Monthly Archives: March 2011

Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

March 28, 2011

Another recipe that I grew up on. Addictive oatmeal cookies stuffed with raisins and coconut. Little clusters of happiness. The key to the perfect cookies is slightly under-baking them. Take them out just before you think they’re done. This way once they set they’ll stay irresistibly moist and chewy. Even the raisin and coconut-hater around here appreciated these.

Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups raisins
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease or line a large baking sheet.

2. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until well incorporated. Stir in the oatmeal, raisins, and coconut. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges. Remove from the pan to cool on a wire rack.

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

Banana Bars

March 20, 2011

My mom must have made these banana bars more than any other dessert (besides chocolate chip cookies) when I was growing up. And now after years of baking experience, they’re still one of my favorite treats. I think the secret is the sour cream. It adds a unique tang that cuts the sweet. A single recipe fills an entire cookie sheet, so make sure to have someone special to share them with.

1/15/09: Sunday dinner was a throwback to my Mom’s home cooking. So of course I finished it off with one of her classic desserts. These bars are reminiscent of banana bread, but sweeter, moister, and frosted!  It’s the perfect way to use up over-ripe bananas. (I usually freeze them when they are turning brown and then have them on hand anytime I want to bake with bananas.) They’re light but devilishly decadent.

Banana Bars

INGREDIENTS

1/2 (1 stick) cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
4 ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.

2. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Continue to add the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Spread batter into the prepared cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the top begins to brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting.

3. To prepare the frosting, mix the ingredients until creamy. Spread over cooled bars, cut, and serve.

Makes 1 sheet pan.

My mom’s recipe.

Spiced Apple-Raisin Coleslaw

March 2, 2011

We’re usually not big on coleslaw around here. But two recents events persuaded me to give it another try. When we were vacationing in Orlando just before Christmas we dined twice at Yellow Dog Eats, an funky eclectic cafe with an incredible menu. And I fell in love with their coleslaw. And then recently I tried my friend Chelsey’s southwest slaw, which also surprised me. Eventually I’ll get my hands on Chelsey’s recipe, but for now I set about to create my own tangy-sweet slaw inspired by what I ate at Yellow Dog.

Their coleslaw was unique in that it contained raisins and a mystery spice. Nutmeg, cinnamon? I wasn’t quite sure. So I went with allspice and thought it was perfect. The addition of apple was my own invention- a natural way to add sweetness and crunch. And the mayonnaise-based dressing has been lightened by using half yogurt (nonfat plain). Dustin who typically doesn’t like coleslaw, or raisins, thought this was delicious. Although he did suggest that I could use dried cranberries instead. He’s right- that would work too. But the fact that the boy ate a raisin (actually quite a few) and didn’t gag is a little victory for me!

Spiced Apple-Raisin Coleslaw

INGREDIENTS

3 cups green cabbage, shredded
1 cup red cabbage, shredded
1 large Fuji apple, cored and grated
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. organic cane sugar
generous 1/2 tsp. allspice
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, toss to combine red and green cabbage, apple, carrot, and raisins. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, sugar, and allspice. Pour over the cabbage mixture and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 4-6.