Month: March 2010

Before I start this post, I have to mention that this is my 101st post here at Confectiona’s Realm. I never thought I’d get this far, but it’s been a great ride. Thanks to all of you who read my blather.

I’m back to Tuesdays With Dorie. I can’t live without some carbs in my life (although I’ll have to pass on next week’s delicious-sounding choice, because this week is Passover and it didn’t occur to me to bake ahead), and I really miss being forced to write every week.

But we didn’t need a whole bundt cake.

So, herewith, my coconut tea muffins!

I cut the recipe in half, which yielded 24 mini muffins. I left the amount of coconut the same, though, because I love coconut. I really, really love coconut.

I toasted the first three-quarters of a cup of sweetened shredded coconut, because toasted coconut is one of the joys of my life. But when it came time to add the coconut to the cake batter, I decided I didn’t want the crunchy texture in the muffins, so I went with the stuff straight from the bag. (Which, tragically, left me with three-quarters of a cup of toasted coconut. Woe is me!)

Everything else was pretty straightforward: no difficult techniques or unusual ingredients. I baked the muffins for about 25 minutes, but my oven temperature is completely random, so your mileage may vary.

And the adorable little muffins were delicious: moist, not too sweet, and perfect with coffee. I put one chocolate-covered espresso bean each in the bottom of four of them, and in retrospect I wish I’d added the beans to more. I wasn’t sure how’d they’d take the heat, but they were magnificent. Highly recommended.

Oh, and you know what else is good? These muffins, drenched in still-warm homemade chocolate syrup. Life is very, very good sometimes.

I even got artistic for a change:

As I said, this was meant to be a bundt cake. Check out the pretty ones to be found on the other TWD bakers‘ websites, and if you want to give it a shot yourself, buy Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or visit Carmen Cooks, where Carmen will helpfully provide the recipe for you. See you next week, with my special Passover not-cake recipe!

I know, I know. And I’m sorry. There’s been no baking here for weeks. Heck, there’s been almost no eating here for weeks. It’s tragic. And yet, I have lost 12 pounds since the beginning of the year, and Tim has lost 40. It’s hard to argue with results like that.

But I made these cookies a couple of months ago, and they conveniently showed up in the rotation this week. (Thank you, Jodie, of Beansy Loves Cake!) They are yummy: soft and chewy, and oh so sweet. (Maybe a little too sweet, but who’s counting?)

I must confess: I used dulce de leche out of a can. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it. I’ve made it before, and it’s easy enough. But I decided to make these cookies on the spur of the moment, and I had dulce de leche; more important, I didn’t have condensed milk. So there you are.

Everyone liked these, even Tim, who was officially off carbs at the time. He did suggest just now that they’d be amazing dipped in coffee, and I believe he is correct. I am fighting the urge to make more to test that theory.

I don’t have much else to say: delicious, sweet, soft sandwich cookies. Give them a shot. (Jodie will have the recipe at Beansy Loves Cake.) And read about other bakers’ more recent experiences with them by visiting the other Tuesdays With Dorie blogs. Enjoy!