Coconut-Cherry Ornaments

» This is a recipe I got last year from the fabulous Tesa. I altered it slightly, and now enjoy it as a permanent fixture at my family's annual Bake Day. My aunt insists they should be called Cherry Bombs, but I believe Ornaments sounds more festive :) They are a little bit time-consuming, but it is totally worth it in the end. Make sure you have enough cherries, because if you try to use the dough up on not enough cherries they become too large and difficult to eat.


Coconut-Cherry Ornaments
Preheat oven to 350° - Makes 3 dozen


Ingredients:
» 1 c. butter, softened
» 1/2 c. powdered sugar
» 1 T. water
» 1 t.vanilla
» 2 c. quick-cooking oats
» 1/2 t. salt
» 36 stemmed maraschino cherries


Coating:
» 2 c. powdered sugar
» 1/4-1/3 c. milk
» 2 c. flaked coconut
» Red decorating sugar


Preparation:
» Cream together butter, sugar, water and vanilla using an electric mixer.
» In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture.
» Shape a tablespoonful of dough around each cherry, forming a ball. Make sure the stems poke out the top for the "hook" of the ornament.
» Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until bottoms are browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
» Combine sugar and enough milk to achieve smooth dipping consistency. In a separate bowl, combine coconut and enough red sugar to give it color. Dip cookies in the milk mixture, then roll in the coconut. Let dry.


Enjoy!




» Original recipe from Tesa

Bake Day!

» The annual Krom Gals Bake Day went off with a bang this year. 8 cooks, 4 generations, 9 hours and 27 recipes later, we were up to our ears in cookies and goodies. We were sad to be missing my sister Kalyna this year, who is spending some time overseas. Though we were able to Skype her in for a bit :) It's so fun to be able to have these bonding times with my relatives. I'm so blessed to have such a fun family.

Grandma got off to a good start making her Pecan candy

What a mess!

Me slaving away at the Chocolate Peanut-butter Balls that NEVER END!

I convinced Jenna to bring back the Wreaths... a favorite from my childhood that no one enjoys undertaking.Yes, they do turn into a goopy mess, but they're delicious!

» I will be posting some of my recipes shortly... check back soon!

Aebleskivers

» Where do I even begin... Well, I would like to introduce you to the most amazing breakfast food ever introduced to a kitchen near you. All you have to do is procure yourself a fabulous, cast-iron Aebleskiver Pan. I first experienced the wonderment that is Aebleskivers when I was visiting my friend Irina a couple of years ago. Her father made these for us for breakfast, and it was instant bliss. Since then I got a pan for myself and make these for special occasions. The recipe came straight from her family, and is the best one I've found. Before I asked her for it, I tried searching online for something comparable, but nothing seemed quite as good or as authentic. These take a little knack to get them just right, and the first few usually turn out as flops, like the first pancake problem. But it's worth a little trial and error to taste these little round bits of heaven. By the way, it's pronounced 'Ay-bull-skee-ver.

Aebleskivers

Makes enough for about 4 people

Ingredients:

» 4 eggs

» 2 c. butermilk

» 2 c. flour

» 1 t. salt

» 1 t. baking soda

» 1 t. baking powder

» 1 apple, skinned and diced

» cinnamon sugar

» melted butter

Preparation:

» Separate the egg yolks from the whites and place in separate bowls. Add the buttermilk, flour, salt, baking soda & powder to the bowl with the egg yolk, and beat until fully combined. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy, then fold into the rest of the batter. 

» Warm the pan over medium heat and brush butter into each divet. Fill each 3/4 full with the batter. I usually start with just one or two until I make sure I have the pan at the right temp. 

» Once small bubbles start forming, add some chopped apple to each, and flip over. I usually use a fork to grab them from the inside, but do whatever works best for you, it takes a little finesse. Once they're nicely browned on both sides, remove to a plate.

» Place the cinnamon sugar and melted butter in little bowls. Dip each aebleskiver into the butter, then the sugar mix before placing in mouth.

Enjoy!

Original recipe from the Borden Family

Banoffee Pie

» My friend Sara said I hadn't posted in a while, so I think I should remedy that. This is a recipe she and I made years ago at college and just recently unearthed and made again (the photo is from 2007, we ate the pie too quickly this time around!). Wow. I forgot what amazing bliss this pie is. Graham-cracker crust, toffee filling, bananas, whipped cream and more bananas. And it's quite easy, too. If you haven't caught on, the name Banoffee is from BANana tOFFEE. :) This recipe has been translated from British for your convenience. If you're able to find digestive biscuits instead of graham crackers, that is what the recipe originally called for.

Banoffee Pie
Makes 1 pie - Chills for 1 hour

Crust Ingredients:
» 7 T. butter
» 10-12 graham crackers, crushed

Toffee Ingredients:
» 12 T. butter
» 6 T. sugar
» 6 T. brown sugar
» 1 can (14 oz) condensed milk

Topping Ingredients:
» 3-4 bananas
» 1/2 pint carton whipped cream, whipped
» cocoa powder for dusting

Preparation:
» In a medium saucepan, melt the 7T butter (or you could microwave it if you're that sort of person), and stir in the crushed grahams. Press into the bottom and sides of a glass pie pan. Place in the fridge to chill while preparing the toffee.
» To make the toffee, place the 12T butter and sugars in a largish nonstick saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Add the condensed milk and, stirring constantly, bring gently to a boil to make a smooth, golden toffee. Spread over the graham cracker crust and chill for about an hour or until firm.
» Slice the bananas thinly and arrange most of them over the toffee, covering it completely. Feel free to overlap to make a wonderful layer of banana-y goodness. Spread with the whipped cream. Decorate with the remaining bananas and dust liberally with cocoa powder.


Enjoy!




» Original recipe