Tag Archives: coconut oil

Triple Coconut Doughnuts (or Muffins)

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Veronica

I’m not much of a doughnut girl, but when I get a hankering for one, it’s usually on a Saturday. I had one such a hankering this last Saturday, and decided to see if I could throw some together with the ingredients I had on hand. I found some coconut in the pantry and threw these together real quick, amplifying the coconut flavor with coconut milk and coconut oil, topping with a coconut glaze and a sprinkle of toasted coconut. And…perfection! Dense and moist, the perfect doughnut or muffin texture, and they keep well to enjoy leftovers the next day.

Triple Coconut Doughnuts or Muffins

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

¼ cup virgin coconut oil, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk, or whole milk
¾ cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Glaze
2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
Coconut milk or heavy cream, for thinning

½ cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease doughnut pan(s) and/or line muffin pans with paper or foil liners; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream coconut oil and sugar for two minutes. Add egg and extracts and beat another minute. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a separate bowl. Add it alternately to the creamed mixture with the milk, starting and ending with the flour. Fold in the coconut.

Spoon into doughnut or muffin pans, filling ¾ full. Bake doughnuts 10 minutes, muffins 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

While they are baking, toast the coconut and make the glaze. Place the 1/2 cup coconut in a skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring frequently until golden. Remove from heat and prepare the glaze by mixing the oil and powdered sugar together as well as possible with a fork in a small bowl. Add coconut milk or cream a little at a time until glaze consistency.

Once doughnuts and/or muffins are done, turn out onto wire rack and spoon glaze over the top. If they are cool enough to handle, you can also turn them upside down to dip into the glaze while they are warm. After glazing each, sprinkle with coconut while the glaze is still wet. Enjoy warm or allow to cool. For storing leftovers, allow to cool completely before storing in a Ziploc bag with the air pressed out.

Veronica’s notes: while the doughnuts came out of the pan with ease, perhaps due to the shorter bake time (sugar hadn’t had time to caramelize onto the pan), this batter tends to stick to even the most nonstick muffin pans and I highly recommend using liners if baking in a muffin pan. Also, the almond extract in this tends to flavor it as much as, or a little more than, the coconut. It is a nice compliment, but if you’d like the coconut flavor to come through more, especially if using cow’s milk instead of coconut, use 1/4 teaspoon or replace with more vanilla. Last, please do NOT substitute coconut milk beverage (found in the refrigerated non-dairy section) for coconut milk. Use the full-fat canned stuff.

5 Comments

Posted in Bread, Breakfast and tagged baked, coconut oil, doughnuts, glazed, muffins, recipe, toasted coconut, triple coconut. Bookmark the permalink.

Quick Coconut Oil & Kahlua Brownies

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Veronica

In looking over all the food photos I have in my “future blog” folder, I’m noticing a trend. Everything is baked in the oven! In the past, I’ve tried to save most of my baked recipes to share in cooler weather, but I just bake so much in summer, that’s really all I’ve got for you. Even the main dishes I’ve been making have come from the oven. Am I the only one? Maybe I’ve got some Australian readers eager for baked treats & casseroles? haha!

So these are a box mix recipe which I know, is probably a food crime combining wonderful virgin coconut oil in conjunction with a box mix, but it’s really good! If you’re wanting a good from-scratch coconut oil brownie you might be able to just sub coconut oil in my favorite Fudge Brownies recipe. But if you’re in a hurry, this one will do you.

My usual trick to make box mix brownies taste homemade is to sub melted butter for the oil, but I was out, so I used coconut oil. The slight coconut oil flavor mixed with the Kahlua (I used my homemade stuff) is pretty out of this world. Using the coconut oil changes the finish on the top and although it’s got that flaky crispy layer, it’s dull, not shiny. I also noticed they were harder to remove from the pan, but nice and fudgy and the flavor is much better than just following the instructions on the back. Enjoy!

Quick Coconut Oil & Kahlua Brownies

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 fudge brownie mix
2/3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup Kahlua, room temperature

Mix all ingredients and bake according to package directions.

Veronica’s note: You want the ingredients at room temperature to keep the coconut oil from hardening during the mixing. If it hardens, it will not mix evenly. Also, if your box calls for 1/2 cup oil, use 1/2 cup coconut oil, not 2/3 cup. Mine turned out pretty thin in a 9×13 pan so if you like thicker brownies, go with a smaller pan.

