Granola with Coconut, Cherries, & Chocolate

When I made this, I was out of enough bar chocolate, so I had half chips.  I loved the bar chocolate bits!!!  This was a breakfast I looked forward to every morning until it was gone.  Chocolate????  For breakfast.  Sold.  It's a great combination.

Granola with Coconut, Cherries, & Chocolate
Adapted from Annie's Eats


2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened is fine)
1 1/3 cup sliced almonds
6 cups old fashioned rolled oats
6 tbsp. coconut or canola oil
1 cup honey
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 cups dried cherries
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Place a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the coconut to the pan in an even layer and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and toasted.  Transfer to a bowl and wipe out the pan.  Return the pan to the heat and add the chopped walnuts and almonds.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the oats and canola or coconut oil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the oat mixture to a large bowl and stir in the honey, cinnamon, and salt.  Spread out onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.  Bake, stirring twice, until the granola is light golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the toasted coconut and dried cherries.  Move the granola to one side of the baking sheet and press gently into a thick slab.  Let cool to room temperature.  Break the dried and cooled granola into small clusters, mix in the chopped chocolate, and store in an airtight container

Italian Cream Cake

This cake has been a long time coming!  So my husband and I have been together since I was in my young 20's.  So long ago that he first Christmas we spent with his family, I cried because I was homesick!  That first Christmas in Arkansas was a sweet one- lots of desserts and savory dishes, including his parents' neighbor's creations.  Mrs. P's italian cream cake was one of the sweeter parts!! She seems to keep them in the freezer for any occasion.  Chock full of pecans and coconut, the cake is M----.  (for you, L.)  So for his birthday this year, my husband requested this cake.  

For some reason I hallucinated asking for this recipe multiple times, but I must not have ever really done it!  In desperation I made Emeril's version, thinking I was never going to get Mrs. P's.  However, later that morning, my mother-in-law sent me Mrs. P's!  I barely wanted to open it, worried it was going to be very different.  It was identical, except Emeril called for 2 cups of coconut, which I probably prefer anyway!  I had to use my favorite cream cheese icing recipe, but otherwise this is Mrs. P's cake.  Perfect!!  I brought leftovers to work and it was a big, big hit.

Italian Cream Cake
Adapted from Emeril and Mrs. P.


For the cake:
1/2 cup shortening, room temperature (115gm)
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar (450 gm)
5 eggs, separated and at room temperature
2 cups flour (220 gm)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 cups shredded coconut (185 gm)
1 cup finely ground pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:
Adapted from Ina Garten
2 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease and line with parchment 3 (9-inch) cake pans, and wrap with cake strips.

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the shortening, butter and all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda) until light and fluffy. This is the reverse creaming method of Rose Levy Berenbaum that distributes dry ingredients well and makes a nice crumb.  It also tolerates mixing without getting tough.  Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into the prepared batter. Add the coconut, pecans and vanilla and fold into the batter. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans  (about 543 gm each) and bake for about 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown and top springs back.

Make frosting by beating together all the ingredients.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before popping into freezer to finish cooling for about 20 minutes covered in plastic. When the cakes are completely cool, add 1 1/2 cups frosting between each layer (1 cup if you don't love frosting), and frost tops and sides.  This will be just enough to get the job done- I had to make a small batch of another type of frosting for the decorations.


Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies- Levain Knock-offs

So one of the departments where I work scheduled a cookie contest the week I am taking vacation.  I'm not fooled. Clearly they are just scared.

And they should be.  With this recipe up my sleeve, they'd be toast.  Dark cocoa with bittersweet chocolate chips and coconut, underbaked so even cool they are rich and buttery.  (in deference to my niece, I will refrain from using the M word.  It offends her delicate sensibilities.  College girls are like that.)

This recipe was featured in Art Culinaire Magazine in an article about Levain Bakery in NYC, in which they interviewed the authors and got some recipes from them.  Who knows if they are the recipes they use now, but these are strikingly yummy.

A couple of notes- if you don't have a scale, check out these conversions.  One of my family members marvels at how people can bake and it always comes out exactly the same- the answer?  Weigh your ingredients!  Of course, other people less uptight precise than me can convincingly argue they come out delish even a few ounces off....but I like knowing they'll be perfect.

And for the record, I am bringing them to work early.  I can't be a no show!

Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies (Yields 1 dozen cookies)

adapted from Art Culinaire, Connie McDonald & Pamela Weekes

Ingredients

For the dark chocolate coconut cookies:

8 ounces unsalted butter

10 ounces granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 ounces dark cocoa powder

10 ounces all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

6 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

3 ounces large walnut pieces (optional- I optioned NOT)

3 ounces unsweetened shredded coconu

directions

For the dark chocolate coconut cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugar until well-blended and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well-incorporated, then beat in cocoa powder. Mix in flour, salt and baking powder until just combined. Gently fold in remaining ingredients. Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions (easy to use a muffin scoop, like this one)  and place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in oven 12 minutes, taking care not to overbake. Let cool on rack and store in airtight container.

t