Cowboy Cookies

These are some really good cookies if you like a lot of chips and bits- Personally, I find that they've got just the right amount of stuff going on without going overboard. They're definitely easy to make and homey (ideal with a glass of milk!) but the sheer amount of chocolate, nuts and coconuts accentuated with the hint of spice and oaty backdrop makes them special. 

Surprisingly, despite the relatively large amount of leavener, these turned out thin and chewy, the way I like 'em. I think that using pastry flour, which is lower in gluten, helped me get them this way, though I'd need to try with all purpose and pastry flour for comparison. 

Possible adaptations that I would try include adding instant coffee granules, using chocolate covered peanuts instead of chips, or using milk chocolate chips. While I can't say why they're called "cowboy" cookies, I can say that these are definitely worth making.

Cowboy Cookies

1 C. Flour (I used pastry flour, all purpose is fine too)
1 Tsp. Baking powder
1 Tsp. Baking soda
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Cinnamon (I used mixed cake spice)
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1/2 C. (113 g.) Butter, room temperature
1/2 C. Brown sugar
1/2 C. Sugar
1 Egg
1 C. Rolled oats (not instant)
1 C. Chocolate chips (I used bittersweet)
1 C. Walnut or pecan pieces
1 C. Unsweetened desiccated coconut

Preheat oven to 180℃.

Beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy and homogenous. Add the vanilla and egg and beat until incorporated.

Add the baking powder and soda and beat in, then add the flour and beat until just combined. Using a big spoon, spatula, or you hands, mix in the oats, chocolate, nuts and coconut.

Divide into 12-18 balls and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are just slightly browned. Let cool on the tray.

Vegan Chocolate-Coconut Cake

This cake got astoundingly positive responses considering that it was totally improvised from what I had on hand, just because I really wanted to make a cake. Though it's got layers and frosting and everything, the amount of ingredients you really need is small, as is the amount of equipment: a pan, a bowl, a whisk and a big spoon should suffice. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples... or really cheap. Well, maybe you don't have coconut rum, but in my humble opinion it would be a very wise investment to buy some as it improves just about everything... like I said, my opinion.

The chocolate layers are moist, chocolatey, soft to the point of being crumbly, but that tenderness is not a bad thing provided you're careful when you cut up the cake. I was a bit skeptical, but I'd definitely recommend the cake to be used wherever you want vegan chocolate cake layers.

The icing inside is made with creamed coconut (sold in small 114 g. boxes in the Caribbean sections of many a Loblaws, or nearby the coconut milk. You can also use the coconut cream sold in cans, or the top thick layer that forms on canned coconut milk. Along with coconut rum, it makes a really nice filling that balances out the not-too-sweet cake. Topped with a bit of chocolate and toasted shredded coconut, the cake becomes a bit more attractive and has some more variety in texture.

Vegan Chocolate Coconut Cake

For the Cake:
1 1/2 C. Cake/pastry flour
1 TBSP Ground flaxseed (optional, but helps the cake rise a bit more in my experience)
3/4 C. Light brown sugar (you can also use 1/2 C. white and 1/4 C. dark brown sugar)
1/4 C. Cocoa powder
2 Tsp. Instant coffee granules (Optional, but adds flavour that complements the chocolate- you can also use weak coffee instead of the water)
1 1/4 C. Water (I used only 1 cup by accident- turned out fine)
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking soda
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/3 C. + 1 TBSP Oil
1 TBSP Vinegar, white 
2 Tsp. Vanilla extract

Margarine or oil, to grease the pan

Preheat the oven to 180℃. Line a 8''x8''/9''x9'' square baking pan, or a 9''/10'' circular pan, with baking parchment, and grease with margarine or oil.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Separately, beat together the oil, flaxseed and sugar, adding the vanilla, vinegar and milk once the mixture is homogeneous and mix together until just combined.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick poked in comes out clean. Leave the oven on for the moment- you will use it to toast the coconut garnish.

