Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Macaroons

Pretty in white

Triple Coconut Cupcakes

These pale pretties are packed with triple the coconut flavour. Coconut cake, coconut butter cream, and coconut macaroons! I really went cocoNUTS with this one. Please don’t be intimidated by the different components; the macaroons are super simple to make! For the coconut-ty flavours all you will need is a can of coconut milk and some desiccated coconut. Bake these treats for you and your loved ones, and in no time, your home will be filled with a sweet smelling air.   

Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Macaroons                                                                                  

Makes 15 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

For the macaroons:

2 egg whites

50 g white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

150 g desiccated coconut

For the cupcakes:

80 g butter

¾ cup white sugar

2 egg yolks

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla essence

½ cup reduced coconut milk*

2 cups flour, sifted

½ tablespoon baking powder

1 cup milk

*Boil a can of coconut milk in a saucepan, on medium to high heat, for 30 minutes, until thick. Set aside and allow the mixture to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.   

For the buttercream:

100 g butter, soft

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons reduced coconut milk 

¼ cup desiccated coconut, for decorating

DIRECTIONS:

For the macaroons:

1.       Preheat the oven to 150°C and line a baking sheet with wax paper.

2.       Separate the eggs and place the whites in a large mixing bowl. Set the yolks aside. These will be used for the cupcakes.

3.       Add the sugar to the egg whites and beat until white and foamy.

4.       Stir in the vanilla, and gently fold in the coconut.

5.       Form balls with the coconut mixture and place on the baking sheet.

6.       Bake at 150°C for 20 min, or until the tops are brown.

7.       Remove from tray and allow macaroons to cool.

For the cupcakes:

1.       Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line a 12 hole muffin pan with baking cases.

2.       Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.

3.       Beat in the eggs, and stir in the vanilla and reduced coconut milk.

4.       Sift together the flour and baking powder, and fold into the above mixture, while alternating with the milk.

5.       Spoon the cupcake mixture into the lined muffin pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

6.       Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the buttercream:

1.       Cream the butter in a mixing bowl until very light.

2.       Add the icing sugar a little at a time, alternating with the reduced coconut milk. Beat until smooth.

To assemble the cupcakes:

1.       Pipe a buttercream ring on top of each cupcake.

2.       Place desiccated coconut in a shallow bowl.

3.       Roll the piped buttercream part of the cupcake in the coconut, until evenly coated.

4.       Top the cupcake with a baked macaroon.  

I couldn't resist making some matching mini ones too! 

Mini Coconut Cupcakes

I’d love to hear about your baking adventures. So let me know what you've been doing in the kitchen. 

Happy baking (and eating, of course)!

Pinwheel Cookies Tutorial

Easy 'Slice and Bake' Cookies         

Slice and Bake Cookies: Pinwheels and
Chocolate Hazelnut and Vanilla

Also know as Refrigerator cookies, or Icebox cookies, these Slice and Bake cookies are a neat and easy way to make pretty cookies. Just roll the dough into a log, freeze, and then slice away as many as you need. With only two different flavours of dough, there are limitless possibilities. Make some checkerboard cookies, or even add some of your favourite nuts for a new flavour combination.

Here is my cookie dough recipe and instructions on how to form the pinwheels. I hope you have fun make these super cool looking cookies!                                      

Chocolate and Vanilla Pinwheel Cookies          

Makes 36 cookies 

Adapted from: www.sugarywinzy.com                                                     

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

To form the pinwheels:

Wax paper

Rolling pin

Sharp knife

Scissors

Cling film

Cardboard roll from paper towels, optional

INGREDIENTS:

For the vanilla dough:

1 cup (227 g) butter, soft

1 cup sugar (207 g) white sugar

2 eggs (large)

4 teaspoons (16 g) vanilla essence

2 tablespoons (28 g) milk

3 cups (405 g) flour

2 tablespoons (20 g) Maizena

1 tablespoon (18 g) baking powder

For the chocolate dough:

(To be combined with a portion of the vanilla dough)

6 tablespoons (40 g) cocoa powder

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter, soft

2 tablespoons (28 g) milk

  

DIRECTIONS:

For the vanilla dough:

1.       Sift together the flour, Maizena and baking powder.

2.       Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

3.       Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

4.       Add the vanilla and milk.

5.       Fold in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until combined. A smooth dough should form.

6.       Remove about ¾ of the dough, cover in cling film and refrigerate. The remaining dough is used for the chocolate dough.

For the chocolate dough:

1.       Melt together the butter and milk in the microwave.

2.       Stir in the cocoa powder, until a thick paste forms.

3.       Mix together the cocoa paste with the vanilla dough, until the chocolate dough is formed.

4.       Refrigerate for at least half an hour. This will make the dough easier to roll.

To form the pinwheels:

1.       Divide the vanilla dough into two equal parts. Do the same for the chocolate dough. Use this to make two cookie dough logs.   

Chocolate and vanilla cookie dough

2.       On a sheet of wax paper, roll out the vanilla dough into a rectangle that is about 10 mm thick. Set aside and repeat with the chocolate dough. Keep the rectangles approximately the same size.

3.       Place the chocolate dough on top of the vanilla dough. Lightly roll over the chocolate dough, with the rolling pin, to press together the vanilla and chocolate dough.

4.       Using a knife, trim a straight edge along the longest side of the rolled dough. Along this same side, roll the dough tightly into a log, and cover in cling film.

5.       Cut the cardboard roll so that the cookie log fits into the roll. This ensures the cookie log does not form a flat edge. Place in the freezer for at least an hour.

Cookie dough log, ready to be sliced

6.       Slice off cookies about 10 mm thick. Bake on a lined cookie sheet, in a preheated oven, for 15 min at 180°C.

Pinwheel cookies ready for the oven

7.       Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on a cooling rack.

For variation, make a chocolate and hazelnut dough by combining 40 g crushed hazelnuts into the chocolate dough. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies packed with chocolate chip goodness

Freshly baked Choc Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies are definitely worthy of the Cookie Monster. Packed with chocolate chips and slightly soft on the inside, they make a yummy cookie!

This is my version of Averie Sunshine's Choc Chip Cookies. I added half the amount of chocolate, but still used a combination of my favourite 70% dark chocolate and chocolate chips. I added the cornflour too, to make sure the insides were soft. 

When baking the cookies, I kept a close eye on them to make sure they didn't burn. Remember the cookies will continue to bake, on the tray, after removing them from the oven.     

Follow this recipe next time you're baking choc chip cookies. You won't be disappointed!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

Adapted from: www.averiecooks.com   

INGREDIENTS:

180 g butter, soft

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons maizena (cornflour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup chocolate chips

½ cup (60 g) chocolate, 70% cocoa, chopped into small pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1.       Cream the butter until pale and fluffy.

2.       Add the sugars and continue creaming.

3.       Beat in the egg and add in the vanilla.

4.       Sift together the flour, maizena, and baking powder, and fold into the above mixture.

5.       Fold in the chocolate chips and pieces.

6.       Form the cookies by rolling about a ¼ cup of the dough into balls. Press the dough into discs about 1 cm thick.

7.       Refrigerate the cookies for at least 2 hours. This results in thicker cookies.

8.       Bake the cookies at 180°C, in a preheated oven, for 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.