Coconut Swirl Brownies

Oh my! these Coconut Swirl Brownies are absolutely amazing! Chocolatey and fudgey with coconut flavoured marbleizing. They are "A party in my mouth delicious"!


Brownies
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1/3 to 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa depending on how rich you like it

Coconut topping
1/2 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
1 egg-white
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Grease an 8-by-8-inch (20cm) baking dish.

Add flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and softened butter to a bowl and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg and pour into the flour mixture and beat until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Pour mixture into the baking dish.

Combine all ingredients for the coconut swirl. Drop dollops of coconut mixture (about 1 tablespoon each) on top of batter, spacing about 1 inch apart. Gently swirl coconut mixture into batter with a butter knife, running the knife lengthwise and crosswise through layers.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares. Brownies can be stored between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

ENJOY!

My Sweet Party - Top Three Favourites

Are you ready to see my Top Three favourites from My Sweet Party - August where the theme was Childhood favourites? You certainly know how to make me drool:-)

First out is these colourful Pinkalicious Meets Confetti Cookies from Hugs & Cookies XOXO.  Aren't they adorable?!

Or, what about these soft and chewy Snicker Cookies from In Her Chucks? Pure heaven if you ask me. Cookies, chocolate, caramel, peanuts, what's not to like?

And finally, these delicious babies from That Skinny Chick can Bake, Mounds Bars . Oh My Goooood, they look amazing!

I hope you are inspired and like my picks!

Coconut Cake with Lemon Frosting

Coconut and lemon is a summery combination! It is a lovely cake, not too sweet and the lemon frosting adds a nice freshness. Next time though, I will add more coconut and use less flour as I would prefer it to be more coconut flavoured. This cake has no WOW factor to it, but it’s very enjoyable, and subtle in it’s flavours and great for your afternoon tea or coffee. You don’t always want an explosion of flavours, sometimes you like it simple and plain.

Coconut Cake with Lemon Frosting

150 grams melted butter

2 eggs

3 dl sugar (300ml)

½ dl desiccated coconut (50ml)

4 ½ dl flour (450ml)

2 tsp baking powder

1 ½ dl milk (150ml)

1 lemon, zest and juice

Icing sugar until frosting has the desired texture

Desiccated coconut to sprinkle on top of the cake

Preheat oven at 175 degrees C.

Melt the butter. Mix egg and sugar until fluffy. Combine coconut, flour, baking powder in a separate bowl and add along with melted butter and milk to egg mixture. Pour into a greased and floured (I used desiccated coconut) baking tin, about 20 cm. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, until a stick comes out clean. Let the cake cool and meanwhile prepare the frosting.

Combine zest and juice from 1 lemon with icing sugar until your have the desired texture.  I used juice from one large lemon and therefore needed about 5 dl (500ml) of icing sugar. I ended up with a lot of frosting! But I poured it all over the cake once it had cooled down. I thought it would be nice with a lot of frosting.


Don't forget to link up your contribution to My Sweet Party . The theme this month is Summer Fruits.

This is contributed to Foodie Friday and Sweets for Saturday.

ENJOY!

Raspberry Squares with Coconut-Caramel Topping

HAPPY MIDSUMMER'S EVE!!!! Today we celebrate Midsummer's Eve in Sweden, it's a solstice celebration where we celebrate the longest day of the year. It's one of our greatest celebrations of the year, almost as big as Christmas. So, yes, today we have holiday in Sweden and we eat a lot of food like; soused herring, the year's first potatoes, chives, sour cream, snaps, beer and the first strawberries of the season is a vital ingredient on the menu. If you're interested to know more about Midsummer's Eve, check it out here.

We usually eat a Victoria sponge cake, first layer filled with mashed bananas or thick vanilla custard and second layer with strawberry jam. Spread the cake with whipped cream and top with lots of fresh strawberries. That's a traditional Swedish Strawberry Cake. It's also very common to eat this kind of cake on birthday's.

But I wont bake a traditional Midsummer's Cake this year because we're having a picnic and the cake would most likely be ruined. But I will definitely eat a lot of strawberries today!:-) But plain fresh ones instead, not too bad:-).