Remove from the pan once cool- let it cool completely, as the cake is very crumbly and fragile to begin with and is even more so when still warm. Chill in the refrigerator for about half an hour, then use a sharp serrated knife to cut through the centre to form 2 layers.

For the Coconut Filling:
1/4 C. Creamed coconut (the solid sort sold in boxes)- you can also use canned coconut cream or the thick top portion of a can of coconut milk, plus a little bit of coconut oil or margarine to adjust the smoothness of the icing as you see fit
1 C. Powder sugar
2-3 TBSP Coconut rum, or nondairy milk plus a little coconut flavouring

Beat together the coconut cream and sugar using an electric beater or a large wooden spoon, adding a bit of sugar at a time so it doesn't blow about everywhere. Add the coconut rum until a smooth, spreadable paste forms.

Spread the icing onto the bottom half of the cake and add the other half on top.

For the Glaze and Topping:
2 Oz. Semisweet or dark vegan chocolate
2 TBSP Creamed coconut, or coconut milk/cream
1/2 C. Unsweetened desiccated coconut

Spread the desiccated coconut on a pan and put into the oven- watch it carefully, as it burns easily! Have a cool plate or tray ready, and once the coconut turns golden brown (this can take anywhere from 1-5 minutes, so pay attention!) remove it and pour immediately onto the cool surface to stop the toasting.

In a microwaveable bowl, or another heatproof bowl set over a pot of boiling water, heat the coconut cream and chocolate until melted and mix well. Pour onto the cake and spread evenly. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut to finish. Refrigerate for at least half an hour before cutting.

Peanut Butter Coconut Honey Cookies

Not very good-looking, but very delicious- especially with a glass of milk. The flavour of coconut and peanut go extremely well together, plus the classic pairing of peanut butter and honey, makes for a soft, chewy, moist, very sweet cookie. The generous amount of peanut butter ensures that they really do taste mostly like peanut, and if you fear that using shortening instead of butter will make them less tasty, keep in mind that the shortening is what allows them to be so soft and tender. With all the other stuff going on, you won't miss the butter.

If you use extra-fine shredded coconut and smooth peanut butter, you can make your cookies prettier, as they'll better hold the criss-cross pattern on after baking. Nonetheless, they'll taste good even if you don't bother. The dough is really easy to work with and freeze for later, as are the finished cookies. 

Peanut Butter Coconut Honey Cookies
Makes 24-30 cookies
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

1/3 C. Vegetable shortening
1/2 C. White sugar
1/4 C. Brown sugar
1/4 C. Honey
1 Egg, lightly beaten with a fork
3/4 C. Peanut butter, American style (made with roasted peanuts, not raw) (I used 'Earth Balance coconut and peanut spread')
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 1/2 C. All purpose flour
1 Tsp. Baking soda
1/2 C. Shredded dessicated coconut

Preheat oven to 180℃. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment.

Beat together the shortening, both sugars and honey with a stand mixer or a wooden spoon. Mix the egg and salt separately, then mix in. Add the peanut butter and mix until smooth and homogeneous. Sift in the flour and baking soda and mix well. Stir in the dessicated coconut at the end.

Refrigerate for around 20 minutes if the dough is too soft. Roll into 24-30 balls by hand and spread evenly on the baking pan. push them down with your palm until they are about 1 cm thick and use a fork to score the tops both vertically and horizontally to create a cross-hatch pattern. Sprinkle with additional sugar if desired.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until just the edges begin to brown. Let cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the trays.

Coconut Cream Cupcakes

These are not fancy, elegantly iced cupcakes, nor are they simple one-step muffins. Rather, they're like stuffed snack cakes, full of coconut pudding cream and topped with toasted grated coconut. They've got the flavour profile of a coconut cream pie in handheld form, albeit with no whipped cream... still, they're very good.

While the coconut cream and desiccated coconut provides lots of flavour, a little coconut batter in the rum would not at all be unwelcome. A chunk of pineapple tucked into the middle and you've got a piña colada variant.

