Moist Carrot Cake

I am picky about carrot cake.  Raisins are not acceptable in carrot cake.* Pineapple is SO not acceptable in carrot cake!  Pecans however, are necessary.  (This is where me and my husband disagree.)

Not too many pecans, just enough to add a little bit of texture, you know?

I like to go a little heavy on the spices and to slather the whole thing in cream cheese frosting.  This cake is totally worth the 20 minutes it takes to finely grate the carrots!  (Anybody else have an aversion to grating things?  Seriously, I would rather swallow staples.)

What's your favorite way to enjoy carrot cake?

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Chocolate-dipped Strawberry "Carrots"

Let this day be known in history, as the day I got my 3 year old to eat a vegetable.

It was actually like a month ago, but we can still celebrate right?

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Coconut Cream Cake

Ok.  See?  Freaky pictures.

Pretend to ignore and we can be friends.   It gets better, I promise.


I'm feeling a little bit lost with no holidays to prepare for.  Halloween through Easter has been a whirlwind of baking and trying to cram in everything I want to make and now my baking schedule is completely free until the 4th of July comes around.  It's a nice feeling actually.  I get to wrack my brain for delicious treats to invent instead of plowing through the 3 pages of bookmarked recipes on my computer.

This baby is a cake I make every year around Easter and it is the moistest cake everr.  It is a poke cake, drizzled with cream of coconut and has a fantastic coconut flavor.  It needs to be eaten within 2 days because it is so moist, but you shouldn't have problems getting rid of it.

Just to be clear, Cream of Coconut is that sweet syrupy stuff, often found in a can, over on the mixers aisle  (by the soda).  Look for Margarita mix and it's probably sitting on the shelf next to that.  I have yet to find a store that doesn't carry it, sometimes you just have to poke around a little bit.  Coconut milk, or Coconut Cream (non-sweetened) are NOT the same and will not yield the same results.  The brand I buy is Coco Lopez.  Check the back.   If there are a bazillion-ty calories in 2 Tbsp, and sugar is one of the first ingredients, you've got the right stuff.  Cream of Coconut is a great way to add a strong coconut flavor without adding gritty chunks of coconut to whatever you are baking!

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Coconut Cream Cupcakes

I feel like I might be running out of ways to tell you how good things are.  Let me just say, these are beyond fantastic.  I could NOT stop eating these.  The cream filling isn't very sweet and pairs perfectly with the sweet sweet frosting and the crunch of the coconut on top.  I screwed up and made the frosting with salted butter which made them a little strangely salty and they were STILL fantastic.  That, my friends, is the sign of a great recipe.

This is one of those weird cupcakes where the pieces all by themselves are just ok, but when you combine them all together, something magical happens. So wait until they are all assembled to judge.  (I actually think they get better as they age so you may want to make these 24 hrs before serving.)

Don't be intimidated by the long recipe.  Yes, there are a lot of steps, but they are all easy (the coconut cream filling doesn't even require any cooking!)

When I do cupcakes I usually bake them the night before and do fillings/frosting the next day to break things up a little bit. Plus then you'll have naked cupcakes to munch on the night before.


For an Easter version you can throw a few jellybeans on top of the coconut or stick a peep on top.

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Chocolate-Dipped Peeps

Yes, I know everyone and their mom posted chocolate-dipped peeps about 2 months ago but with this blog's namesake,  I really have no choice but to put up my version sometime.  

Whenever someone refers to their friends as "peeps" I picture these in my head and wonder if they like to take bites out of their friends.

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Jelly Bean Spoons

For Easter this year the kids and I made jelly bean spoons and wrapped them up in little cello bags with ribbon tied around them.  They are super cute favor and a huge hit with kids although personally I can't stomach the chocolate/fruit combination.  I think a Sixlet version is much more suited for adults although you can really put anything on them you want.  

 

The key is to use a really nice chocolate, especially if you are giving them to adults.  

It's sooo adult-like to eat candy off of spoons.

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Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies (with a Double Chocolate Sprinkle Birthday variation)

I've been making Cadbury mini egg cookies for a few years now, but have never found the "right" chocolate cookie recipe to pair them with.

This is it!

I used a Wilton whoopie pan to bake these in thick uniform circles (this method is an OCD person's dream) and just pressed Cadbury eggs on top of the dough before baking.

I also made a sprinkle version that uses chocolate chips in the dough and is super cute for a birthday or any time you can't find Cadbury eggs at the store.  

*Cough* Dumbest idea ever, corporate America. *Cough*

Yes, apparently I am a seventh grade boy and like to send bullying passive-aggressive messages via coughing.

Anyway, this is a super double chocolate cookie any time of year and with any topping.  Mix and match with M&Ms, sprinkles, anything you like.

Because I wanted the Cadbury eggs to really shine, I omitted the chocolate chips for my Cadbury cookies.  If you want a super chocolatey cookie, and don't care about being a purist, you can add about a cup of the chocolate chips into the dough before pressing into the pans and before adding Cadbury eggs.

These are best within the first few hours after baking, but are fine a few days later.  They tend to dry out a bit, and the chocolate is best melted, so feel free to pop one in the microwave for a few seconds before eating.

Or, of course, I will not judge you if you try to eat them all right out of the oven.

Happy first day of Spring!!

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Carrot Patch Dirt Cups

I've been having issues lately. First was the death of my memory stick adapter which I use to move pictures from my camera to my computer.  Then we went on vacation (that's not so much an issue as just a super fun time). Next came the death of my laptop charger resulting in a looong "5-10 days delivery" without a computer.

By the way, I kid you not, that charger went out with a bang.  I woke up in the middle of the night to this weird crackling buzzing sound (which turned out to be my possessed charger).  I thought it would probably be a good idea to unplug it and throw it out immediately since a) it hadn't really been working for several days and b) it was smoking.  The good news is I didn't start a fire.  The bad news is, I no longer had a charger for my computer.  Even my husband, who is the "this can be salvaged" KING, agreed it needed to be thrown away.  (This is the man who packed flip flops for California that had (literally here guys) quarter sized HOLES in the heels. And refused to let me buy him new ones!  Because a dollar is DEFINITELY too much to pay Old Navy for a crappy pair of flip flops you might wear to the pool three times.)

Anyyyways, the point I am trying to make is that I have been absent for far too long for lots of bizarr-o reasons and I have lots of yummy treats backed up and begging to be posted, so check back often.


Dirt cups and I go way back to the first grade.  Or maybe even the kindergarten (you know- the garden where they keep children).  I brought dirt cups with gummy worms for my whole class on my birthday, knowing I was pretty much the coolest EVER. (My rolled socks, and scrunchie-tied XL shirt over leggings only added to that illusion, I assure you).

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