I've baked Raspberry Squares with Coconut-Caramel Topping and I think it will be a great substitute:-) However for me it wont be squares because I couldn't find a disposable squared baking tin at the supermarket, only round ones. But hey, the taste will be the same:-) And I assure you, this is amazing! Sweet, summery, a little bit sticky and the coconut-caramel topping tastes like a sunny afternoon. I bet these squares are delicious too, without the topping and instead eat it with a creamy vanilla ice-cream:-)

Raspberry Squares with Coconut-Caramel Topping
150 gram raspberries, fresh
125 gram butter, room-temperature
1 1/2 dl sugar (150ml)
2 eggs
1/2 dl milk (50ml)
3 1/2 dl flour (350ml)
2 tsp vanilla sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt

Coconut-Caramel Topping:
3/4 dl cane sugar (75ml)
1/2 dl golden syrup (50ml)
3/4 dl double cream (75ml)
100 gram dessicated coconut
40 gram butter


Preheat oven at 175 degrees C.

Mix butter and sugar until soft. Add one egg at a time while mixing and thereafter milk.

Combine flour, vanilla sugar, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and then add to the butter mixture along with raspberries. Combine carefully and try not to crush the raspberries. The mixture will be rather thick.

Grease and flour a squared baking tin or cover with oven paper, and spread the mixture evenly. Bake just below the middle of the oven for about 40 minutes, or until a stick comes out clean.

Meanwhile, prepare the coconut-caramel topping. Place all ingredients in a saucepan, let simmer on low heat for a couple of minutes, while stirring.

Take out the cake from the oven and spread coconut-caramel mixture evenly onto the cake. Adjust temperature at 200 degrees C. Place the cake just below the middle of the oven and bake for another 15 minutes, or until coconut-caramel topping is golden. Let the cake cool and cut into squares.

Don't forget to link up your contribution to My Sweet Party . The theme this month is Summer Fruits.

ENJOY and HAPPY MIDSUMMER'S EVE!

This was my contribution for Sweets for Saturday and Foodie Friday.

Strawberry Flap Jack

I've never really understood what a Flap Jack is when I've seen them in stores around London. Is it a sweet bar or is it a health bar?! I did my research and found out that it's a sweet bar made of a mixture of golden syrup, porridge oats and butter. If you serve them with vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream I would definitely say that a Strawberry Flap Jack is a dessert. But if you on the other hand eat it it like it is, I would say it's a sweet bar. So you pick! :-)

I really liked these Strawberry Flap Jacks! They are super simple and quick to bake and I love the crunchiness from the muesli. My muesli had a lot of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, walnuts, rolled oats and wheat bran, which made my Flap Jacks quite healthy:-) But then, I served it with a creamy vanilla ice-cream and that ruined the healthy aspect, but on the other hand it tasted delicious:-)





Strawberry Flap Jack, 12 squares
1 1/3 cup porridge oats
1 3/4 cup granola or muesli (I used muesli)
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
140 ml golden syrup
130 grams unsalted butter
300 grams finely chopped strawberries

Pre heat the oven at 190 degrees C. Prepare an 9 inch square tin by lining the base and sides with parchment paper.

On gentle heat, melt butter and golden syrup. Remove from heat and stir in oats, granola/muesli and coconut.

Transfer half the mixture into the tin and press evenly and level the surface. Add the chopped strawberries and spread evenly. Add the rest of the mixture and press evenly levelling the surface.

Bake until edges start turning brown and the top is golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and cut into squares. carefully remove the squares from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.

Serve with vanilla ice-cream, whipped cream or eat it like it is, just nice plain and simple.

ENJOY!


Have you submitted a contribution to my first My Sweet Party ? The theme of my first party is chocolate and I would love you to join!


This is my contribution to the Sweet of the Month party at the Swedish blog  Söta Saker.

And also to Foodie Friday's weekly party.

