rhubarb, apple + coconut crisp

 

rhubarb is one of my all time favourite ingredients to bake with. i love all things sour, so it only makes sense that i love rhubarb in my desserts. this recipe is a pleasent change from a strawberry & rhubarb based recipe. it combines fresh rhubarb & apple, with a coconut topped crisp. as always, the topping portion of this recipe yields a very generous amount, because i don't like to be skimpy on my fruit to crumble ratio. i want each bite of fruit to have an equal amount of sweet, buttery oats!

for this crisp i used bob's redmill unsweetened coconut flakes. i always stick to unsweetened coconut in my recipes, so i can control the amount of sweetness being added to a dish. i absolutely love working with the coconut flakes, as the texture of them is so light & (well) flaky! i like to snack on them too & use the large flakes in my granola or cereal. so good.

ingredients

for the fruit filling

  • 4 cups fresh rhubarb, diced
  • 3 cups apples, peeled & diced
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

for the topping

directions

for the fruit filling

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a large mixing bowl toss together the rhubarb, apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla & lemon juice.
  • transfer mixture to a 9 by 12 inch baking dish & set aside while you prepare your topping.

for the topping

  • in a large mixing bowl whisk the oats, flour, flaked coconut, pecans, brown sugar & salt.
  • add the cubed butter. using your hands workthe butter into the mixture until it resembles a pea sized crumb consistency.
  • evenly disperse over the filling & bake for 50 to 50 minutes, until the fruit filling is bubbly.
  • remove from oven & let cool slighty.
  • serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

this post was created in partnership with bob's red mill! 

like what you see? get it here. baking dish | mixing bowl | tea towel | flatware

chocolate coconut tart

 

holy snow day!!! my neck of the woods is getting hit with snow all week long which means i am staying in the kitchen where it is warm. today is part two of valentine's week & of course it involves chocolate. when it comes to valentine's day, i am quite traditional in the sense that there has to be chocolate. flowers i can do without, but give me ALL the chocolate desserts i can handle! this chocolate coconut tart is so decadent, it will satisfy every chocolate lovers craving. it is a no bake tart with a ganache style filling. to give it a coconut flavour twist, i incorporated flaked coconut in the graham cracker crust & used lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion in the chocolate filling! it adds the perfect punch of coconut flavour without over powering the richness from the dark chocolate & cream. because the tarts main ingredient is dark chocolate, i reccomend using the highest quality chocolate you can get your hands on!

ingredients

for the crust

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion

for the filling

  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cubed
  • 200 grams high quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • coconut chips, for topping

directions

for the crust

  • in a large mixing bowl toss together the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, sugar and sea salt.
  • add the butter, vanilla extract & coconut emulsion. stir well.
  • pour mixture into one large or two small tart pans. shape into a firm crust & refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

for the filling

  • in a saucepan over medium heat add the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, coconut emulsion & salt. stir occasionally & bring to a boil.
  • immediately remove pan from heat & add the butter cubes + chopped chocolate. stir vigorously until the mixture is silky & smooth.
  • pour into the pre-baked crust & place in fridge.
  • chill tart for two hours to set. sprinkle with coconut chips before serving.

maple cupcake bites

 

happy weekend! let's kick it off with some cupcakes, eh? i call these a 'cupcake bite' because they are more like a cross between a cupcake and a two bite blondie. a little denser & more buttery then a traditional cupcake, but still loaded with buttercream! i topped it off with red & white (ok, as red as i could get the frosting without being too pink) frosting complete with a red polka dot flag. how celebratory is that for #canada150? i originally wanted to make the flags in the shape of maple leafs, but everytime i try to cut out or draw a maple leaf shape it never goes over well. lastly, i made these guys in a vitamix! that's right. it was so easy to whip (er blend) up! you basically just toss all the ingredients into the blender & voila a cupcake batter. stay cool this weekend friends! it is FINALLY supposed to be a hot one.

ingredients

(makes two dozen cupcake bites)

for the cake

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup whole milk

for the frosting

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups icing sugar, or to taste
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • red food colouring
  • red sprinkles

directions

for the cake

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in the vitamix (or a stand mixer) add the butter & sugar. blend until mixture is light & fluffy.
  • add in the maple syrup, eggs & vanilla extract. blend until well incorporated.
  • sift in the flour, baking powder & salt. pulse mixture while slowly incorporating the milk.
  • once the mix is fully added, blend for an additional 60 seconds.
  • divide batter evenly between 24 greased cupcake tins.
  • bake for 15 minutes, or until the cupcakes bounce back to touch.
  • let cupcakes cool while you prepare the frosting.

for the frosting

  • beat butter, icing sugar, maple syrup & vanilla extract until fluffy. about 5-8 minutes.
  • divide frosting between two bowls. leave one white & add the red food colouring to the other until desired red colour is reached.
  • add frosting to a piping bag one scoop at a time, alternating between each colour until full.
  • pipe cupcakes as desired. sprinkle with red sprinkles & top with a handmade flag!