Coconut Banana Bread

There's some sort of banana gene that runs in my family on my dad's side.  My dad, my sisters, my nephew, and I all love bananas and eat them regularly.  To see the amount of bananas that my mom buys for my dad and my sister buys for herself and her son on a weekly basis, you would think they worked at a zoo or lived with Curious George.

While I love bananas, I don't always manage to eat them all before they start browning (and I'm not talking about some slight browning and freckling - I actually love bananas when the peels are a bit brown because that means it'll be sweeter and soft inside).  I wish I had taken a picture of the bananas I used for this recipe so you could see how far gone they were.  So even if you think your bananas are too brown and mushy for use, have no fear, they'll just be easier to mash and will make your bread even more banana-y in flavor!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm a coconut addict and I have a huge bag of shredded coconut sitting in my pantry that was just asking to be used in this recipe.  Bananas and coconut = yum!  If I'd had coconut milk I might have considered using that instead of regular milk to intensify the coconut flavor, although maybe that would overwhelm the banana flavor.

Banana bread also freezes very well, so there's never a good reason to throw out your brown bananas. Make some banana bread and then eat it or freeze it for later!  Nothing better than freshly baked bananas and some coffee (or in my case and with the warmer days approaching, iced coffee).

Servings: 1 loaf made in a 9x5 loaf pan.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2-3 medium very ripe bananas
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut (plus some extra for topping the loaf)
Cooking spray (I used a coconut oil spray from Trader Joe's)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. For ease of removal later, line the loaf pan with parchment paper, letting the edges stick out over the sides so  you can grab onto them later. Spray the pan and paper. 
• (I have a love/hate relationship with parchment paper - love its nonstick properties but trying to keep the curling paper straight and out of the way was a pain. If you don't have any parchment paper, just make sure to grease the pan well.)
• Melt 1/2 cup butter in the microwave over low heat and then whisk together the butter with 3/4 cup white sugar in a large bowl until combined.
• Add 2 large eggs to the batter and whisk until smooth.
• Add 2-3 bananas to the batter and mash with the whisk or a fork (or, if you don't want any banana lumps, mash the bananas in a separate small bowl and then add the mush into the batter).
• If your bananas are very brown then the banana flavor will be stronger and you can get away with 2 bananas. If they are just a little brown and freckly, maybe consider going up to 3. I used 2 since my bananas were completely brown. 
• Add 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt to the batter and, using a spatula, stir everything together until just mixed and there is no more dry flour visible.
• Fold in 1/2 cup shredded coconut (this is the stage where you can add other ingredients based on preference (e.g., nuts, chocolate)).
• Pour batter evenly into the pan and smooth the top.  
• Optional: sprinkle the top of the loaf with some extra shredded coconut. I did this mainly to look nice with some toasted coconut on top, but then afterwards when cutting the bread it was kinda a pain crumbling all over the place (which Rosy LOVED cleaning up).
• Bake for 50-65 minutes, depending on your oven. Start checking at 50 minutes and then every five minutes after until the loaf is dark brown and cracked on top. Toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
• Place pan on a cooling rack and let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
• After the first cooling period, remove bread from pan (if you used the parchment paper method, simply lift the bread out by grabbing onto the paper's edges) and cool another 10 minutes before slicing.
• Keep bread covered  for several days (if the loaf lasts that long!) or wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and keep in freezer for up to 3 months.

And now time for the pictures!

Stupid parchment paper. Hate trimming it to fit the pan while it's curling all over the place and getting in the way. But gotta love the benefits of using it while baking!

Since I had 4 super duper ripe bananas, I simply doubled the recipe above and made two loaves.

Love that crack!

Peek-a-boo, I see you!

Anytime I bake anything, Sunny is never intrigued and just stays on the couch or her bed. But Rosy loooves baked goods and sweets! She came trotting over as soon as I opened the oven and my apartment was filled with delicious banana bread smells!

"Excuse me, are you sure you don't need a taste tester? I'd gladly offer up my services!"

Sunny finally realized something was going on in the kitchen and came to join us after the cooling periods were over. She didn't necessarily want any crumbs, she was just hoping that all this kitchen activity meant I'd open the fridge so she could wedge herself in there and beg for her beloved carrots.

Slicing into the loaf!

Rosy's totally focused on the bread! Sunny's in her own little world, probably dreaming of carrots.

When it was time to sample the bread I decided to enjoy my afternoon snack with some iced coffee. I used to only drink my coffee black, but my sister has ruined me by introducing me to fun flavored non-dairy creamers, like Girl Scouts cookie-flavored creamers! Now I can't stop! Today I used the Samoa flavored creamer (I also have a Thin Mint flavored one). Sunny and Rosy got REALLY close to the bread for some good sniffs. 

