Coconut Double-Chocolate Cookies (Vegan)

Cookies, specifically chocolate chip cookies, are my first, true baking love. They are the first treats I ever learned to bake myself, and they hold a special place near and dear to my heart. 

These particular cookies are by no means a traditional chocolate chip cookie (that recipe can be found HERE), but man are they addictively tasty! These cookies come together really quickly, and their chewy texture and rich flavor will leave you and your taste-testers questioning how on Earth these are vegan (seriously). 

The coconut oil adds a coconut flavor that is subtle enough not to overpower the cookie, but deepens the overall taste of it in an intriguing manner. Make sure you have a glass on milk on hand (be it cow, soy, almond, etc.), because these babies are ULTRA chocolatey, in the best possible way.

Coconut Double-Chocolate Cookies (Vegan)

recipe from here

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil, not in liquid form
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 8 ounces semi-sweet (vegan) chocolate, chips or chopped
• 3 tbsp ground flax
• 6 tbsp warm water
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and coconut oil and beat well.
4. Combine the water and flax and set aside to gel.
5. Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave in 30-second-intervals until melted; allow to cool for a minute.
6. Add the gelled flax and melted chocolate to the coconut oil/sugar and beat until incorporated.
7. Slowly add in the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Stir in the chocolate.
8. Scoop 1-2 tablespoon-sized mounts onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a bit before transferring to a wire baking rack to cool further.

Vanilla Bean Macaroons (Vegan)

Coconut is one of my very favorite foods, and I am entirely boggled as to how some people so detest it. Not only is it delicious, but it is rich in fiber and healthy fats!

I am a huge fan of macaroons, and when I saw these over at Oh She Glows, I was immediately drawn to them. While I knew I would like them since I absolutely LOVE all things coconut, I did not expect them to completely blow me away as they have done.

These macaroons are AMAZING! They are dense and chewy and absolutely addictive. The outside is perfectly crisp, and even after cooling, the inside is gooey and rich. The whole vanilla bean really pumps up the flavor and raises them above any macaroons you have tasted before. As Mikey bit into one, I heard an "Oh WOW!" Seconds later he was grabbing another :). 

Also, these babies are completely vegan and relatively healthy when eaten in moderation- something that is almost entirely impossible ;).

Vanilla Bean Macaroons

recipe slightly adapted from here

makes 20-24 macaroons

ingredients:

• 2 2/3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (to make the coconut butter OR 1 cup store-bought coconut butter)
• 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (I used reduced fat here and regular in the coconut butter)
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
• 1 tsp sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper; set aside.
2. To make the coconut butter: Add the 2 2/3 cups shredded coconut to the bowl of a food processor and process for 8-12 minutes until creamy, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
3. Combine all of the ingredients (including coconut butter) in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat to combine.
4. Scoop 1-2 tablespoon-sized mounds onto the baking sheet (they won't spread so you can place them fairly close to one another).
5. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden. Let cool on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a plate or rack to cool further.

Hazelnut-Lavender-Coconut Granola

(I'm not sure why the font is so small all of a sudden... it is not a different size than any of my other posts :/. Blogger just likes to give me trouble, I suppose.)


Okay guys, this will be the last lavender recipe for a while, promise (though, if you love lavender as much as me that may not be such a good thing?)!

Let me just start off by stating the facts: this is the one of the best tasting and smelling granolas (with a serious emphasis on "smelling"- man my house smelled GREAT) in the whole wide world and if you think otherwise I'd have to say that you are positively crazy. With that said, you certainly have to like lavender and coconut to like this granola :).

Honestly though, it even beats my old favorite, Pine Nut and Black Pepper Granola, by a landslide. I suppose I could be extremely biased considering two of my very favorite flavors are lavender and coconut, but even Mikey-- who is not a granola-person mind you-- found it to be addictively scrumptious (side note: Firefox tells me "addictively" is not a word, but I could have sworn it was and will continue to go on pretending that it is).

Coconut and lavender seem like a less than desirable match, but they work unexpectedly well together! (I imagine that a lavender-coconut quick bread would be quite amazing.) The Meyer lemon's flavor is extremely subtle in this granola, but noticeable enough to freshen things up a bit. I love the delicious nuttiness the hazelnuts add, and the crunchy buckwheat kernels bring in lots of texture. Basically, I adore every component of this granola.

If you don't try either of the other two lavender recipes I've posted recently, I implore you to try this one! Because as a granola-lover, this one is just perfect for me, and I hope that you will find it to be more than acceptable for you as well!

By the way: Recently I posted an "About Me" page (which can be found at the very top of each page) and I was curious to know if there were any other questions you would like answered on the page. Please post any suggestions in the comments, thanks!

Hazelnut-Lavender-Coconut Granola

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup buckwheat
• 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped
• Zest of 2 Meyer lemons
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut butter (you could use coconut oil instead, it just won't be as coconut-y)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp culinary lavender

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, buckwheat, coconut, hazelnuts, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small sauce pan, melt together the honey, coconut butter, and lavender over low heat for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Pour the hot mixture over the oats, etc. and stir to fully coat. Pour the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it out into an even, thin layer.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the granola has reached your desired level of golden-brown (I like mine a little more on the extra-toasty side), stirring every 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before storing.