 

My Sweet Party - Chocolate Cake - LOVE YUMMIES

I'm super excited today, as I decided to host my own link up party! This will be my first ever "My Sweet Party" and I hope you'd like to join! I will host a party every month with a different theme. The theme can be anything from a flavour, colour, feeling, country, movie, basically anything that can inspire you baking or cooking something sweet and delicious. It doesn't have to be something sweet, it can be savoury too, as long as it is made within the theme. This is a great way of finding new inspiring blogs and recipes from all around the world.

The theme for the first "My Sweet Party" is: CHOCOLATE. Who doesn't love chocolate?! It can be bold and rich in flavour as well as very subtle. It goes well with fruits and berries and can be used in all kinds of sweets; candy, pie, cakes, muffins, cupcakes, cookies....the sky is the limit of your imagination:-) Be creative and have fun!

When "My Sweet Party" is closed I'll go through all your sweet contributions and choose my Top Three Favourite recipes, and feature those three recipes and blogs.


My Sweet Party Rules
1. Become a follower of "Me And My Sweets".
2. Add "My Sweet Party" logo to your post with a link back to your host blog "Me And My Sweets". Add the "My Sweet Party" link for that particular month so other bloggers can find recipes, receive more visits/comments and discover new inspiring blogs.
3.Place "My Sweet Party" button on the sidebar of your blog.
4. Post a link of your months contribution to "My Sweet Party" - the link is at the end of this post.
5. Visit other participants for delicious inspiration - make sure you have some treats while browsing as I'm sure you'll be craving sweets after a short while:-)

Here's "My Sweet Party" button for you to grab. And the link to your host http://www.meandmysweets.blogspot.co.uk/

My contribution for "My Sweet Party" is LOVE YUMMIES. It's a chocolate cake with a chocolate coffee and buttercream topping sprinkled with desiccated coconut. It's my family's favourite and the topping in absolutely fabulous. Usually I make a double batch of the topping to make the cake extra luscious:-) Honestly, I could eat only the topping itself... :-)

Love Yummies
150 grams butter
1 1/2 dl milk (150ml)
2 eggs
3 dl sugar (300ml)
5 tbsp un-sweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla sugar
4 1/2 dl flour (450ml)
2 tsp baking powder

Topping:
3 dl icing sugar (300ml)
2 tbsp un-sweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp vanilla sugar
3 tbsp cold coffee
6 tbsp butter
desiccated coconut to sprinkle


Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Melt the butter, add milk.In another bowl, mix eggs and sugar until white and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, combine cocoa, vanilla sugar, flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the egg and sugar mix along with the melted butter and milk. Combine carefully. If there are some lumps, they will disappear while baking.

Pour the mixture into a flour and greased baking tin, 25 x 25 cm.

Bake in he middle of the oven for about 30-40 minutes, until a stick comes out clean from the cake.

Set aside to cool completely. Once the cake has cooled down, you can make the amazing topping:-)

Place all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to boil and make sure the sugar melts completely.

Pour it over the cake. Sprinkle desiccated coconut on top.

Have fun and enjoy the party!

Easter Inspiration; Chocolate, Cupcakes, Cakes, Brioche and Macaroons

Easter is just around the corner and it's time to prepare some delicious food and sweets for the holiday. I've found some really cute Easter inspiration for you guys!! And when I say cute, I mean super duper, irresistible cuties. I've got a hard time deciding myself what to make, there's just so much to choose from....!

How about these super cute Cheesecake Filled Chocolate Easter Eggs from Sydney blog "Raspberri Cupcakes"? They are easy to pull together at last minute and looks more advanced than it is. No baking required:-) The yolk is a passion fruit sauce...yum yum. Aren't they irresistible?!

She also made these Easter Bunny Macaroons and I'm almost melting looking at them. How's it even possible to make macaroons this adorable?! I'm literally blown away:-)

Cupcakes is a must for Easter Holiday inspiration and these Bird's Nest Cupcakes from blog "Cooking Classy" doesn't only look amazing, I bet they taste equally amazing too:-). The combination of a moist vanilla cupcake, a light chocolate frosting, toasted coconut flakes and on top of that, mini Cadbury eggs decorated as tiny little baby blue birds. What's not to like!?

