These bars have quite the history. Not only how they have become to be Nanaimo bars, but also what they’ve meant to me. The name ‘Nanaimo Bars’ is said to have come from a woman who lived on Vancouver Island, in Nanaimo who entered them into a baking contest, instead of naming the bars after herself she named them after the city of Nanaimo. There have been other claims to the bar name, a more familiar one known as ‘The new york slice,’ but true Nanaimo bar lovers have come to love them by this name.

My mom’s mom, my grandma was the nanaimo bar queen. She made them for my  mom and her 4 other sisters and 1 brother when they were growing up, and then it became a favorite of all her grandchildren as well. Ie. me. My mom said that my grandpa would say they were ‘just glorified chocolate bars,’ but that definitely didn’t stop him from eating them. Everytime we got together for a family reunion, picnic or barbeque,  nanaimo bars were always there.

I got this recipe from my aunt, who got it from my other aunt who got it from their mom. Since my grandma’s no longer with us, my aunt has carried on the traditional family favorite, which my mom says tastes just like grandmas. So, I thought I would try for the first time to make them!

This treat doesn’t require any baking, and is delicious! Give it a try for the holidays. (more…)

First off I’d like to wish my mom a Happy Birthday!! As I mentioned earlier, my mom has been away at the Dominican Republic for a week! And today is her Birthday! But she isn’t home til tomorrow, friday, missing her birthday! So I thought I would bake her a cake so she could have it when she gets home! A birthday isn’t a birthday without cake! Also, I’ve gotten my final grades back and was super happy to receive a B in Biology! So all that stressing, and even lack of baking paid off! So, I think I deserve a piece of cake too!

Ever since I made the Zucchini cake I’ve been wanting to make a carrot cake, mostly so I could use my shredder attachment again! But also, my mom loves carrot cake as well! I was originally going to make another one from the Joy of Cooking, but then compared the two and liked the additions of coconut to the cake, also it seemed to make more. So, from the book I got for my birthday last year, Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From my home to yours, I decided to try out her Bill’s Big Carrot Cake. So far I’ve loved everyting I’ve baked from it, including the white out devils food cake, which I made for my brother’s birthday in March, which was de-licious!! So here’s the recipe for the carrot cake! It’s definitely a winner.

Bill’s Big Carrot Cake

From Baking: from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan
Yields 10 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted with a shredding a blade or use a box grater, i used my KitchenAid with the shredding blade and baby carrots)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
• ½ cup moist, plump raisins
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 large eggs
• *I also added about a cup of crushed & drained pineapple

Getting ready:

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.
2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. It will resemble custard or Jell-o at this point.
3. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.
4. Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
5. The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract. If you’d like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut in.

*I toasted some coconut beforehand, and sprinkled it on top of the first layer in the middle of the cake.

To assemble the cake:
Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:
This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it’s good plain, it’s even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.

Happy Birthday Mom! xox From Me & The animals

After the peanut butter cookies were eaten in a mere couple hours (ok, maybe 48 hours, thanks to mom and brother) I had an urge to make these oat bars. My mom begs me to stop baking sometimes because she doesn’t want to eat them all! (She ate three of the peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies in a matter of seconds. Sorry mom!) But I can always send them to work with my brother, if she really wants them out of the house! (she doesn’t.) 

I made these a few times this summer, after I had seen them in the Kraft Canada Magazine Fesitve 2007 issue. This time I didn’t have any cranberries on hand so I used raisins. Both are really yummy because you soak them in orange juice before baking. And I was sad to find no oats, so I used three single serving packages of brown sugar instant oatmeal (each servings is 1/2 cup.)  They are great to pack in lunches. I took some to class (and secretly ate them in the bio lab. Shh!!) I also added some shredded coconut. You can add pretty much anything you like, but no peanuts this time. I think i had my day with those. No more.

Ingredients

These are a favorite in my house! My brother almost ate the entire bowl before i even got them onto the cookie sheet!! 

Ingredients:

2 cups Chocolate Chips

1/2 Butter

Coconut ( about three cups )

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 350.

