Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Can you say YUMMY!

It helps a lot that all of the recipes in The Book are decadent, moist, and super yummy. The first recipe we tried was Martha's Coconut-Pecan cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache. I know, it sounds like a heavy first attempt, but it was so rewarding.
The Ingredients:
1 cup firmly packed sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup pecans (about 3 ounces) toasted and cooled
2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder (and no, thats not a mis-type. 1 whole tablespoon)
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup creamed coconut (or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature)
1 tablespoon pure coconut extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted for garnish
For the Chocolate Ganache
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup

So basically, all of those different ingredients come together to form delicious little dollops of goodness that look like THIS:

Now, doesn't that look delish? well it was, as you can see here...



Plus, these things were super easy. They were light and fluffy, but super rich and decadent at the same time. One of the things that makes this recipe super light is putting the pecans and the shredded coconut in the food processor and make sure they are both finely ground. This gives the rich flavors, without the big chunks. Also, another big thing: TOAST THE PECANS! It only takes a minute, and oh my gosh, it makes all of the difference. The rich nutty flavor is so complimentary to the coconut. Because we live in a small town, we couldn't find the creamed coconut. It was no big deal, butter is wonderful, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Don't they look wonderful? The ganache is so shiny and wonderful, and the toasted coconut flakes really make them look classy. So I had never made ganache before, and honestly, I was a bit nervous about it. DON'T BE! It is the easiest thing in the world (well, eating these cupcakes was the easiest thing in the world, so I guess making the ganache was the second easiest thing). See, look. Do I look too stressed out about it?


I definitely look intense. But not stressed out.



I couldn't help myself. Teehee. Well, there you have it, folks. Great cupcakes, super easy, super fun. Give it a try. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

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