Coconut Granola
Happy New Year!
Getting back into a routine after the holidays, or in my case after a trip is always difficult. This year, I spent NYE in Portugal, so my new year resolutions got slightly pushed back!
Now that I am officially back and in cooking mode, I am dedicating this month to healthy recipes and whole foods. Being Portuguese, I was raised eating a Mediterranean diet which if you haven’t heard is 2019 diet of the year!
So kicking off, I whipped up this quick granola recipe that can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack! This 8 ingredient granola could not be easier to make! Packed with nuts, chia seeds and big chunks of coconut, this recipe is also easily adaptable for your preferred flavors.
Once you try out this recipe and see how easy it is to make, you will never go back to store bought granola again!
Chocolate Tahini Linzer Cookies
My first cookie on my Cookie Countdown to Christmas, are Linzer cookies!
Usually, Linzer cookies are made from a shortbread-like dough and finished with a jam in the center. But instead, this year I saw a recipe on Bon Appetit for Chocolate- Tahini Linzer cookies that I knew immediately I had to try! As mentioned, Linzer cookies usually have a jam filled center but what intrigued me about these Linzer cookies was the tahini chocolate filling!
For those who are unfamiliar with Tahini, it is toasted grounded sesame seeds. Tahini resembles a loose nut butter, it’s rich, nutty and also savory.
Tahini is mostly known for being used with hummus and many other savory middle eastern dishes. But when used in sweet dishes, tahini helps create a nice balance with the sweetness of the dish, and in this case, it helps balance the sugariness of the cookie and the white chocolate filling.
These cookies may seem a little far from the typical Christmas cookies we are used to, but I promise it is worth trying!
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whether you like crispy, chewy, or cakey cookies, one should always have their go-to recipe!
Finding the RIGHT chocolate chip cookie recipe can take many tries, for me, from the time I began to bake about four years ago, I only now have found my perfect cookie recipe!
I used to follow the recipes on the back of the morsels chocolate chip bags, and while they are not bad, they certainly aren’t the best. But again, it all depends upon your taste in cookies!
My favorite type of cookie is crispy around the edges and chewy in the middle. After countless attempts, and many packages of butter later, I think I found the perfect cookie recipe.
It’s a salted browned butter chocolate chip cookie!
The browned butter gives these cookies a nutty and caramel flavor. For the chocolate, I only use 60% cacao. I find the semi-sweet too sweet.
Also, I ALWAYS chop my chocolate, even if they are chips. For this recipe, for example, I used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet morsels and chopped them. Chopping the chocolate allows them to melt into the cookie evenly, giving you more chocolate per cookie and you won’t have whole unmelted chips in the cookies (the worst).
After you give these a try, Im sure they will become a go to!
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Flaky sea salt
Recipe
In a saucepan, melt the butter stirring the pan occasionally, allow the butter to foam, until it browns, about 5 -7 minutes. Pour into a bowl, and allow it to cool.
In an electric mixer, pour the browned butter into the mixer bowl with the two sugars. Beat them together until all combined.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Reduce speed, beat in the flour mixture until all combined.
Fold in the chopped chocolate.
Chill for at least a half hour, overnight preferably.
Preheat to 375 degrees.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop them onto a lined baking tray. Bake until edges are golden brown, around 10-12 minutes. 6 minutes in, or until they begin to puff up, bang the cookie tray and again when the cookies are done to create a crinkle effect.
Finish them with flaky sea salt.
Recipe from Bon Appetit
Cranberry Orange Chocolate Tart
First Monday of December, and I am in full holiday baking mode!
I’m starting the month off with this festive cranberry curd tart, made with chocolate graham crackers and a cranberry curd with orange juice and zest and topped with sugared cranberries!
This showstopper tart is sour and sweet and a great quick dessert to make for any holiday party.
Cranberries tend to be just a Thanksgiving time kind of berries, but since they are so good for you, I am on a mission to try to use them all year round. Thinking about adding them to a nice pork roast or even to a grain bowl If you have any ideas, let me know, and we will try them together!
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/2 cups of graham crackers crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling
8 oz. fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries, plus 4 oz. for topping
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for topping
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolks
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest, divided
¼ cup fresh orange juice
Pinch of kosher salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
Recipe
Chocolate Crust
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a food processor, pulse chocolate grahams until finely ground. Pour sugar and melted butter, pulse until mixture resembles wet sand.
Place mixture into tart pan and press evenly into the bottoms and sides of the pan. Blind bake the crust by placing a piece of parchment paper, or aluminum foil on top of the crust. Pour in pie weights, or dried beans.
Bake for 10-12 minutes
Carefully remove the parchment/aluminum foil with the weights, or beans, and allow to cool.
Filling
Bring 6 oz. cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat; simmer until cranberries burst and most of the liquid evaporates, 12–15 minutes. Let cool.
Purée in a blender until very smooth.
Cook cranberry purée, egg, egg yolk, orange zest, orange juice, salt, sugar, and 1/2 tsp. lime zest in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
Stir with a rubber spatula and scrape down sides of bowl often, until curd thickens and coats spatula, around 10 minutes (might take a few minutes longer). Let cool until just warm.
Using an electric mixer ,or whisk, beat curd.
Add butter a piece at a time and incorporate after each addition until curd looks lighter in color and texture. Pass through a sieve, then scrape into crust and chill until firm, at least two hours 2 hours.
Cranberry Topping
Bring ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add 4 oz. cranberries and cook until barely starting to soften, about 1 minute.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill until no longer sticky, 20–30 minutes.
Toss remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp. lime zest in a small bowl. Toss cranberries in lime sugar.
Top tart with cranberries as you like.