April Cookie Carnival - Toasted Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Filling

One of the Cookie Carnival recipes this month is Toasted Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Filling by Anna Olson of the Food Network Canada.

I wasn't sure that I was going to find the time to make these cookies this month. Since it is raining today and we couldn't get out to clean and wash the car like I'd planned, I decided to make the cookies since I had everything on hand. I'm really happy that I did.

The shortbread cookies are stacked with pineapple cream filling in between and on top of the cookies. I could sit and eat the pineapple filling with a spoon! It's that good. The little cookie stacks would make a perfect Easter dessert served in single serving cups.

When reading the recipe, I thought that it might be a little more work that I really wanted to do but it ended up being a really simple recipe that came together quickly.

Toasted Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Filling
from Anna Olson on Food Network Canada

Ingredients:

Shortbread1/2 cup sweetened coconut, fine shred
1 cup and 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
dash salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

Pineapple Cream
1/2 cup cream cheese at room temperature
1/3 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2/3 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
pineapple slices (I omitted)

To make cookies:

Shortbread

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Spread coconut on an ungreased baking tray and toast for 10 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool. (I did not toast the coconut first. I just added it to the dough out of the bag.)

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter in pieces and pulse just until dough is crumbly.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle toasted coconut over. Work coconut into dough until dough comes together.

Dust work surface again and roll out dough into a rectangle about 1/8 –inch thick, and cut into circles using a cookie cutter or small glass.

Use a spatula to lift cookies onto a parchment-lined baking tray and bake, on the center rack of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, just until edges of cookie color slightly.

Cool cookies on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Pineapple Cream

Beat cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Beat in icing sugar and vanilla. Stir in pineapple and fold into whipped cream. Chill until ready to serve.

To assemble:

To plate, place a cookie on a plate with thinly sliced pineapple. Then spoon or pipe about 2 Tbsp of pineapple cream onto cookie and top with another cookie. Spoon or pipe another 2 Tbsp of cream and serve or refrigerate until ready to eat.

**Note** The recipe says it makes 12 cookies but I ended up with 14 cookies using a 3 inch cookie cutter. If you were to use a 4 or 5 inch cookie cutter to be able to hold the pineapple slice, you would most likely get 10 - 12 cookies. 

Would you like to have fun baking with us in the Cookie Carnival? Click here to find out what it's all about!

Busy Beehive Cupcake Cones

One of my kids' favorite desserts are cupcakes baked inside of ice cream cones. They are a fun grab-n-go treat. I like them because they are easy to make and they are not messy!

These busy beehive cones remind me of spring and the beautiful, sunny weather that we are experiencing now. Not too hot, not too cold. Let's get out and enjoy it while we can!

Busy Beehive Cupcake Cones

1 boxed yellow cake mix + ingredients listed
on the package
16- 18 ice cream cones
1 can of vanilla icing
1 can of chocolate icing
yellow food coloring
yellow M&Ms for decorating
milk chocolate melts

Preheat oven to 350*

Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

To make the cones easier to handle, I used my 12 cupcake, cupcake pan and stood one cone in each cup. Fill each cone 3/4 full - do not be tempted to fill them any fuller. The batter will run over the tops of the cones and down the sides. (Geez...wonder how I know this?!?)

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the cakes are light brown and a skewer stuck down into the middle of the cone comes out clean. Cool completely. Repeat the process until all of the cake batter has been used. Depending on the type of cake mix, I usually end up with 16 -18 cones.

Spread yellow M&Ms out on a piece of waxed paper. You will need 2-3 M&M "bees" for each cone. Melt 1/4 c. of chocolate candy melts in the microwave. Spoon the melted chocolate into a plastic baggie. Barely snip the tip off one corner of the baggie-just enough for a fine line of chocolate to flow through the hole. Draw the stripes and eyes on each M&M, creating the bees. Let dry before moving.

Tint the vanilla frosting bright yellow. Tip: I use paste food coloring. I've found that using the liquid food coloring with canned frosting tends to thin the frosting out too much, making it hard to use. Frost each cupcake with the yellow icing.

Using a small paring knife, cut out the beehive entrance in each cone. Frost the hole with yellow icing.

Spoon the chocolate frosting into a plastic baggie. Snip the tip of the baggie. Trace the entrance hole of the hive with chocolate frosting. Draw the swirls around the hive with the chocolate frosting.

Carefully remove the bees from the waxed paper and using the chocolate frosting as "glue", stick the bees on the cones.

Enjoy! The cupcakes are best when eaten the same day.


My spring bug cupcakes would pair up perfectly with these busy beehive cupcakes for a fun party theme!


Linking up to:
Cupcake Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays
Muffin Monday (includes cupcakes!)
Momtrends Friday Food

Peanut Butter Cupcakes Covered in Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

Two words....sinfully delicious!

