Cooking Classy

Who doesn't love a Girl Scout Samoa Cookie? They are by far my favorite Girl Scout Cookie. This past spring I purchased eight cartons of the Dreyers Girl Scout Samoa Cookie Limited Edition Ice Cream and hoarded them away in my freezer. I thought they'd last much longer then they did. I can only wish I could buy the Samoas year round, but since I can't I've had to improvise. That is why I've come up with my own version of the Samoa Girl Scout Cookies. These things are amazing! Tender shortbread, sweet chewy caramel, perfectly toasted coconut and a nice chocolate coating to finish things off. YUM! I won't lie to you, these cookies are quite a bit of work...but, they are well worth the effort. These cookies don't use real butter or fancy caramel, it's the cheap stuff just like what I'm quite certain they put in the real thing (i t helps to read the ingredients list on the package when you are making up a copycat recipe =)  . It's not often I use sho...

Alas, Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats have met their match. I didn't know if I could ever have a Rice Krispie Treat I liked as much as those... that is until these came along. I've been wanting to make a coconut Rice Krispie Treat for some time now, who knows why I waited this long to try it. Basically, I love coconut anything. It's like an instant upgrade to whatever it's added to. It turns ordinary Rice Krispie Treats into gourmet, extraordinary Rice Krispie Treats. Once you try these you will likely agree that marshmallows and coconut were made to go together. Try these soon because I'm nearly certain you're going to fall in love with these irresistibly delicious and incredibly quick and easy White Chocolate Coconut Rice Krispie Treats!  White Chocolate Coconut Rice Krispie Treats Yields about 15 squares Ingredients: 3 Tbsp butter 1 (10 oz) bag marshmallows - about 40 large marshmallows or 4 cups miniature 1/2 tsp coconut extract 5 1/2 cups Rice Krispie...

Hello Breakfast! Ordinary French toast gets a major upgrade with a few exciting coconut additions. This fluffy french toast is made with creamy coconut milk and then it gets more real coconut flavor from pure coconut extract. Then it's cooked until perfectly golden and drenched with an irresistible, deliciously sweet coconut syrup (which again is full of real coconut flavor from coconut milk and extract) and to finish it's sprinkled with what more but the real thing, shredded sweetened coconut.  I listed below additional ideas for this french toast which I cannot wait to make in the future. This recipe is definitely going into my breakfast (and dinner) rotation! Enjoy and share! Coconut French Toast Yields 10 slices (about 5 servings) Ingredients: 1/2 cup canned coconut milk, well shaken 1/2 cup milk 5 large eggs 1/2 tsp coconut extract 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 1 Tbsp granulated sugar 1/8 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp salt 10 1" slices day or...

This should be called "The Sandwich of Summer." I made this recipe because I love pulled pork so much so I wanted something similar but entirely its own. Basically I wanted something delicious, out of the ordinary that will make people say "wow." Of course I made it a slow cooker recipe because that's what I love and that's what everyone else seems to love. This Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich is bursting with the flavors of the islands (especially when served along with fresh, glazed/grilled pineapple). It inspires me to want to host a luau party in my backyard.  Don't be scared by the long list of ingredients, most of them, if not all of them, you probably already have in your fridge and cupboard. If you are looking to try a new dish that is enticingly delicious and fully amazing your going to want to try this sandwich! Share and enjoy! Serve it with or without green onions (I liked it with): Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches Yields about 6 s...

Hello Summer! Nothing welcomes summer like an ice cold, refreshing beverage does such as this Brazilian Limeade. This drink is simply incredible! I got inspiration for this drink from a Brazilian "Lemonade" recipe I've been making for a few years that came from  Sunset Magazine . Yes, indeed that recipe was good, but I always felt like it could use something more. So, here is my version of Brazilian Limeade and why would I call it Brazilian Limeade you may ask? Because the ingredients it uses are Brazilian colors of course =). It also uses the flavors of Brazil.  Send yourself on a mini vacation by lounging out in the sunshine and enjoying a tall glass of this amazingly refreshing Brazilian Lemonade. It may just become a new summertime favorite! Feel free to adjust this drink to suite your personal taste. Add more or less sugar to reach desired sweetness (1/2 cup was perfect for me). You could even add more lime juice if you want it a bit more tart. I think one of these t...

Meet a new and exciting, melt in your mouth cookie... Coconut Lime Ricotta Cookies! They are purely divine! To put them in words, just imagine an Italian cookie meets a refreshing tropical or Latin cake doughnut (that was my thought, my husband said they remind him of Alfajore cookies).  If you want to be a good cook I firmly believe you have to be willing to take risks in the kitchen. It's about stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things, mixing new flavors. One of my dreams and aspirations is to be a great cook (on the Food Network may I add =), so this recipe is the result of me trying something daring and exciting in the kitchen. I knew it would either be an utter failure or something spectacular. I'm proud to say they turned out to be the later, they are completely spectacular. Someone please tell me, how do I stop myself from eating five at once? The combination of flavors in this cookie may be one that you question with the Ricotta cheese combine with ...

Isn't a thick frosted sugar cookie one of the best comfort foods out there? I love sugar cookies and I love sugar cookie squares even more because they are quicker and easier to make (with less clean up) but they taste just as good as the individual cookie. I know I post a lot of sugar cookie recipes, it's just one of my favorites so it's likely you'll see even more variations on it in the future.  Have I told you yet this Coconut Buttercream Frosting is my all time favorite frosting? I made it to frost the coconut cupcakes I made a few days ago and it got me thinking of what else I would love to use it for. It is highly addictive stuff! I could sit and eat it by the heaping spoonfuls.  Now, imagine a fluffy, sweet, coconut infused sugar cookie covered with silky smooth, fluffy, melt in your mouth coconut frosting - and this is what you get. Let's just say it's very likely to be one of the best sugar cookies you will ever eat! I know I'm in love =). Enjoy! C...

These are one of my new favorite cupcakes!  I love how they don't have pieces of the chewy coconut in them because you grind the shredded coconut in a food processor before adding it.  These cupcakes are pure bliss. Everyone loved them! The frosting melts in your mouth.  The cupcake recipe is one I found in the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book, but I decided to add my own frosting recipe.  They are perfect together!  I also like how the frosting recipe I used can be made in under 7 minutes =), it takes maybe 3. I hope you enjoy these dreamy cupcakes as much as I do! Coconut Cupcakes Yields 20 cupcakes Ingredients: ½ cup packed sweetened shredded coconut 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt ¾ cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks) 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar 2 large whole eggs, at room temperature 2 large egg whites, at room temperature 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract ¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk 1 recipe Coconut Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows Sweete...