Despite my concerns that these cupcakes (made in the need to use up 3 cups of milk quickly) were too plain, too mishapen and too messy, I got some really good reviews on these from everyone who tried them. Thus, I must post them, last-minute photos and all! Enjoy them in all their ugly glory.

Coconut Cream Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:
From food.com
2 C. Pastry or cake flour
2 Tsp. Baking powder
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/4 C. (57 g.) Butter, softened
3/4-1 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Vegetable oil (or more butter)
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract (I used mixed essence, coconut extract would work very well!)
2 Eggs
1 C. Milk, whole or 2%
1/2 C. Shredded sweetened coconut, to sprinkle on top

For the Pudding Filling:
2 C. Milk, whole or 2%
1/4 C. Cream of coconut, or just coconut cream
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract or mixed essence
1/4 C. Cornstarch
1/3 C. Sugar
2 Egg yolks
1 C. Shredded sweetened coconut

The Best Classic Carrot Cake

The two kinds of cake side-by-side: this recipe is for the one in the foreground.

For my birthday this year I made two kinds of carrot cake- one classic and one with an Indian dessert theme (that I'll post the recipe for later). This one is pretty much what I believe a carrot cake should be- some people are purists who prefer less mix-ins, but I like an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of carrot cake with all the spices, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, and sultanas... of course, you can skip those if you wish, but I believe that they all contribute to the deliciousness of this cake.

I decorated it with marzipan carrots and walnut pieces, but if it isn't a special occasion you can still make this cake with less frills and have it taste just as good. I suspect I'm going to make it again come spring- you don't need a reason for cake this good!

Classic Carrot Cake

Adapted from Moje Wypieki

2/3 C. Flour
1 Tsp. Baking soda
1 Tsp. Baking powder
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp. each nutmeg, allspice and cloves
1/2 C. Sugar
1/3 C. Vegetable or nut oil
1 C. Walnut pieces
1/2 C. Pineapple, finely chopped/shredded
1 C. Carrots, grated and packed
1 C. Sultanas
1/2 C. Shredded unsweetened coconut

Grease a 9" round cake pan with butter and line the bottom with a circle cut out of baking parchment. Grease the parchment and preheat the oven to 180℃.

Sift together flour, baking soda and powder, salt and spices. Separately, beat the oil, eggs and sugar until well-blended and add the dry ingredients until a homogenous mix forms. Mix in the pineapple, coconut and carrots until well-combined.

Stir in the sultanas and walnuts last. Pour into the pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

300 g. Cream cheese (not low-fat!)
90 g. Butter, softened
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 C. Powder sugar

Beat the butter, vanilla and cream cheese until well-combined. Add the powder sugar spoonwise until the consistency and sweetness is to taste.

Che Chuoi Chung- Tapioca, Banana and Cassava Pudding

Mmm, che. I always feel very lucky to have grown up in Mississauga for being exposed to cultures that I never would have living elsewhere- amongst the many benefits of the mosaic-like society is the fact that I can try foods I'd never heard of before quite regularly. I was in a Vietnamese eatery (that same one where I discovered xoi gac) when I saw large tubs of what looked like puddings behind the counter. I asked about it and all of the ingredients sounded delicious, so I tried a couple. Along with che dau trang (my other favourite, recipe coming soon) I was fixated on how to make the delicious che chuoi chung. After all, there were no Western dishes like this that I'd ever tried, and I had no idea where to start but good ol' Google.

 I soon found that what I needed was simple- tapioca pearls, sugar, coconut milk, and some cassava and bananas. The last two were the only tricky part- but cassava is widely available in the freezer sections of Asian groceries, and the correct type of banana (firm, fleshy burro/sugar bananas tht hold up to extended cooking) are there as well, even available presliced. The garnishes of coconut topping and peanuts really do make the result perfect. I have found through the magic of the internet that in Vietnam, various types of che can be eaten at just about any time of day, for breakfast or a snack. I certainly wouldn't mind a greater availability of these!