I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate in just about any form. I decided to mix them together and then wrap them up in one pretty little package.

Just one bite and you will be hooked!

  
Peanut Butter Cupcakes Covered in Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

Cupcakes:

1/3 c. butter, room temp
1/3 c. good quality peanut butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk

Ganache:

1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. good quality peanut butter
1 tsp. butter
4 -5 tbsp milk

To make cupcakes:

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour into the peanut butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Beat for 2-3 minutes longer on medium-high, until the batter is light and fluffy.

Bake at 350* for 22 - 24 minutes. Cool completely before dipping the cupcakes into the ganache.

To make ganache:

Melt chocolate and butter together in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for 30 second intervals until the chocolate chips have melted. Stir in peanut butter. Whisk in milk, 1 tbsp. at a time, until smooth and creamy.  If the ganache starts to harden, stick it back into the microwave for 20 seconds and then stir well.

Dip the top of each cupcake into the ganache. Set on cooling racks to dry.

Store the cupcakes in a sealed container.

Linking up to:
So Sweet Sunday
Cupcake Tuesday 
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays
Delectable Tuesdays
Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods
Foodie Friday 

Garden Veggie Muffins

These corn muffins would be perfect to serve up for an afternoon brunch. They would match perfectly with a bowl of soup, chili or some sliced ham.

You will find that kids are more willing to eat their veggies if they help to prepare the food they are eating. This is a simple recipe that will get the kids into the kitchen and cooking!

Garden Veggie Muffins

1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. California blend frozen veggie, thawed
2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp. sour cream & onion chip dip

Stir together corn muffin mix, egg and milk until blended. - some tiny lumps are ok.

Squeeze the water out of of the California veggie mix by dumping the veggies into a piece of cheesecloth or 2 coffee filters. Squeeze to drain off the water. Stir the veggies into the muffin mixture.

Line 6 silicone muffin tins onto a baking sheet. Spoon the muffin mix evenly into the six cups.

Bake at 350* for 15 minutes or until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick stuck in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.

For herb spread: 

Stir together the cream cheese and sour cream & onion dip. Top each muffin.

Vegetable decorations:

Thinly slice 5 rounds from a small English cucumber. Thinly slice a small radish for the middle round. Level off the top of a muffin. Spread a thin layer of the herb spread onto the muffin, using the spread a the "glue" to hold the cucumbers. Add another dot of the herb spread to the middle of the muffin and top with a radish disk.

You could also use thinly sliced radish for the flower petals and fill the middle with raisins or sunflower seeds.

Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator.


Linking up to: 

Mouthwatering Monday
My Meatless Monday 
Midnight Maniac Meatless Monday 
Made By You Monday 
Melt in Your Mouth Monday 
Tasty Tuesdays

The Secret Recipe Club - Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars

I'm participating in a new blogging challenge called The Secret Recipe Club. My friend, Amanda, from Amanda's Cookin' is the host. The object of this challenge is that each blogger is assigned the name of one of the other participating blogs. You then pick any recipe from that blog and make it. You don't reveal whose blog that you have until the round up on the chosen date. Click here to find out how you can join in on the fun!

My secret blog for this month was Megan's Cookin'. Megan has a beautiful blog with so many delicious recipes posted on it. I chose bake her Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars. I actually made these at the beginning of the month for my husband's birthday. I knew that they would go over big because love sweet pumpkin desserts. When you bite into the bars, it really is like eating a slice of pumpkin pie only in bar form. Very moist and delicious with lots of pumpkin flavor.

The only changes that I made were to add more pumpkin pie spice to the filling and more spices to the topping. I omitted the white chocolate drizzle topping. I topped the bars with whipped cream.

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars
adapted from Megan's Cookin'

Snickerdoodle Layer

3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tbls. vanilla

Pumpkin Pie Layer

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. canned pumpkin

Topping

4 tbsp. white sugar
2 tsp.cinnamon
1/2  tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan and lay a piece of parchment paper across the pan, so that it extends the pan slightly. Don't skip using the parchment paper. It makes removing the bars from the pan so very easy.

To make snickerdoodle layer:

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan (mixture will be thick and cookiebatter-ish.)

To make pumpkin pie filling:

In a mixer bowl (you can use the same one you used to make the snickerdoodle batter) with a paddle attachment, mix together butter and sugar.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. This layer will be less thick and more pourable. Pour over the snickerdoodle layer, smoothing out the top.

To make the topping:

Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Baking:

Bake for 33-40 minutes (maybe more depending on your oven) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.

Let the bars cool completely (about an hour). They will deflate a bit and remain a bit pie-like on the top layer. The bars that are closer to the edges of the pan will be more firm.

Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Place on a cutting board and cut into bars.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Store in a covered container.