Anzac Biscuits

I saw this recipe a couple of weeks ago and knew that I'd have to try it. I'm a huge coconut lover (I never can understand why so many people hate it) so these shortbread-like cookies sounded right up my alley.
Apparently, these are super popular in New Zealand and now I can definitely see why. These things are freakin' addictive! They are seriously so good. They are super crisp (my dad would LOVE these, he loves crunchy cookies; next time I go home I'll have to make them) and sweet. The sugar sort of caramelizes and produces something so incredible that it is hard to describe. Now, they may not be the prettiest cookies, in fact they are rather ugly, but I promise you that for as drab as they look, they are even more delicious.
Don't believe me? I ate four right out of the oven and Mikey ate eight, yes, eight. They are that good. (Also, they are fairly small cookies :P, about the size of a quarter-ish.)

Anzac Biscuits

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup ground unsweetened coconut (just whir it around in a food processor until it becomes a coarse meal- be sure to measure it after you grind it up)
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 1 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and oats. Set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and honey over medium-low heat. Add in the water and baking soda. The mixture will fizz a bit when the baking soda is added.
4. Pour the melted butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
5. Form into teaspoon-sized balls (you'll have to really press the mixture together) and place on the lined baking sheets about an inch or so apart.
6. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool further.

Milk Chocolate, Coconut, and Banana Chip Mini Muffins

I whipped these miniature muffins up the night before I took off to Florida so that I would have some goodies to bring my family. I was in the mood for something tropical and saw a can of coconut milk in the pantry, perfect! I didn't have a particular recipe in mind, so I just stuck to the Ratio of 2 parts flour: 2 parts fat: 2 parts liquid: 1 part sugar and came up with these exotic treats. In keeping with the tropical theme, I replaced regular sugar with palm sugar. It's flavor complements coconut in a wonderful way. As for the mix-ins, I knew shredded coconut would obviously be a component, and then I saw banana chips and thought they would add a nice crunch while still sticking to the theme. I'm usually not much of a milk chocolate person, personally preferring super dark chocolate above all else, but I thought that a mellow milk chocolate would fit in nicely with the other ingredients. I topped them with a simple coconut glaze and garnishes of coconut and banana chips.

I think they turned out really delicious and were exactly what I was going for- not super sweet with a tropical flare. Plus, I was pretty proud of myself for just pulling this recipe out of thin air! They ended up being a great way to kick off Spring Break, and received a whole lot of "Mmm's" from family and friends!
By the way, this recipe really doesn't make a lot so you may want to double the recipe (especially if you are making regular-sized muffins).

Milk Chocolate, Coconut, and Banana Chip Mini Muffins

my batter made 17 mini muffins

ingredients:

• 4 ounces whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 4 ounces (4 tbsp or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 ounces palm sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 tsp coconut extract
• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) lite coconut milk
• 1/4 cup broken banana chips
• 1 1/2 ounces (1/2 a regular bar) milk chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line a mini muffin tin, set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the palm sugar and butter for about 3 minutes. Add in the egg and extract and beat until combined (remember to scrape down the sides!).
4. Alternately add the flour mixture and coconut milk to the butter/sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined.
5. Stir in the banana chips, coconut, and chocolate.
6. Scoop into prepared muffin tins and bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean!
7. Cool in the tray for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool further.
8. *The glaze is optional. I just mixed up a tablespoon or two of the coconut milk with some confectioners' sugar until I got the consistency that I wanted. Then I just topped half of the muffins with a banana chip, and the other half with some unsweetened flaked coconut.

Curry Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

This bread is scrumptious. The curry flavor blends so nicely with the sweet mellow bananas and creamy chocolate. The coconut adds a familiar aspect and presents itself as a way for all of the flavors to come together. I highly suggested warming your slice in the oven or microwave and topping it with a nice pat of butter and letting it melt down into every nook and cranny... Mmmm!

The Curry Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread makes a great breakfast, or just a nice afternoon snack! Don't be scared of the curry, I promise the flavor is subtle enough that it doesn't overpower the other ingredients, but pronounced enough to give it a tasty exotic flair. Serve this to your friends and neighbors and it won't soon be forgotten!

Curry Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup granulated or caster sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 mashed overripe bananas (I find if the are very overripe like mine which were frozen, you don't need to mash them first and can simply put them in whole and they will blend up just fine)
• 1 tsp coconut extract
• 1 cup chopped curry milk chocolate (I used 3400 Phinney Chocolate by Theo Chocolate in Organic Coconut Curry Milk Chocolate)

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and butter and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.
2. Toast coconut in a skillet on the stove, being careful not to let it burn. Set aside to cool.
3. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and coconut in a bowl and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and beat until fully incorporated. Next add the bananas and coconut extract and mix well.
5. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
6. Pour batter into buttered and floured pan and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then remove, allowing it to cool to room temperature before slicing.

The bread can be stored at room temperature for two days in a sealed container, or refrigerated up to a week.