There's nothing really tricky about making it yourself- just make sure that no component is over or undercooked. My cassava was precooked before freezing, so I didn't need to boil it for very long, but it's important that the cassava is tender, the tapioca pearls cooked through, and the bananas not overcooked. I added pandan leaf for a bit more aroma, which I find works very well. I have made the dish with both coconut milk and coconut cream, and while coconut milk is more readily available (and tends to be better quality, for some reason), both options work.

It's also nice to make this yourself so that you can adjust the sweetness, thickness, and amount of water compared to coconut milk/cream- I make mine on the richer side, and add sugar in differing amounts depending on whether I want it as breakfast or a pudding. While particularly welcome served warm on a winter's day, I'd have it at any temperature, any time. The mixture of textures and flavours is unparalleled, showing that even a very simple and humble food can be something special.

Che Chuoi Chung
Adapted from SBS

600 ml. Water
about 250 ml. Coconut cream (or, instead of 600 ml. water, use 350 ml. with 500 ml. coconut milk)
3-4 Burro/Sugar Bananas, sliced lengthwise into thin slices
100 g. Cassava, cut into 2 cm. pieces
140 g. Sugar
2-3 Pandan leaves, optional
40 g. Small tapioca/sago pearls
Pinch of salt

Cook the tapioca/sago in a saucepan of boiling water until translucent and soft, about 5-10 minutes. Strain and set aside.

Boil the 600 ml. water, half of the coconut cream, pandan leaves, salt, and sugar. Add the cassava and cook until tender. Add the banana slices and let simmer uncovered until thickened, about 10 more minutes. Add the remaining coconut cream and tapioca. Serve in small bowls or glasses.

For the Topping:
250 ml. Coconut milk
1 TBSP Sugar
1 Tsp. Tapioca or potato starch
Pinch of salt
35 g. Roasted unsalted peanuts

Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, salt and starch. Bring to a simmer in a small saucepan and let cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Spoon onto the che just before serving.

Crush the peanuts with a pestle and mortar or pulse in a food processor. Sprinkle onto the che before serving.

Seven Layer Magic Cookie Bars

I made these over-the-top dessert bars with a bit of everything that I had left over in the pantry that was at risk of going stale- some graham crackers, nuts, coconut and chocolate chips. In fact, I think I might have gone overboard... the nuts had a hard time sticking to the bars because of how many toppings there were! I would definitely recommend sticking to the amounts in the recipe and not going nuts (literally and figuratively) like I did- chopping the nuts would have probably made them stick better, but I liked how the whole pecans looked.

They're loaded and tricky to cut, unless frozen for a bit, but definitely delicious. How can you go wrong with graham crackers, coconut, and loads of chocolate and nuts? You can add any kind of toppings you want, as long as you've got the seven that the name entitles. Graham crackers, coconut, sweetened condensed milk... the other four are up to you. I used white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, pecans, and walnuts (and a bit of flaked coconut as a garnish...). So, they're kind of eight layer bars in my case. Why not?

These bars keep well in the freezer, and don't need to be all thawed out for consumption- I like 'em chilled. These are best eaten with tea or coffee while catching up on old TV shows that everyone else has already seen, while complaining about shoddily introduced plot points. 

Just give them about half an hour at room temperature if you aren't so inclined to them cold. Whatever temperature they are, you'll be glad to have a few in the freezer for a quick bit of something sweet and rich.

Magic Seven Layer Cookie Bars
Adapted from Viet World Kitchen

120 g. (1 1/3 C.) Desiccated unsweetened coconut
180 g.  (8-10 sheets) Graham crackers
113 g. (1/2 C.) Butter, melted
1/2 Tsp. Salt
2 TBSP Sugar
1 C. Mixed chocolate chunks (dark, milk, white- should be at least half dark so it isn't too sweet)
1 C. Chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, roasted almonds)
1/2 C. Flaked unsweetened coconut, optional
14-15 Oz. Sweetened condensed milk (One large can)

Preheat the oven to 180℃. Grease a 9"x13" pan and line with baking parchment.