Look at Rosy's begging shiny eyes!

Hope you enjoy!

Adapted from The Kitchn.

Pancakes/Waffles with Dark Chocolate and Coconut Pudding Filling (Taiyaki/Bungeoppang)

Snow day, snow day!  Woohoo!  Sunny and Rosy are thrilled to have me home for the day but they're not so thrilled with the snow.  Unfortunately I still have some conference calls to dial into, but at least I can make something fun at home like these taiyaki/bungeoppang!  Taiyaki is the Japanese version and Bungeoppang is the Korean version, and it's essentially a crisp pancake-y/waffle-y dough with some sort of fun filling inside.  Sweet red bean paste is the common and traditional filling, but there are all sorts of different fillings nowadays including different kinds of puddings, nutella, mashed sweet potatoes, custards, and even savory fillings like cheese or breakfast sandwichy kind of things.  In Japan and Korean it's common to find street vendors cooking these up fresh and serving them piping hot on cold wintry days.  While they now come in different molds, the fish one is the one that I remember growing up and it's the traditional shape oddly enough.

To make these fun little fish, first you need this bad boy

I got mine from Amazon but I bet you could find it way cheaper at an Asian market/store.

I almost didn't post this because there's no real recipe here and it involves a special type of pan, but something about these lil fish-shaped pancakes just make me happy and me and my family love these!  And snow days are just begging for something fun to make and eat!  While I like sweet red bean paste ok, it's not necessarily my favorite and I didn't have any red beans handy so instead I made something I'd like better - dark chocolate and coconut pudding!  Oh yeah.

These are best eaten fresh and hot, but I've frozen them and reheated them ok in the toaster oven.  Sometimes the filling doesn't heat up all the way, but in a way I actually like that even better!  You get the hot and crisp waffle-y texture on the outside and then an ice cream-y pudding inside!

[Update 2/15/14: I think next time I make these I'll add a tablespoon of sugar to the batter to sweeten it up.  If you use a pre-made pancake/waffle mix and you may want to add something to sweeten it up a bit.]

Servings: Depends on how much batter and filling you make.  You need a lot more batter than filling and you can cook two fish at a time.

Ingredients:
Favorite pancake/waffle mix/recipe
14 oz can of coconut milk, divided
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (coarse or sea salt, otherwise you might want to use a little less)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
5 ounces (a little more than 1/2 cup) of dark chocolate, chips or coarse chunks

Instructions:

First we have to make the pudding so that it has time to chill.

• Shake the can of coconut milk well and then in a medium saucepan or pot heat over low heat half the can of the coconut milk, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp salt.  Heat slowly and don't let the mixture boil.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining coconut milk, 3 tbsps cornstarch, and 3 tbsps of cocoa powder.
• Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan/pot while stirring everything together well. Continue to whisk over low heat for a few minutes until the mixture starts to thicken and resemble a pudding texture.
• Remove the saucepan/pot from heat and stir in 5 oz (approximately 1/2 cup) of dark chocolate and 1 tsp vanilla.  Continue stirring until all of the chocolate is melted and mixed in and the mixture is smooth and pudding-like.  

• Pour pudding into a bowl, cover, and put in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.  If you want to avoid a skin forming at the top, you can press a plastic wrap against the top of the pudding.

Now it's time to make the taiyaki/bungeoppang!

• There are more traditional recipes for the batter that use cake flour, but if you're lazy like me, just use your favorite pancake/waffle mix.  I used Bob's Red Mill 10-grain pancake/waffle mix in an effort to try to make these a little healthier (ha!) and followed the waffle instructions.
• Oil the pan and heat it over low heat to warm it up.
• Pour some batter into the fish molds so that they're about halfway filled.  You don't have to worry about getting the fin so much because as the batter heats up it'll spread, but the tail is a bit trickier so you may need to add a few dribbles there. 
• Take your pudding (or favorite filling) and spoon it into the middle of the batter.  This will also spread when heated up so be careful to not overfill.  I found that about 1 tbsp was the right amount for me.
• Then pour some more batter on top to cover the filling.  It's ok if you don't cover it completely but try to do as best as you can without overfilling the molds.  See my crappy attempt below (notice how I had to go back and fill in the bald spots in the tail, and I still had more to fill in the left one).

• Shut the lid of the pan and then vigorously flip over the pan and heat the other side.  Flipping the pan with some force helps to dislodge the batter from the other side of the pan.
• Continue cooking for a few minutes, flipping every minute or so until the fish are golden brown.  You can lift up the lid a bit to peek and make sure they're cooked all the way. 

• If you overfilled then there will be some crunchy extras along the fish that you can remove with kitchen scissors, knife, or fingers.
• Eat them quickly while they're still hot!  They'll start to get soggy if you let them sit out so if you don't plan on eating them soon consider freezing them so that you can reheat them later.