You can’t see in this photo, but he’s already holding a half-eaten brownie while reaching for another. These are definitely Joshua-approved. I served these to five other children and three adults besides myself, they were a hit all-around.

4 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged baking, brownies, coconut oil, easy, kahlua, mix, quick, recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Veronica

Whoooooa Nelly, y’all. I’ve been making the same chocolate chip cookie recipe for six years, after trying recipe after recipe and finally settling on the one I thought was the BEST and the only one worth making. Until I made this one. Which is much easier, and even better.

I won a blue ribbon at the 2011 Kansas State Fair for my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. And these are better, in my humble opinion. :)

My ideal chocolate chip cookie is crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and have superior flavor. This one beats every recipe I’ve ever tried and knocks my standards out of the park. So crispy on the outside, so melty and chewy on the inside, so chocolate & brown sugar-y, with just a hint of coconut flavor. It’s that coconut flavor that makes it for me. It’s not in-your-face obvious, and I’m not sure anyone who didn’t know the coconut oil was in there would be able to put their finger on the flavor, but it adds a little something extra that just kills it for me. It’s out of this wooooorld, people.

I’m weird about labeling my recipes with “Best,” aside from World’s Best Salmon, and avoid it since my definition of best is likely different than your definition of best. (Hint: any time you see the word “favorite” in a recipe name on my blog, that’s a recipe I consider “best.”) So I won’t say these are the best. I haven’t tried every single recipe, so I can’t say it’s the best. But it’s really, really good. And definitely worth a try, even if you have already found your best.

Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

½ cup virgin coconut oil, room temperature
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I prefer Ghirardelli)

With a mixer, cream together the coconut oil, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda for 4 minutes on medium-high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and whip another minute. Add the flour and stir together by hand until almost combined, then add the chips continue to stir until combined. Press a sheet of plastic wrap down on top of the dough and refrigerate while the oven is preheating.

Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats. Once the oven is preheated, remove the dough from the fridge and scoop out enough dough to make 1-inch balls using either a cookie scoop, or a metal spoon. If the dough has become too firm, you can smoosh the balls together and roll in balls, or leave the bowl out a few minutes to soften a bit before scooping.

Space about 2” apart on cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes, just until beginning to brown on the edges. Remove from oven and allow to rest on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes, then remove with a spatula onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Store cookies in airtight container or Ziploc bag(s) with air pressed out.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Veronica’s note: Virgin coconut oil is different from regular coconut oil and you can usually find it by the healthier oils, like extra-virgin olive oil, in a glass jar. If you have coconut oil and aren’t sure what kind you have, look for the word “virgin” on the label. If you can’t find it, it’s most likely refined, but the final test is to take a sniff. It should smell lovely, like coconut, and taste the same way. Regular coconut oil will likely work, but won’t give it the special flavor.

Recipe source: adapted from Alida’s Kitchen

18 Comments

Posted in Cookies and tagged best chocolate chip cookies, blue ribbon, coconut oil, dairy-free. Bookmark the permalink.

Paleo Orange Chicken

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Veronica

This dish is a revelation for healthy eating. It has no breading, not even a thickener for the sauce, doesn’t require frying, is naturally sweetened with fresh squeezed juice alone, contains only healthy fat, and yet it is so. delicious.

And guess what? It is yet another way to use virgin coconut oil! I’ll be drawing the winner for the Tropical Traditions oil at midnight tonight (click here to enter the giveaway if you haven’t yet), so I decided to sneak in another recipe that uses it before I did. I myself just got a gallon of it (happy happy, joy joy! Thank you to those who made first-time purchases through my links, that’s how I earned it!), so you can be sure I’ll be posting many more recipes using it.

Full disclosure: for the record, I mainly cook with/eat extra virgin olive oil, just so you don’t think I’ve devoted my life to saturated fat, even if it is a healthy one. :) Also, for the record, I am not on the Paleo diet, but am all for eating healthy. And lastly, this was Den’s plate, as I had no rice on mine because I’m not eating starches right now. </TMI>

As for this chicken, I don’t have much to add beyond that it was incredible. It is sweet, even without refined sugars of any kind, and packed with flavor. I have to admit I totally forgot to include the sriracha (*sob* we love spicy, how could I?), which probably would have improved the consistency so that it coated the pieces a little better, but it was still great even without it. Who needs fried chicken pieces drenched in a sickeningly sweet syrup sauce when eating healthy tastes even better? Move over, take-out!