Soak the coconut in boiling-hot water for 2 minutes and strain well in a sieve, squeezing out excess water. Mix with half of the salt and the sugar. Set aside.

Grind the graham crackers into crumbs with the remaining salt. Add the melted butter and mix well. Press onto the bottom and sides of the pan to form a crust.

Spread the coconut mixture evenly onto the crust. Add the chocolate chunks and nuts. Top with the sweetened condensed milk, and sprinkle on the flaked coconut (if using).

Bake for 30 minutes, covering with aluminium foil if it browns too quickly. Freeze for 15 minutes before cutting (refrigerating won't make it cold enough)

Nanaimo Bars for Canada Day

Happy Canada day!

Even if you aren't Canadian, it's the beginning of July, and thus high summer. That's enough reason to celebrate! Still, these bars are a Canadian classic worthy of making in honour of the land of maple syrup and a Tim Horton's on every corner. I've got plenty of beefs with my nation, but those definitely aren't it. 

I saw some pictures of Fourth-of-July themed Nanaimo bars on social media recently, and the irony wasn't lost on me. It seems a bit like making Independence Day clotted cream scones or something. Nah, for me these will always be iconic to Canada, no matter how far away I live from the West coast and the actual city of Nanaimo in British Columbia thereover. 

I've seen these being called New York Squares, but I guess sharing is caring... it wouldn't be fair to deprive the States of these delicious classics, but just remember that you've got Canada to thank for 'em!

As for the actual recipe writer in question, the city of Nanaimo (yes, these bars warrant mention on the official municipal website) traces them back to the early '50s, though the actual inventor is unknown. The earliest mention by name seems to be a recipe from a Nanaimo church-led compilation of housewives' recipes in 1957, where it is submitted strangely enough by an American... yet even before that, a very similar version under the name of London Fog Bars was published in a Vancouver newspaper in 1953, and appeared in a cookbook soon after. The recipe also popped up in New Brunswick, hence some people calling them New Brunswick bars (hey, as long as they're Canadian...)

I'll leave it to you to decide how much of that Wikipedia-gleaned information can be trusted. But as far as I'm concerned, I'm just glad that these delicious bars made their spread into nearly every corner of the nation. I first met them at Loblaw's as a kid, where I was right away smitten with the fusion of subtle toasty graham crumbs, nutty coconut and almonds, vanillaey custard icing and fudgy chocolate topping. I never would've guessed that something so good could be so easily replicated at home, but then again, this recipe was borne from the new '50s genre of easy, nearly instant recipes assembled from newly available commercial components. You don't even need to bake these bars, and most of the ingredients would likely have already been in a Canadian or American housewife's pantry. 

A somewhat neater-looking batch from a previous year.

For the modern baker, the only things that might be tricky to find are the custard powder and, in some places, graham crumbs. For the custard powder, I'd recommend replacing it with full fat powdered milk and a dash of vanilla extract, with some yellow food colouring or turmeric for the signature colour. You aren't missing out if you can't find graham crumbs- they're one of those things that gets excessively modified to stay unstale and nonrancid for months on shelves despite the whole wheat content. I used homemade graham crackers pulverized in a food processor, which I'd highly recommend- yes, making your own graham crackers is an extra step, but it's highly impressive to be able to tell people you made these completely for scratch. And you can keep the leftover crackers or crumbs for future baking in the freezer for several months. They aren't hard to make- I'll put up the recipe soon. You can also use digestive biscuits that have been processed to crumbs if those are available.

One last note- these bars are always  unrepentantly sweet, but a little less so than the originals since I reduced the sugar in the icing. That makes them a bit softer and more sensitive to warmth, but they still hold together nicely. If you want the real thing, add another half cup of powdered sugar to the icing and reduce the cream by a little less than two tablespoons- you can also skip the cream-beating step in that case. Cut these into small pieces if you like, a little goes a long way. Take a bite of chocolatey-custardey-coconutty goodness and think of the ol' Land of the Maple Leaf.