Place coconut onto baking sheet in single layer and toast until slightly browned. Be careful to watch it and using a spatula or lifter sift the coconut often so it evenly browns. Once it has reached the color you desire take it out of the oven to cool.  The smell of coconut will fill your house! Ooh it smells so good!

Once it’s cooled Melt chocolate and butter in microwavable safe glass bowl. Microwave until almost completely melted then stir by hand to completely melt. 

Stir in the coconut. I ususally add some non toasted coconut to the mix as well. 

Once it is all covered in chocolate, scooping with a small ice cream scoop, or dropping by spoons, place small clusters onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Let cool in refrigerator until set. You can freeze these easily and take out about 15 mins before serving.

Enjoy!

Tis the season! I had a white party this weekend to kick off the holiday season, with a little pre christmas rush get together to eat drink & be merry. I wanted to make coconut cupcakes for a while now! And of course, they fit the white theme! I tried my hand at meringues but they didn’t quite work out (hence the reason I didn’t take a picture of them!) So here’s my recipe for coconut cupcakes. My friends liked them so much they left with a few for the road!

First off I’d like to say that Box is not a four letter word (in fact its three, but it doesn’t have to be a bad word!)

Vanilla Cupcakes:

As I was running around Saturday I needed a quick and easy way to make these, so I started from a {box} and went from there. I made French Vanilla cake mix and I added some extra vanilla (mexican vanilla that my brother brought me back from cancun) and added about 1/2 cup of low fat vanilla yogurt to it. Bake for the time it says, about 17-20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan for a few mintues, so they can set before lifting and you wont smoosh them!

Let cool completely on rack.  While they are cooling, you can make the frosting!

Creamy Coconut Frosting:

• 1/4 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• Icing Sugar, Sifted ( approx. 4 cups)
• 1-2 tbsp. Coconut milk (Sweetened)
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• Shredded Sweetened Coconut for Decorating

Directions:

Cream butter and shortening together in mixer on medium speed until creamy and fluffy.

Add 1/2 cup of icing sugar, and then add a tablespoon at a time of the milk, and rest of icing sugar alternating. Mix in vanilla and rest of sugar until you reach the consistency you want. Since you are just going to use these to frost with a spatula, you dont need to worry about it’s consitency for piping.

Once you’ve gotten it to the texture you want, using a small spatula (or back of a spoon) frost the tops of your cupcakes.

After you have all the peaks frosted add about 2 cups of shredded coconut to a small bowl. Dip/Roll the tops of the cupcakes into the coconut, try not to press too hard so they keep their shape. You can also set them on the wire racks with parchment underneath, and sprinkle it on top. Reserve the droppings from the cupcakes and re-use them on the other ones.

& Voila! Some pretty yummy and pretty looking cupcakes for your holiday party! These cute little ones resemble snow balls, but I’m sure you’d rather eat them, than throw them at someone..or maybe youd like to do both! You can make the tops/peaks rounder or bigger depending on the size you want your balls (snow balls that is.)

Happy Holiday Baking!

Enjoy!

I love the Martha website, and I visit it often for ideas and inspiration. I love checking out the cookie of the day! I found this weeks cookie of the day, Nov. 2nd, ”Cowboy Cookies” and it looked de-licous! I have been wanting to make it since Sunday!..But I thought I would wait a day or so after eating so many chocolates leftover from Halloween! I also happened to have all the ingredients on hand..so that was a plus! These weren’t too sweet so they were just right after the weekend. I would recommend you whip up a batch for your cowboys! (and cowgirls!)

The little cowboy hat was the added touch! Jordan bought me a necklace that came in this little cowboy hat jewelry box for a Christmas present when we first stared dating! I added some ribbon to it for the photo =)

Try these! And you’ll be sure to roundup a group of hungry people!

From the Martha Stewart Living: Cookie of the Day

Makes about 5 dozen ( I didn’t even come close to 5 dozen..so unless you make them really tiny don’t think it will get this many cookies!)

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks (1 cup)
• 3 ounces (3/4 cup) pecan halves
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

I also added some Raisins.. to trick me into thinking their healthy! I also used about 2 tbsp. apple sauce as I didn’t have quite enough butter. These are yummy!