Paleo Orange Chicken

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (cut into bite size pieces)
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
juice of 2 oranges*
zest from 1 orange
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or sriracha
3 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)

In a medium-sized saucepan, add the orange juice, zest, ginger, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce or sriracha. Set over medium-high heat and let simmer to reduce and thicken while the chicken cooks. In a large saute pan, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat. Add the chopped chicken thighs and cook until a nice brown crust has developed on the chicken pieces, about 6 minutes. If your chicken pieces are really close together, you’ll likely have a lot of water in the pan (it doesn’t evaporate as well), and you should drain the excess liquid off to help the pieces brown. Remove from heat and if the sauce is ready (it will be reduced to very little, coating just the bottom of the pot, thick and almost like a glaze), add the chicken to the saucepan and stir to coat with the orange sauce. Serve topped with sliced green onions.

*Taste your oranges. If they don’t taste orange-y, then neither will this dish. Use tangerines if you need to, or add a teaspoon of sweetener, such as stevia or agave nectar, until you’re satisfied with the flavor.

Recipe source: Health-Bent

35 Comments

Posted in Asian, Lighter Fare, Meats and tagged chinese, coconut oil, healthy, low carb, orange chicken, paleo, Paleolithic diet. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate-Glazed Honey Macaroons

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Veronica

Once upon a time I entered some honey macaroons into the Kansas state fair and won a blue ribbon for them. Then I promised you I would share the recipe. Well I may be a bit slow, but a promise is a promise! I thought this was the perfect time since I’m giving away a gallon of coconut oil and this recipe has some in it. I figured one of you guys would need a lot of ways to use up that coconut oil once the giveaway was over. (I’m still packing just in case the winner agrees to let me move in until the oil is gone. hehehe)

We have a special honey class in our state fair baking competition and I won for the cookies last year. I had never entered the honey cookies category before, but knew from looking at past year’s cookies what I wasn’t going to do, which was a flour-based cookie. I wanted to do something different that the other bakers hadn’t. I did lots of brainstorming and finally decided that a honey coconut macaroon might be nice. Luckily I found a great recipe at Gourmande in the Kitchen and all I had to do was create a glaze for them.

Less heavy than a normal macaroon, these are light, sweet, tender, and very moist. And the coconut-flavored chocolate just puts them over the top. I love these cookies because not only are they tasty, they also are allergy friendly (gluten-free, dairy-free) and healthy (good fat & naturally sweetened). I do hope you enjoy them!

For more coconut oil recipes, check out my Coconut Oil Coffee, Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Vegan Gluten-Free Mounds Cake, Dairy-Free White Cupcakes, Homemade Magic Shell, and Vegan Dark Chocolate Cake Pops.

Honey Coconut Macaroons

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

Cookies
2 ¼ cups (180 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
2 large egg whites
¼ cup (60 g) raw local honey
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of fine sea salt

Honey & Coconut Chocolate Glaze
¼ cup dark chocolate chips
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon local raw honey

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Process the coconut in a food processor until very fine. Whisk together egg whites, honey, vanilla, and salt until combined, then stir in the coconut until completely moistened. Using a small cookie scoop, portion out the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake until pale golden in spots, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Make the Glaze: Place the chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir, then repeat. Stir until residual heats melts the chocolate completely, then stir in the coconut oil and honey. Drizzle over the cooled macaroons and serve immediately, or allow to set before storing. It takes this glaze several hours to set up, but the cookies are so moist they will not suffer for being left out.

Recipe source: adapted from Gourmande in the Kitchen

27 Comments

Posted in Cookies and tagged blue ribbon, coconut macaroons, coconut oil, Cookies, dairy-free, first place, gluten-free, healthy, honey, naturally sweetened. Bookmark the permalink.

Win a GALLON of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil! {CLOSED}

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Veronica

This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to Hanh Nguyen!

No, this is not an early April Fool’s joke, this is fer real, peeps. The good folks at Tropical Traditions are now offering a full gallon of their good-as-gold (AKA Gold Label) coconut oil to one of my readers. So if you didn’t win the quart, lucky you, you can enter to win a gallon instead!

