Last-Minute Coconut Macaroons

I don't want to alarm you, but tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Are you prepared? Is anyone going to know how much you like them? Is anyone going to know how much you don't like them by seeing you hand out gifts to others? That opportunity doesn't come along often.

If you've got 30 minutes and 6 basic ingredients, you can shower your pals with toasty, coconutty, chocolatey love. I don't suggest saying that to them directly, though. It's a little weird.

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut (not shredded!)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1 bag chocolate chips (semisweet or dark)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, coconut and salt. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla using your hands until well blended. Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about golf ball size. Cover and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until coconut is toasted.
4.  Melt the chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring in between. Either dip your macaroons directly into the chocolate or transfer it to a plastic bag and snip off one tip for drizzling. Chill until set.

Cranberry & White Chocolate Scones

Sometimes people make decisions you don't agree with, and you either have to support them anyway or do everything you can to thwart their efforts. Because you know what's good for them.

My mom has decided to give up sugar.

Even during Christmas.

Even when I'm around.

Even if I kick and scream and make lots of cookies.

It has become clear that I can't talk her out of it. My only option is to negotiate narrowly acceptable foods and make them for her immediately, which is why these scones happened. Scones aren't high on my list of favorite baked goods, but if they'll work for my mom's new "alternative lifestyle" then I'll break out the dough scraper and get started.

This cranberry & white chocolate scone recipe only uses 1/4 cup of sugar, which is pretty impressive! The cranberries and white chocolate chips add more sweetness, and drizzling some melted white chocolate over them adds a nice touch. These would also be great with variations like lemon zest or cinnamon!


Cranberry and White Chocolate Scones
Recipe from Food.com

1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries or 1/2 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (or pieces)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a bowl by hand or using an electric mixer, blend together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter.
3. Add the half and half, beaten egg, cranberries (I like the dried ones), and the white chocolate chips, and stir until the dough holds together.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 2 minutes.
5. Form into a 1/2-inch thick round, then cut the round into 8 wedges (you can also make two smaller rounds of smaller wedges, if you like).
6. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil, then transfer the wedges to the sheet.
7. Bake the scones at 400 degrees F for 14 minutes or until golden brown.

8. While they cool, melt leftover white chocolate chips in the microwave. Put melted chocolate in a zip-lock bag and use scissors to snip off one corner, making a small hole. Drizzle chocolate over scones.

Apple Hand Pies

If anyone tells you fall is their favorite time of year because of the pretty colors or the crisp leaves, they are lying to you. People love fall because of the heaping mounds of butter, sugar, and spices that go into recipes this time of year. I'm not saying it's a problem- this is like my Olympics. Michael Phelps, you've done your part for our medal count, but move over and watch me take gold in a serious event: dessert.

I had never made a fruit pie before this, so I wanted to make it a bit different. Cue Pinterest and its wonderful world of hand pie ideas.

Do NOT be intimidated by the pie crust process. It may be lengthy, but it's easy as...well...guess.

And look how cute the final product is!

 

The recipe I used was a combo of a crust recipe from Brown Eyed Baker and a tart apple filling recipe from Food Network.

For the pastry:

2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
½ cup sour cream
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup ice water

one egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash

coarse/turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Tart Apple Filling:

3lbs Granny Smith apples, sliced, cored, and diced small

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt 
½ teaspoon nutmeg

1. To make the pastry, in a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Place the butter in another bowl. Place both bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the bowls from the freezer and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make another well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the well. With your fingertips, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Remove the large lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. If preparing ahead of time, the dough can be stored at this point for up to one month in the freezer.

2. Divide the refrigerated dough in half. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 4 1/2-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut circles out of the rolled dough. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting, and chilling process with the remaining half of dough. (I don't have a biscuit cutter, so I used the rim of a small bowl and managed to get 14 total.)

3. While the dough continues to chill, make your filling. Peel and core all the apples; dice small. Toss with the granulated sugar and cider. Add the apples and cook, stirring, until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg; cook until thickened, 1 more minute. Let cool.

4. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature until just pliable, 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons filling (use the smaller amount for a 4-inch circle) onto one half of each circle of dough. Quickly brush a little cold water around the circumference of the dough, and fold it in half so the other side comes down over the filling, creating a semicircle. Seal the hand pie, and make a decorative edge by pressing the edges of the dough together with the back of a fork. Repeat process with remaining dough. Place the hand pies back on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and return to the refrigerator to chill for another 30 minutes.

5. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the chilled hand pies from the refrigerator, cut a small slit in each and lightly brush with the egg yolk wash. Sprinkle sanding sugar generously over the pies, and place pies in the oven to bake. Bake until the hand pies are golden brown and just slightly cracked, anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how thick you rolled the dough. Remove the pies from the oven, and let stand to cool slightly before serving.

 Enjoy your delicious, warm little pies! I had fun making cute little brown paper packages so they could be packed in lunches or given as gifts. Have fun with these!