my opinion… easier to cut. They have an intensely sweet flavor, with some peppery or minty notes.

They’re soft and fluffy, perfect for any occasion from book club [that’s what I made them for!] to lunchboxes. Ben’s been taking them in his lunch and people have been asking him what in the world is in that glorious muffin that smells SO SO good. I mean, who can resist these tropical treats, especially during a long day? I know I can’t! And you won’t be able to either! 🙂

Mango Coconut Muffins [adapted from Following in My Shoes]
click to print

Ingredients:

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted + cooled
1 egg
1 teaspoon coconut emulsion/extract [or vanilla extract]
1 cup fresh diced mango
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried coconut, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or grease well.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl stir together buttermilk, milk, coconut oil, egg, and coconut emulsion. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then gently fold in mango, white chocolate chips, and half [2 tablespoons] of the dried coconut.

Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin tins and then top with remaining coconut.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days and then freeze leftovers.

Time: 30 minutes.
Yield: 16 muffins.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Macaroons

June 4, 2014June 6, 2014 Sarah

Last bridal shower post! I received these cookies [and the recipe] back at Christmas from Mary Beth at A Carrot and A Cupcake for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. Since the bride loves coconut, these were a natural addition to our menu. Can’t go wrong with chocolate and coconut, right?! 🙂 I must say, I was a bit nervous making these macaroons for a bridal shower because you want bridal showers to be pretty, not trashy. And let’s face it: sometimes working with melted chocolate causes things to look trashy. Or is that just me? ANYWAYS…

I breathed a sigh of relief when these macaroons came out of the oven golden brown, with crunchy exteriors and soft interiors. And I breathed a second sigh of relief when my dipped chocolate looked… well… normal. Not drop-dead-candy-shop gorgeous, but passable. Normal, even for a home kitchen. And then I wanted to run away to the beach with the entire tin of Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Macaroons. They were so good [c’mon, I had to allow myself one to taste test. That’s just a thing ya do!] and I wanted more. But guys… I decided to share. 🙂 It was just the right thing to do.

More chocolate, more coconut, more more more. That’s the problem with little rich desserts. You can convince yourself ahead of time that “one is enough” and “I couldn’t possibly eat another. I am too full/stubborn/ridiculous girl embarrassed/pick your poison.” But no. One isn’t enough. These macaroons are rich and addictive. I heard that non-coconut lovers inhaled these macaroons. I must have done something right. 🙂

If the length of the recipe and all the steps scare you… don’t let it. These macaroons are foolproof, tested, and relatively simple. If you’ve ever had a dry macaroon and have sworn off making them because of that, well–this recipe is for you. These macaroons aren’t dry and they don’t have weird ingredients either. Just lots of delicious coconut and chocolate sweetness! I know these will be my go-to Christmas cookie and bridal/baby shower treat for years to come. Food bloggers always say that sort of thing, but I really mean it. I’ve never had a macaroon as good as these and I bet you haven’t either! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! 🙂

one year ago: Pretzel Rolls
two years ago: Orange-Glazed Chicken Stir Fry
three years ago: Strawberry Chocolate Coconut Pancakes

Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Macaroons [from A Carrot and A Cupcake]

Ingredients:

28 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup canned cream of coconut [i.e. Coco Lopez] – or if you can’t find that, substitute an equal amount of sweetened condensed milk
2 ounces softened cream cheese
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract
pinch of salt
16 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons coconut oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine 14 ounces coconut and the powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse until chopped into small pieces. Add cream of coconut, cream cheese, flour, egg whites, vanilla and salt. Pulse until mixed well. This batter will be soft, wet, and gooey so refrigerate for 15-30 minutes to make it easier to work with.

Place some of the remaining coconut flakes in a shallow bowl or baking dish [you can put it all in but you may not use it all, so I used a bowl and added more as necessary]. Drop rounded tablespoons of chilled batter into the coconut flakes, toss some coconut on top, and then gently roll with your hands to form balls. I found that some of the softer balls required more coconut to hold them together. Repeat until all batter is used.

Place 1 inch apart on prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating pans from bottom to top and front to back halfway through. Be sure to check early and often so they don’t burn! Let cool on baking pans for about 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. I cooled mine overnight and just covered up the cooling racks with a kitchen towel.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper [just reuse what you already have, and discard excess coconut flakes]. Combine chocolate and coconut oil in a small bowl and melt in microwave until smooth. I always melt chocolate at 50% power with 30 second bursts, stirring in between.

Dip bottoms of macaroons in melted chocolate, then place chocolate-side down on prepared pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set.