Note: if you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you. Thank you to those who order, I’ve earned $50 in gift certificates so far and soon hope to be buying my own gallon so that I don’t die of jealousy!

Win 1 gallon of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

***

To enter to win, all you have to do is click here to sign up for their newsletter (required for entry, no comments count as a vote unless you have done this first) and then leave a comment letting me know you did or are already subscribed. Then you have to agree to let me move in with you until the coconut oil is gone. OK, just kidding about that last part, but I would be a great partner in crime when it comes to using up all that glorious oil. Please? Yes? Maybe?

You can earn up to seven more chances to win by doing any of the following and leave a separate comment for each, letting me know you did (however you must subscribe to the newsletter first and leave a comment telling me you did/do so, or no comments you leave will count as an entry):

~~o    “Like” Veronica’s Cornucopia on Facebook~~
~~o    “Like” Tropical Traditions on Facebook (Please no, “I was sent by…” posts or posting a link to your blog, they will be removed)~~
~~o    Follow me on Twitter~~
~~o    Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter~~
~~o    Follow me on Pinterest~~
~~o    Follow Tropical Traditions on Pinterest~~
~~o    Follow Tropical Traditions on Google +~~

The giveaway will be open until Wednesday, January 23rd, at midnight. I will notify the winner by email and the winner will have 48 hours to reply or another winner will be chosen. Good luck! I’ll start packing now…

This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to commenter #261, Hanh Nguyen!

269 Comments

Posted in Announcements & Awards and tagged coconut oil, Free product, giveaway, Tropical Traditions, win. Bookmark the permalink.

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway!

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Veronica

This giveaway is now closed. The random number generator gave me #1 (too crazy, second time that has happened to me on giveaways), so congratulations to Caren King!

We’re two days into the new year, and by now a large percentage of people have made resolutions to get healthier and are already doing things to accomplish this task. To help get you off to a great start this year, Tropical Traditions is offering a jar of their Gold Label Coconut Oil to one of my readers. Nice!

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions sent me a jar of their Gold Label and I’m really happy with it. So far the only coconut oil I’ve met that I haven’t adored is the refined kind, which doesn’t have the wonderful flavor of the virgin oil, but this oil did stand out from my other favorites. As soon as I got my jar I dug in with a spoon to try it (I often eat a spoonful for a treat–coconut oil is like candy to me, without the addictive quality). It had the pure coconut flavor I expected but for me the biggest difference between it and other virgin coconut oils was the ultra satiny-smooth texture it had in its solid state before it melted in my mouth. Another favorite of mine, Barlean’s, has a great flavor but it almost feels like it has coconut pulp in it, it definitely has a fuller texture, which I personally don’t like as much. I could definitely tell from the first bite that Tropical Traditions is premium quality and I would recommend it to anyone who would like to try coconut oil.

If you’d like to win a jar, you can subscribe to their newsletter here (required to enter the drawing, and the newsletter is great–you will be notified every time they have a sale or special offer), then leave a comment on this post telling me you did so. The giveaway is open to the US and Canada and will be open for a week, until next Wednesday (1/9/13) at midnight. The winner will be contacted by email (you can also check back on this post on Thursday, January 10th, to see who won). If the winner doesn’t respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn. Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. The random number generator gave me #1 (too crazy, second time that has happened to me on giveaways), so congratulations to Caren King!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

74 Comments

Posted in Announcements & Awards and tagged coconut oil, Free product, Gold Label, Tropical Traditions. Bookmark the permalink.

Eight Days ‘Till Christmas?!

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Veronica

I have several cookie recipes that I really wanted to share before Christmas but it’s looking like I won’t be able to do it. :( It’s go-go-go right now, not only with Christmas-related stuff, but it just so happens everyone in my family was born in December (maybe a slight exaggeration) so there are a lot of celebrations going on right now. I’m also busy in my kitchen making the only gifts we’re giving this year, and my sister is begging for help with an order for 12,000 lip balms that she has to do on top of her regular orders, and I think we should take pity on her overworked hide. Soooo yeah…nos be bloggin’.

I do have a giveaway that I’d like to do it this week so you can look forward to at least one post if I can find the time. It’s for Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil (it seriously rocks) and I’m writing a review for it too, otherwise I’d just say “hey leave a comment for a chance to win some awesome coconut oil!” I’ll do my very best because I’d love for the winner to get it in time for Christmas.