Nanaimo Bars
Adapted from the original Nanaimo bar recipe on the City of Nanaimo website
Makes about 18 bars, or 24 small ones

For the Base:
1/2 C Butter
1/4 C. Sugar
5 TBSP Cocoa
1 Egg
1 1/4 C. Graham cracker crumbs
1 C. Shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 C. Slivered or flaked almonds
1/2 C. Walnut pieces, optional

Grease and line a 8"x8" or 9"x13" pan with baking parchment. Set aside.

Set a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water as a bain-marie. Melt the butter and mix in the sugar and cocoa, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Quickly mix in the egg. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients.

Press the mixture into the greased and lined pan in a relatively even layer. Refrigerate until cool.

For the Icing:
1/2 C. Butter, softened
1 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
2 TBSP Custard Powder
2 Tsp. Vanilla extract, optional
1/4 C. Whipping cream

Beat all of the ingredients together either on high speed in a mixer or in a food processor. If using the mixer, first use the whisk attachment to beat the cream with 2 TBSP of the sugar, then scrape it out and set it aside. Switch to a paddle attachment and cream everything else together, adding the whipped cream last and mixing it in until smooth.

Spread the icing over the cooled base layer with a knife or offset spatula in an even layer. Refrigerate until cold.

For the Topping:
8 Oz. Dark or semisweet chocolate
2 TBSP Butter

In a bain-marie set up as for the base, melt together the butter and chocolate until homogeneous. Take off the heat and let cool until not hot, but still relatively fluid. Spread onto the cold icing layer quickly to avoid the butter in it melting, then refrigerate the finished bars for at least 2 hours before cutting.

When cutting, use a warm knife (rinse it in hot water, then dry it, just before use).

Banana Coconut Pancakes with Quick Ginger Butterscotch Sauce

I wanted to make a nice Sunday breakfast with only two eggs and no milk- I also had a bag of frozen bananas that had been hanging on my conscience. As a result, this recipe evolved from whatever I had in the kitchen that might go well together.

I didn't have much flour left, but I didn't need a lot- just enough to bind the chunks of banana. I also had an abundance of coconut (it was on sale...), some rum, a bit of sour cream, and a lot of cinnamon. I thought that the somewhat tropical theme in my pantry was too good of a coincidence to not take advantage of.

Sure enough, the flavours all went together fantastically. The texture is also nice, light except for the dense banana chunks, and the coconut giving it a bit of meatiness and rich taste. Normally I'd make banana pancakes with walnuts or chocolate, but here the coconut added plenty enough flavour, along with the warm cinnamon and rum combo.

There's also this ultra-easy butterscotch sauce with ginger. I had a bit of butter and cream, as well as golden syrup, so I thought I'd let it cook while I was frying the pancakes- it makes a fantastic partner, carrying its own spicy notes and adding richness. You won't need extra butter- though it does taste very good paired with roasted almond butter.

One small issue with these types of pancakes is that they sometimes fry on the outside faster than they cook on the inside- that's why I keep the pan covered for the first half of their cooking time, so that before I flip them I can judge if they're sufficiently cooked inside.

Though they're small, these pancakes are nice and filling, and warm one up on a sadistically cold summer's morning (like today). I have plans to use the leftover sauce, along with some other overripe bananas and my coconut cinnamon evaporated milk buns, to make a fantastic and somewhat tropical bread pudding. Ah, efficiency.
Banana Coconut Pancakes
makes about 16 small pancakes

1 - 1 1/4 C. All purpose flour
1 TBSP Cornstarch
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
2 Tsp. Vanilla sugar, or 2 Tsp. sugar and 1 Tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 Tsp. Salt
2 1/4 Tsp. Baking powder
1/4 Tsp. Baking soda
1/2 C. Unsweetened desiccated coconut
2 Eggs
2 TBSP Dark rum
2 TBSP Sour cream
4 bananas, mushed up but still chunky (frozen and thawed works well)
Oil, to fry

Mix 1 C. of the flour, the cornstarch, cinnamon, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Sift into a large bowl and whisk in the coconut. Add the eggs, sour cream, rum and bananas. Add as much extra flour as needed to make a thick batter, about as thick as cupcake batter. If your bananas are not very mushy and wet, you may need to add some milk or water instead.