Or how about baking a Brioche Easter Bunnies? Blogger Sweet Sensation made these adorable Easter Bunnies and what a great start of the day having these cuties for breakfast:-). It's almost a shame to eat them.....

If you are more into cakes for Easter why not try to pull off something like this, from blogger "Thyme" who inspires with a Whimsical Chocolate Easter Cake? It must be one of the most beautiful cakes I've ever seen and totally chocolaty:-) 

HAPPY EASTER!

Coconut Peaks

If you love the flavour of coconut, then this cookie is designed especially for you:-) No flour, just coconut. It's a delightful cookie that is easy and quick to make. If you dip them in dark chocolate you ad a little bit of WOW factor to this simple recipe. 

Coconut Peaks, 20 pcs

75 grams butter

1 dl sugar

1 egg

200 grams flaked coconut, un-sweetened

2 tbsp lemon juice

Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees C.

Melt the butter. In a bowl, mix sugar and egg, add the remaining ingredients and combine. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Place small dollops of the batter onto a cookie sheet and shape to peaks using one spoon and your fingers.

Bake for about 15 minutes until golden.

Enjoy!

Chocolate and Coconut Cookies

Chocolate and coconut is the flavour of these mouth watering cookies. Brittle, soft cookies best served with a glass of cold milk. Be careful though, once you start indulging it's difficult to stop...and suddenly the cookie-tin is empty:-)


Chocolate and Coconut Cookies, 60pcs
300 grams butter, room temperature
2,5 dl sugar
1 egg
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tsp baking powder
5 dl desiccated coconut
5 dl flour

Decoration:
pearl sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees C.

Mix sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the egg.

Combine cocoa powder, baking powder and desiccated coconut. Add to the mixture and combine. Add the flour and combine.

Shape the dough to 4 cm rolls and wrap in foil. Leave to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Cut the dough with a sharp knife into 5 mm thick slices. Pour pearl sugar into a small bowl and press the cookies in the pearl sugar.

Place the cookies onto an oven papered covered baking plate and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.


Enjoy!

Swedish Brownie - Sticky Cake

This cake is gooey, muddy and sticky and super delicious for you chocolate lovers! When baked to perfection the cake should have a thin crust and a gooey inside. In Sweden we call it Sticky Cake and it reminds of the American Brownie. There are two big differences; the amount of sugar and baking powder. The Sticky Cake has more sugar and much less baking powder, which results in a more dense and sticky cake.

Swedish Brownie - Sticky Cake

1 dl melted butter
2 eggs
2 1/2 dl sugar
1 1/2 dl flour
4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp vanilla powder
1 pinch of baking powder

1 pinch of salt

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C.

Do not use a mixer for this cake, as it will make the cake fluffy and for this cake we want it to stay dense.

Stir the melted butter, sugar and egg. Add flour, cocoa, vanilla powder, baking powder and salt and stir together.

Butter and bread a spring form. I used desiccated coconut, as I like the coconut flavour.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cake is well baked around the edges and still gooey in the inside. The surface should be crisp. However, if you prefer it a bit more solid, you can just leave it in the oven for an extra few minutes.

Cool down and serve as it is with sprinkled powdered sugar, or like I did with whipped cream and your favourite fruit and berries.

Coconut Dreams

I must apologise for not posting any new sweets for a couple of days, but as you can see I've been working on my blog design. I hope you like it? It took me many, many hours....I'm a newbie blogger...so everything takes such a long time. I think I spent two hours or more just to figure out how to add a post divider...but hey, it's cute, so it was worth it:-)

Ok, lets bake cookies! These are brittle and airy cookies with coconut flavours that will make you dream away......and suddenly you've eaten them all! That's how tasty they are! :-)




Coconut Dreams, 25pcs

200 g butter
1 1/2 dl sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar
2 1/2 dl desiccated coconut
4 tsp baking powder
about 5 dl flour

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C.

Melt the butter and let it cool a little bit, add sugar and vanilla powder and mix well.

Add coconut flakes, baking powder and flour and combine.

Roll to round balls and bake for about 20 minutes.


I hope you like them!