For now I will leave you with some pictures from my middle sister’s 30th birthday party with an ugly Christmas sweater theme. Of course, pretty much me and the Haus were the only ones who actually wore ugly sweaters (and Danielle b/c I brought one and forced her to wear it). It was obviously a conspiracy to make fools of us…but you’d be surprised how easy that is to accomplish. No, you actually wouldn’t be surprised, would you?

Two additional notes, the party was in Danielle’s shop in case you’re wondering what’s going on in the background, and my little sister dyed her hair black (she was blonde last time you saw her here), just in case you don’t recognize her!

Dennis wore my sweater and said “my rock hard manly abs are stretching it out.” Meanwhile, I was stretching out a friend’s sweater with my bodacious curves (thanks, Stephanie!)

27 Comments

Posted in Life and tagged christmas, coconut oil, holiday, Sweater, ugly. Bookmark the permalink.

Small Batch Coconut-Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Vegan}

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Veronica

This month my Secret Recipe Club blog assignment was to Delicious Existence. (Gotta love that blog title!) On Twitter, Danielle (that’s my sister’s name, I love her already!) describes herself as a social worker, holistic health coach, lifestyle motivator and kitchen magician. And after perusing her blog, I’d have to agree with the last two–all her wonderful vegan recipes are definitely motivating and magical! Although not a vegan myself, I have mad love for their choice and actually try to eat vegan or vegetarian at least once a week, which isn’t too hard for me since I prefer fat and carbs (the good and bad kind :)) over meat anyway. Over time I’ve been so wonderfully surprised how delicious & satisfying a completely meatless, dairy-free, and egg-free meal can be.

Don’t believe me? Check out Danielle’s Herb Pinwheels, Jalapeno Popper Panini, Triple Chocolate Lust Cookies (I’m so making these!), Zucchini, Onion & One Pepper Stew, and Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Pie with Dark Chocolate Drizzle–just a few of the contenders for the recipes I marked to try. I have gone vegan before and found it challenging to find enough variety, but Danielle is clearly a master. Definitely go to her blog to get some inspiration!

I chose her coconut-chocolate chunk cookies to make for this month’s reveal, which is totally random, I know. If it was December, they’d fit right in since that’ s the month everyone starts baking hoards of them to give away. And these would be a great addition to your cookie tins this year! But it’s the week of Thanksgiving and there’s not a speck of cinnamon or pumpkin or even sweet potato in the recipe I chose. I’m sorry, but you guys know about my obsession with coconut oil. Did you really think I could pass up a recipe for cookies that contained not only my beloved coconut oil, but chocolate as well? I think not.

You guys, these are so good. Crazy good. So good that I’m glad I kept it a small batch recipe so I could only eat a dozen at a time. OK, so I didn’t really eat them all myself…but I did eat quite a few. Both times I made them. Yes, I made them twice this month, and will be making them again in a larger batch in December. They’re so good!

The coconut flavor is perfectly balanced with the semisweet chocolate, IMHO. You just would not believe how wonderful the coconut oil makes these cookies taste. So much better than using an extract! The cookies are sticky-crispy on the outside and the middles are soft & chewy-my favorite texture for a cookie, and I believe the corn syrup helps with it. The original recipe did not call for corn syrup, but I wanted to use ingredients that most people would have in their kitchen so instead of making a flax seed egg (mixing flax meal with water creates a binder similar to egg), I decided to use something else that was sticky to bind the cookie together. (You could also use agave nectar for a more natural cookie.) I used more corn syrup in the first batch and the cookies were a lot more chewy and a lot more crispy at the edges, and I think I’ve improved them by subbing a tablespoon of the corn syrup for milk (I used almond milk but coconut would obviously work great here), making the cookies softer but still crispy-chewy.

Whether you’re vegan or not, if you like coconut, I think you’re going to love these cookies! If you don’t believe me take my friend Kevin’s word for it (it was his birthday and I gave him some, along with an accidentally egg-less version of this banana bread)–he cracks me up!

I call Kevin “Obiewan,” thus his Star Wars reference. :)

Thank you Danielle for sharing your fabulous recipe! It pleases Jedi masters and padawans alike. :)

Coconut-Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Vegan}

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1/4 cup (1 7/8 oz / 52 g) virgin coconut oil, melted & cooled slightly (measured solid)
1/3 cup ( 2 ½ oz / 72 g) packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup or agave nectar
1 tablespoon milk of choice (I used almond)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
¾ cup (3 oz / 85 g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat mat.