Heat up a large skillet, or your best pan for pancakes, on medium heat. Add some oil and spoon on as many pancakes as will comfortably fit with a 1/4 cup scoop or a large tablespoon. Cover with a lid and let cook about a minute per side, uncovered after flipping once.

Flip the finished pancakes onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil and moisture.

Keep warm in an 80℃ oven until all of the pancakes are done.

Quick Ginger Butterscotch Sauce
From Raspberri Cupcakes

30 g. Butter
1/2 C. Dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 C. 18% Cream (pouring cream)
3 TBSP Golden syrup (golden corn syrup will do in a pinch)
1 Tsp. Ginger
Pinch of salt

Mix all in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened and smooth. Serve warm.

Coconut Cinnamon Evaporated Milk Buns

I should write a list of resolutions for baking. First and foremost would be checking on things more often so they don't burn. These buns barely escaped that fate with a deep brown tan.

Still, these babies came out successful. I made them mostly to use up the leftover evaporated milk from the gelato I made earlier. I also used cinnamon and coconut to make them a little more interesting. They flooded my house with the sugary, vaguely buttery smell of a Chinese bakery, though they're more toothsome than Asian-style bread. They've got a nice coconutty flavour and richness from the shredded coconut I added to the dough, softness from the evaporated milk, a slight caramel flavour without too much sweetness from the coconut sugar, and a hint of cinnamon to round it off. I sprinkled the top with coarse sugar to give it some crunch and additional flavour.

These are the kinds of sweet buns that can hold their own with some whole wheat flour substituted in- I'd also be interested as to how they'd taste with coconut milk instead of evaporated milk. I'd also like to try making the leftovers into a bread pudding or french toast, since it's firm enough that it won't fall apart when soaked with liquid.

Coconut Cinnamon Evaporated Milk Buns
Adapted from Roxana's Home Baking

For the Buns:
4 C. (490 g.) Bread flour
1/4 C. Lukewarm water
2 Tsp. Active dry yeast
2 Eggs, room temperature
50 g. Soft butter or margarine
1 Tsp. Salt
3/4 C. Evaporated milk
1/4 C. (50 g.) Coconut sugar, or brown sugar
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 Sachet vanilla sugar, or 2 Tsp. homemade
1/2 C. Shredded unsweetened coconut
Additional evaporated milk, raw cane sugar/coarse sugar, cinnamon and flaked coconut, to top

Mix 1/4 C. of the flour, the water, and the yeast to form a sponge. Let sit covered until spongey in appearance, about 30 minutes.

Mix the remaining flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and vanilla sugar. In a separate small bowl, mix 1/4 C. of the evaporated milk with the coconut and let sit.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the sponge. Mix it in using the dough hook attachment of a mixer on low speed, or use a silicone spatula by hand. Add 1/4 C. of the remaining evaporated milk and one egg. Once incorporated, add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining evaporated milk and egg. Add the last of the flour mixture, followed by the coconut mixture and the butter/margarine. Knead 5 minutes on medium speed, or 15 minutes by hand, until elastic and smooth.

Let rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled, 1-2 hours depending on the ambient temperature. Once doubled, punch down and form 12 equally sized balls. Let rise covered on a greased or parchment-lined baking tray (I used brioche molds greased with coconut oil) until almost doubled, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 200℃. Brush the buns with evaporated milk. Sprinkle with flaked coconut, sugar and cinnamon.

Lower the oven temperature to 190℃. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.