And now some pictures featuring my kitchen "helpers"!

 

Sniff the fish!

Rosy's moving to a better begging spot.

Sorry none for you girls, but if you pose nicely I'll give you a special dog treat!

Ok now time to test one of these out...

It's so hard to resist Sunny's begging when she puts on her saddest face and dances around on her back paws!  But no, this is most definitely not a dog-friendly treat!

Pudding-licious!

And lest you think that all my fish were well shaped and browned on my first attempt, here's a plate of my rejects.

Sunny and Rosy offered to help me get rid of these rejects.  But I put them in the trash instead.  And by trash, I mean my stomach.

Chocolate pudding recipe adapted from The Kitchn.

Coconut Madeleines

Last fall I went through a major madeleines phase which hit me suddenly one day while browsing Pinterest.  That same day I bought two madeleine pans and made an emergency trip to the grocery store to pick up some supplies.  This was the beginning of my annual holiday weight gain.  Thank you madeleines.

While most madeleine recipes are the traditional lemon based ones, I decided to do a coconut version since I love all things coconut.  Since then I have made different kinds (e.g., pumpkin and cranberry) and the coconut ones are still my favorite.  So simple and delicious!  Madeleines are meant to be eaten pretty soon after baking and are best served same day.  They last for a few days after but they start to lose their freshness pretty quickly (thought I don't mind as they still taste delicious!). But if you want to save some time, the batter can be refrigerated for up to 12 hour so you can always make it in advance, refrigerate, and then bake them just before serving.  

Yes madeleines are pretty much just pretty decorated mini cakes, but there's just something so magical in having a little bite sized madeleine with that wonderful ratio of outer crispiness and inner sponginess.

Servings: Approximately 36 mini madeleines (24 regular sized)

Ingredients:
3 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup flour (plus sprinkling for the pans)
1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum-free)
9 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus butter for greasing the pans)
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Butter the madeleine pans and then sprinkle with flour.  Tap off any excess flour and place the pans in the fridge or freezer.  You don't have to do this if you have nonstick pans, but I find that when I don't the madeleines brown unevenly.  And chilling the pan helps to create the signature hump.
• Melt 9 tbsps butter, let cool, and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• In a medium bowl whip 3 large eggs, 2/3 cup sugar, and 1/8 tsp salt for 5 minutes until mixture is nice and foamy.
• In a small bowl, mix together 1 1/4 cup flour and 1 tsp of baking powder.  It's important that the baking powder be aluminum free, otherwise your madeleines might have a slightly metallic taste.
• Gradually fold in the flour mixture into the batter.  Don't mix or stir.  Folding is important as it makes the cake fluffy and airy.  So take your time and fold the dry ingredients in - rotate the bowl as you stick your spatula in the middle, cut it out edgewise and then fold batter towards the center.  Repeat and rotate until all ingredients are just mixed.
• Gradually fold into the batter 9 tbsps melted and cooled butter, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/3 cup coconut.  Fold just until these ingredients are incorporated into the batter.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour, preferably longer.  Batter can be chilled for longer (I've read anywhere between 12-24 hours).  The cold dough helps make the coveted hump and the resting helps.  The resting is also required so that the gluten has time to relax and air bubbles can work their way out.
• Remove pans from the fridge/freezer and spoon batter into the molds with just enough that it should fill out 3/4 of the mold.  Do not spread the batter.  It takes practice to get the amount right and I still mess up and do too much or too little.  Just try to estimate as best as you can and plop the dough in the middle of the molds.  It'll even out as it bakes.  If I have the time, then I'll often put the filled pans back in the fridge for a little bit to chill everything.  The hump in madeleines is created by the cold pan and cold batter getting hit quickly by the high heat in the oven.
• Bake for 8-12 minutes or until cakes are lightly golden and browned around the edges, and when you lightly press the cake it springs back (I usually have a tester madeleine near the front that I poke and prod and becomes my first tasting victim).

• Remove pans from oven and set madeleines on a cooling rack.  If you buttered and floured your pans well in the beginning, the madeleines should slide out pretty easily but if you need to you can use your fingers or a spoon/knife to gently pry them out.

• If you are using the pans again for another batch, then chill, butter and flour the pans again before using.
• Let madeleines cool to room temperature and then enjoy the deliciousness!

Sunny looks so sad here.  She hates it when I spend a lot of time cooking/baking, especially since she has to smell all these yummy foods and doesn't get a taste!

Love the humps in these lil cakes!

I arranged the madeleines nice and pretty on my plate for photos and then proceeded to eat half of them.

Poor Sunny didn't get any madeleines.

I love you buttery, coconut madeleine.

Nom, nom nom!