In a small mixing bowl combine the coconut oil, brown sugar, corn syrup, milk, and vanilla. Stir until blended, then add the baking soda and salt and stir well. Add the flour and mix well, using your hands if necessary, then stir in the coconut & chocolate, again using your hands to combine. Roll the dough into 12 (1-inch) balls, making sure there are three chocolate chunks per cookie. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden at the edges. As soon as you remove them from the oven, use a spatula to push any misshapen cookies into place so that they retain a round shape. Allow to cool on baking sheet for five minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.

Makes 1 dozen cookies.

Recipe source: adapted from Delicious Existence

I learned this trick from fellow SRC members Katrina & Liz–to whip any misshapen cookies back into shape, as soon as they’re out of the oven, scoot them into a round shape with your metal spatula. Easy peasy and looks so much better!

To check out the other Group C SRC recipes, click the linky man below! As always, thank you for being the bestest hostess with the mostest Miss Debbi!

32 Comments

Posted in Cookies, Secret Recipe Club, Vegetarian & Vegan and tagged allergy friendly, baking, coconut, coconut oil, cookie swap, Cookies, dairy-free, egg-free, gifts, vegan. Bookmark the permalink.

Coconut Oil Coffee

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Veronica

Growing up, my Mom used to go through “nervous break downs” in the summer when we were home from school and one summer, her breakdown took on a whole new level of crazy when she went entirely mental for raw garlic. This was obsession, I tell you. You couldn’t get her to shut up about the garlic, and she’d be talking to you about the benefits of raw garlic while rubbing a clove that had been cut in half on the soles of her feet. It was definitely an aromatic summer as she seemed to be convinced that rubbing her entire body in garlic cloves 24/7 was the cure to all her ills.

I love this photo of Mom! The huge glasses! The t-shirt without pants! The totally rad high top tennis shoes with neon orange laces! Caught her in all her glory, and as you can tell, she was thrilled.

That’s kinda how I feel about coconut oil. I’m obsessed with it in an eat it, drink it, rub it all over my body kind of way. It started with my first jar of extra-virgin organic coconut oil. Oh mah goodness, have you ever tasted pure unadulterated extra-virgin organic coconut oil?! You can just eat a spoonful of it straight and the delicate & pure coconut flavor is heaven and the solid oil melts instantly in your mouth–it’s like candy to me. But I only allow myself half a spoonful a day and unlike real candy, it’s not addictive so I don’t have to keep going back for more.

I also have been using a teensy bit on the dry parts of my face and it works better than any moisturizer and it absorbs without leaving a greasy shine behind. I’ve also taken to rubbing it into my hair and sleeping in a shower cap from time to time and my hair is always so soft and silky after washing it the next day. And I know it sounds so weird, but I use it to scramble my eggs. I know coconut and eggs sound so wrong together, but my Grandpa cooked them that way for us when he visited last summer and although weird, I loved it and now don’t use any other oil to cook my eggs.

Grandpa cooked us eggs to show off his porcelain skillet. He says nothing sticks to it, and it’s safer than regular non-stick pans.

Needless to say, when I ran across this recipe for coconut oil coffee, I knew I had to have it immediately! Whose ever heard of putting coconut oil in their coffee, right? So weird! But hello, I have a family obligation to be a freak! Is being weird going to stop the woman whose mother once rubbed her entire body with raw garlic for a week? I think not!

So try it I did. Love! Blending the coconut oil into the hot coffee makes it so creamy…without any cream! I mean look at that cup up there, that was black coffee, and look how creamy it is with the coconut oil blended in. Love the frothy top & the coconut flavor too. :) With a little stevia, this was so much better than any Starbucks $$$ cuppa, IMHO. So good, you guys. I hope you try it! Just don’t use refined coconut oil, that stuff doesn’t have the health benefits of extra-virgin, nor the flavor (you can read the original post where I found this recipe to learn all about the health benefits).

Coconut Oil Coffee

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1/4 cup Cold-Brewed Coffee + 3/4 cup hot hot water or 1 cup hot brewed coffee
1 tablespoon organic extra-virgin coconut oil
Stevia or another sweetener, if desired

Place all ingredients in blender and blend!

Recipe source: The Veggie Nook