Cranberry Coconut Macaroons

So much for my boycott!

After I suckered myself into sugar cookies, I decided I couldn't let the season pass without my traditional attempt at a new cookie recipe. So, here it is...not only does it taste festive and delicious, it's also Gluten free. No, I don't have issues with gluten, but enough of my friends and family do, so anytime I can share a recipe that is friendly for them, I try to do it. I came up with this idea after flipping through my newest cookie recipe book, and thought "Hey, wouldn't dried cherries or cranberries taste good in these? And then chocolate drizzled over the top?" Of course it would...

Cranberry Coconut Macaroons

3 cups flaked, sweetened coconut

3/4 cup sugar

4 egg whites

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries

2 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate

Mix together all ingredients except chocolate. Spoon onto parchment paper and bake at 325 for about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Melt chocolate and drizzle over cooled macaroons.

I don't think it could get much easier than this! I always thought you had to whip the egg whites for macaroons, but apparently you don't!

Enoy! (And thanks Kelli for the great picture!)

Cranberry Coconut Bars

Wow, what a whirlwind of cooking and baking I just completed...now it's time to get those recipes up! Thanksgiving breakfast was a success! I think everyone left with happy tummies and just a few leftovers to deal with. There are several recipes I want to share, but I'll have to post them just one or two at a time...too much for one post! Here though, is a recipe I found from someone else's blog (Thanks Wonder Woman), but of course, I didn't have all the ingredients so I had to improvise. I'm calling them Cranberry Coconut Bars because, what would a baked good be from my Krazy Kitchen without some coconut???

Cranberry Coconut Bars

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup coconut (my substitution because I did not have almond meal)

1 cup cold butter

1 egg

1/4 tsp cinnamon (which I added to the cranberry mixture instead of the crust)

zest of 1 orange (my addition)

juice of 1/2 an orange

4 cups fresh cranberries (I only had 1 package, so I improvised and used 2 cups Craisins as well)

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbls cornstarch

Mix together sugar, flour, coconut, salt and baking powder in a food processor or use a pastry cutter until crumbly. Add the egg and mix until it all comes together. Pat half the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan, or line the pan with foil that's been sprayed with non-stick spray. I used the flat bottom of a glass to help pat the mixture down.

Next, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, orange juice, orange zest, and cinnamon. Add the cranberries. Sprinkle mixture evenly over bottom crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the top.

Bake at 375 for 45-55 minutes, until top is golden brown. Cool completely and chill in the refridgerator until ready to cut. Store in the refridgerator.

I will definitely be making these again before Christmas, but I may try adding coconut to the cranberry mixture or perhaps almond extract? We shall see...:-)

Bread Bonanza!

So, I had a request to post some bread recipes for the holiday season. Two of these are regulars that I make all the time and two are new ones that I just came up with for this purpose. I love quick breads because they are easy to make, perfect for freezing, and make excellent gifts! I have fun playing around with the ingredients to get just the right flavor! And, my little children love them so they are great for pulling out of the freezer now and then for breakfast!

Cranberry Orange Bread with a Citrus Glaze

(I created this recipe from a basic muffin recipe out of the book Mad About Muffins.)

2 cups flour

1 tbls baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup milk

4 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup orange marmalade

2 tbls fresh orange juice

zest of one orange (about 1 tbls)

1 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

Combine the dry ingredients; add the remaining items and mix just until blended. Pour into prepared loaf pans and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. Makes 3 mini loaves or probably 1 large loaf if you prefer.

Glaze

fresh squeezed orange juice

powdered sugar

lemon zest to taste

Squeeze the remaining juice from the orange you used and add powder sugar until you get the consistency you like. I wanted something to freshen it up so I added lemon zest until it tasted just right. It's not rocket science, really, just a preference of taste. I would have preferred orange zest but I was only able to track down one orange, so I improvised!

a> Zucchini Carrot Bread

(adapted from Kitchen Keepsakes)

As is often the case when I bake, I cannot leave well enough alone, so this next recipe I added a little something extra to help use up some of my garden produce. Both the zucchini and the carrots came from my garden.

3 eggs, well beaten

2 cups sugar

3 tsp vanilla

1 cup oil

2 cups shredded zuccini, unpeeled

1 cup shredded carrot

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

(I often add a cup of shredded coconut or apple as well)

Beat eggs until fluffy; add sugar, vanilla, and oil. Stir in the zucchini and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until blended together. Fold in coconut or apple if you wish. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans, either 2 large or 5 mini, and bake at 350 for about an hour.

Green Tomato Bread
(This recipe is a real treat, but I cannot take credit for it. A friend of mine passed this along to me, which came from her mom, when she had an abundance of green tomatoes. I truly look forward to the end of tomato season just for this reason!)

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

1 tbls cinnamon

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup oil

1 tbls vanilla

2 cups finely chopped or ground green tomatoes (I use my food processor)

Combine the dry ingredients; add the remaining items except tomatoes, being sure to stir just until moistened. It will be thick until you add the tomatoes. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans, 2 large or perhaps 4 mini, and bake at 350 for about an hour.

Pumpkin Pear Bread

(This is another recipe that I adapted from a book, called Too Many Cooks, and it is super delicious! Perfect for the holiday season!)

1 cup oil

3 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup water

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup grated pear (from my mom's tree!)

Mix oil, sugar, and eggs until smooth. Blend in water, spices, pear and pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Pour into prepared loaf pans, 1 large or 2 mini, and bake at 350 for about an hour for large pans, 30-40 minutes for mini loaves.

I wanted to show you what I did to get as much of the glaze onto the loaves as I could. When you glaze things, much of the first and second coats end up on the wax paper under the food, rather than on it. So, I decided to scrape all the fallen glaze into the center of the wax paper sheet, fold it up and pour the remaining glaze onto the loaves. I did this about three times, moving the cooling rack with the loaves on it between two pieces of wax paper. Tedious, maybe, but that glaze was GOOD!

Besides, it left a really cool design on the wax paper :-)
You probably noticed that I use mini loaf pans a lot. I find that I get a better product in less time, because it cooks all the way through. When I use a large loaf pan, I always feel unsure about the doneness of the bread. Also, mini loaves are perfect sizes for gifts or a quick snack.

I have two more recipes I want to share, but haven't gotten around to baking them yet. But keep your eyes peeled, cause I'm sure to do some baking during this stormy weather comin' our way here in the Pacific Northwest :-))