Sunday, March 3, 2024

Coconut Raspberry Poke

 




This is a beautiful fresh look for Spring and a lovely compliment to your Easter Table!  My cousin Becky recommended this to me and I'm oh so glad she did!  This is fresh, tropical and delicious!


You’ll need:

1 (16.25-ounce) box of white cake mix (Betty Crocker Super Moist brand)

Plus 1 cup of water, ½ cup of vegetable oil, and 3 eggs, and baked according to cake mix box directions


And:

1 cup of seedless raspberry preserves

3-ounce box of raspberry Jello

⅔ cup of boiling water

⅓ cup of ice water

8-ounce tub oCool Whip whipped topping, thawed

For The Garnish:

1 cup sweetened coconut

12 oz fresh raspberries

Shaved white chocolate is optional to garnish


To Make:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with baker’s spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the cake (water, oil, and eggs) according to the package directions. Bake for 30 minutes or until well set in the center. 

Once the cake has baked, remove it from the oven and let the cake cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the surface of the cake. Be careful not to poke to the bottom, just 2/3 through the cake. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, Jello, and boiling water. Whisk until the Jello powder has fully dissolved. Add the ice-cold water and whisk again until the mixture has slightly cooled.

Slowly pour the raspberry Jello mixture over the top of the cake, being sure to get the Jello into the holes. Set aside for 10 minutes.

When set, put the raspberry preserves in a thin layer on top of the cake.  Allow that to set for 10 minutes.

Spread the whipped topping mixture evenly over the surface of the cake.

Top with sweetened coconut and fresh raspberries.

Store in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours before serving.  Wrap well with Saran Wrap during the chilling process.


Sunday, January 7, 2024

Breakfast Cookies




From my childhood of being a dairy farmer's daughter, being up every single day at the crack of dawn to feed my calves, to now being retired and mastering the art of sleeping late, things sure have changed!  I've had the pleasure of keeping most of my grandchildren recently and they wake up like little angles, all sweet and refreshed and HUNGRY!  I don't wake up with the energy that I once did so being a short order cook at 7:00 am is not my strong suit.

I knew that there had to be a better option for those sweet faces.  I had to find something that wasn't frozen, cereal or squares of pure sugar.  After a little digging, I found these breakfast cookies.  The wheat flour and coconut oil were firsts for me but they mix easily.

You can customize this with the add on ingredients of your choice.  I did the oats, coconut, apple, carrots, raisins and craisins.  You can do as you wish.  I think banana chips and dried pineapple would make some yummy Hawiian cookies!

You'll need:

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/2 cup (113g) coconut oil
  • 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup (142g) light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (89g) quick-cooking oats
  • 1 1/2 cups (149g) carrots, peeled and grated
  • 1/2 cup (113g) apple, peeled, cored, and grated
  • 1/2 cup (27g) shredded coconut, unsweetened or 1/2 cup (30g) large-flake coconut, unsweetened
  • 1/2 cup (57g) walnuts, chopped

  • 1/2 cup (71g) raisins
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

  2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Set aside.

  3. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together the coconut oil, butter, and sugars until pale and creamy.

  4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each one; then beat in the vanilla.

  5. Stir the dry ingredients then the remaining add-ins into the wet mixture just until evenly incorporated.

  6. Drop the dough in 2" balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2" apart; a jumbo cookie scoop is the right-sized tool for this job.

  7. Bake the cookies for 15 to 17 minutes, until they're just set at the center.

  8. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a rack to cool.

  9. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Store in the freezer, wrapped airtight, for up to 1 month.