Store macaroons covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Time: 60 minutes active, plus time to chill.
Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Tropical Cake Mix Cookies

May 21, 2014May 6, 2015 Sarah

So, I used to post once a month on a blog called Today’s Housewife. During fall 2012, the group decided together to stop posting due the busyness of life and families and such. Though sad, I enjoyed being part of the group. As of early January, the blog was officially taken down. But I don’t want to lose my recipes, so periodically I will be reposting them on here. Enjoy!

from August 23, 2012

I’m all in favor of cooking and baking from scratch, but sometimes using the dreaded processed product or two isn’t so bad. In fact, sometimes using a little something out of the ordinary is not only fun and tasty, but helpful too. Like when you’re baking for 80 for a church event… mhmm, helpful is always good in those circumstances. In those cases, I like to rely on a little thing called cake mix. Not for making a cake, mind you–cake for 80 isn’t really my thing–but for cookies. Normally, cake mix cookies are made out of Funfetti and are pretty much just sprinklicious sugar bombs. Not these cookies. Well, the Funfetti part at least. [No guarantees about the sugar bomb thing… can’t most cookies be described that way?]

Tropical Cake Mix Cookies are made with fluffy yellow cake mix, tropical trail mix, white chocolate chips, and loads of coconut for a taste of vacation even at the start of a busy school year. These two-bite cookies are incredibly addicting, so make sure you have a plan for them when you make them… Otherwise you might wind up eating them one after another without even realizing it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! The soft cookie combined with crunchy nuts and tantalizing tropical dried fruit like papaya and pineapple will get you every time! If you have nut allergies, just sub out the trail mix for a tropical dried fruit blend. Enjoy!

one year ago: Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese
two years ago: OTT: Pork Chops with Balsamic Blackberry Salad + Orzo

Tropical Cake Mix Cookies

Servings: about 4 dozen cookies
Time: 75 minutes
Print

from Averie Cooks

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract [or coconut or almond for a little extra goodness!]
1 – 15 ounce box of yellow cake mix
6-12 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups coconut flakes
1 cup tropical trail mix, finely diced [mine was from Walmart and had pineapple, papaya, raisins, cranberries, almonds, cashews, etc. in it]
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well combined–mixture does not have to be creamed.

With mixer running on low, slowly add in cake mix until cookie dough is smooth. Add flour tablespoon by tablespoon to solidify cookie dough. The more flour used, the more cake-like the cookies will be. I used about 3-4 tablespoons.

Next, fold in coconut flakes, trail mix, and white chocolate chips. Dough will be very sticky.

Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. At the end of that time, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper or a silpat, or spraying lightly with cooking spray.

After dough has chilled, it will still be sticky but much easier to work with and will not spread so much during baking. Scoop dough out in generous 1 tablespoon balls, rolling between greased hands before placing 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned and tops just barely look done. Let cool on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes, or until cookies are stable enough to be moved. This allows the cookies to firm up a bit as well as cook a little more on the cookie sheet. Repeat until all dough is used up, returning mixing bowl to refrigerator in between batches.

Store on the counter in a covered container for a week [if they last that long!] or in the freezer up to three months.

Appetizers, Recipes

SRC: Coconut Curry Popcorn

April 6, 2014August 28, 2014 Sarah

Hello and welcome to another edition of the Secret Recipe Club! For the month of April, I was assigned Leandra’s blog, Love & Flour. Leandra lives in Charlotte, and claims to have a dual affiliation for/affliction of the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Florida Gators. My husband says this is absolutely impossible, but he is a diehard Buckeye so that’s to be expected I suppose. 🙂 I’ve long admired Leandra’s blog because of her lovely photography and creative recipes, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to make something from her blog! I was quite torn between many delicious dishes like this unique Popcorn Bread, a lovely Sparkling Rosemary Grapefruit Soda, or a scrumptious-looking White Texas Sheet Cake. In the end, I went with ease and simplicity, but just because this recipe came together in about five minutes flat does NOT mean it is lacking in any way.

No, actually this Coconut Curry Popcorn has big flavor and has absolutely revolutionized my popcorn habit. Normally I’m a butter ‘n salt girl. I pin all sorts of popcorn recipes but haven’t ever made any of them. So making this popcorn seasoning was a step of faith… and truth be told, I was kind of SCARED to try it.

How ridiculous is that? I love coconut and I love curry, but I think I was just terrified that I’d ruin a perfectly good batch of popcorn with a weird seasoning. To be fair, I have curried myself out in the past but I haven’t had any in awhile so I figured I’d be safe now. But Leandra described this popcorn in such a way that I absolutely HAD to give it a try. And I’m so glad I did. It’s everything good at once… salty, sweet, spicy. This seasoning certainly has a little bit of kick to it, but the sweetness and warmth from the sugar, coconut, cinnamon, and ginger provide an awesome balance that is way too addictive for my taste. I’m glad this recipe makes a lot [even after I cut it down from the original] so I can keep some in the cupboard for easy access every time a craving strikes.

Thanks for the great recipe, Leandra! Enjoy! 🙂

one year ago: Dark Chocolate Crumb Bars
two years ago: Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing
three years ago: Chicken Pot Pie

Coconut Curry Popcorn [from Love & Flour]
click to print

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut flakes
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
popped plain popcorn

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except popcorn in a food processor, then pulse until coconut flakes are broken down. Toss over popcorn, then store remaining seasoning in an airtight container.

Time: 5 minutes.
Yield: 1/2 cup popcorn seasoning.

Be sure to check out all the other SRC recipes for the month at the link below!