 Sorry Sunny, you can't eat any madeleines, but here's one as a hat!

Nothing's better than noshing on some yummy madeleines on the couch, with a lil pug on your lap.

Adapted from David Lebovitz's Madeleines Recipe.

Coconut Toffee Bars

This is an old recipe that I've made a few times now.  It's one of my favorite baked goods because it hits my sweets, chewy, and coconut cravings in one bar.  These are so good, that whenever I bake them I can't resist eating a bunch as soon as they're out of the oven!  My mom loved these so much that she often requests them when I go through my baking phases.  Please try these, you must.  I think everyone needs to taste the deliciousness that is this coconut toffee bar!

Servings: 32 approximately 2-inch sized bars

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Topping:
2 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325°F
• Lightly toast 1 1/2 cups of shredded coconut in one of two ways:
• Oven -  the coconut thinly and evenly on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 5-10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes, until browned and crisp.
• Stove - Spread the coconut in a pan on the stove top at medium heat and cook while stirring frequently until the coconut is mostly toasted a golden brown (my preferred method because it's easier).
• Put coconut aside and let it cool.
• In a medium bowl, beat 1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt together.  
• Add 1 cup flour and mix until just combined.
• Either grease a 9"x13" pan or line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil (I prefer to do one of these because I can create a sling so it's easy to pull out of the pan).
• Spread the batter in the greased or lined pan and press down to spread the batter evenly throughout the pan.  This is the "crust" of the bars.

• Bake the crust for 15 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, 1 cup light brown sugar, and 2 tsps vanilla. 
• Add 2 tbsps flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt and whisk together to combine.  
• Stir in the toasted coconut.

• Spread the coconut topping evenly over the crust. 
• Bake the bars for about 20-25 minutes, until the bars are lightly browned.
• Let cool completely in the pan and then cut the bars into whatever size you prefer.

These are amazing! They're sweet, slightly chewy, and just all around delicious!

If you're a bar lover and a coconut lover, then this is the perfect sweet treat!  These can stay in an airtight container for several days, although trust me these go really quickly!

Dark Chocolate Cookies (No Butter or Flour)

My family claims this is the best thing I’ve ever baked for them and it’s probably the healthiest (or least bad for you) sweet that I’ve ever made.  There’s no butter or flour in these and yet they’re super yummy!  Crispy on the outside and gooey and soft in the middle.  If you’re a dark chocolate fan, then look no further.  This cookie is for you!  

Just to warn you, if you make this for others be prepared for lots of requests for these cookies.  My sister demanded that I make two batches for her before she flew back home after the holidays!

Servings: Makes about 24 cookies

Ingredients:
1½ cups dark chocolate chips (approx. 9 oz)
3 large egg whites (room temperature)
2½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Either spray two large baking sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.
• Melt 1 cup of the dark chocolate chips in a microwave for about 1.5-2 minutes.
• Beat 3 large egg whites in large bowl until you get soft peaks. You can use an electric mixer but if you don’t have one you can whisk by hand, it just takes a lot longer and is more tiring.
• Gradually beat in 1 cup of sugar and continue beating until the mixture resembles soft marshmallow cream.
• In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup of the sugar, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and ¼ tsp salt.
• Gradually beat in the dry ingredients into the egg whites/sugar mixture.  (If using mixer - low speed).
• Mix into the batter the melted 1 cup of dark chocolate (lukewarm by now) and ½ cup of dark chocolate chips.
• Place ½ cup of the sugar in a bowl or rounded plate.  Roll about 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball and then dip it into the sugar, coating it thickly.  The dough will be very sticky - if you have problems with it, refrigerating the dough for about 5-10 minutes helps).  Place on covered/sprayed baking pan.  Repeat with the remainder of the dough, spacing about 2 inches apart.  I often will use whatever leftover sugar in the bowl and sprinkle it over the cookies.
• Bake until the cookies puff up and the tops crack, which is about 10-12 minutes.  Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes and then you have to have at least one while it’s still warm!  Eat as many as you want and then you can store the rest in an airtight container.  These also freeze very well too as my sister has informed me.

Optional: Sometimes I like to add in some toasted coconut (about ½ cup that I toast on the stove or in the oven) and that’s delicious as well!

12/29/13 Update
I was having problems with recent batches where the sugar topping would melt into the cookies as they baked. Found that they melt less if I let the dough stiffen up a bit before baking. I also read online that you can try rolling them in granulated sugar first and then powdered sugar. The granulated sugar will melt into the cookies but the powdered sugar will stay on top. Haven't tried that out yet but may some point in the future! Since this was one of my first posts I didn't really have a lot of photos to post at the time, but I have a couple more from the holidays (my sisters special request these!).

Recipe adapted from Picklee.