Hello, everyone! It’s time to choose the winner of the Hot Blondies Bakery Giveaway.
But before we do that, I’d like to thank our sponsors @ Hot Blondies Bakery, for their generosity. I’d also like to thank all our readers who took the time to submit their entries. I wish I had a prize for each of you. :(
Congratulations, Nadine L.!! You’ll receive an e-mail from us shortly and have two days to respond or other name will be chosen.
Popular in Southeast Asian, Indian, and Jamaican cuisine, coconut is added to cakes, cookies, and other desserts to provide a nutty sweetness and pleasant texture. Coconut is actually a fruit and not a nut – sold as juice, milk, shredded (sweetened and unsweetened) flakes, and as a whole fruit with its edible, thin brown skin. For the freshest results, it’s suggested to crack your own coconut.
What’s So Good About Coconut?
High in saturated fat, the natural oils in the coconut provide the body with plenty of benefits. From boosting the immune system to improving digestion, coconut offers a high-fiber skin, iron, potassium, and a decent amount of electrolytes found in the coconut juice.
How to Crack Coconut
It takes a little effort, but cracking your own coconut will provide your desserts with a fresher flavor that enhances the overall taste. As you stare at the hairy shell, make the task a little easier by baking the coconut for 20 minutes in an oven set to 350 degrees. After letting the coconut cool, pierce a hole in two of the “eyes” with a hammer and screwdriver. Turn the coconut upside down in order to drain the juice. Use the hammer to tap the 
screwdriver until the nut breaks into two pieces.
Place each half of the coconut with the flesh facing down on your countertop (or other stable surface) and tap each piece with a hammer to break it up. You can then break the coconut into pieces using your hands. A table knife will help you dislodge the “meat” from the shell. Some people even peel off the brown skin of the coconut and eat it – it’s edible.
Ways to Use Coconut in Your Desserts
Coconut in Salads: Enhance a tropical fruit salad by sprinkling finely grated coconut on top of fresh mango, papaya, orange, and banana. You may use fresh or toasted coconut to achieve varying flavors.
Coconut in Coffee: Some people have added coconut milk to their coffee for a unique, hot beverage.
Coconut in Pie: With an irresistible whipped cream topping, coconut cream pie is comprised of a rich custard or pudding consisting of milk, cream, flour, and eggs. Sometimes, chocolate shavings serve as garnish, while toasted coconut is more commonplace.
Coconut in Cookies and Bars: Whether used as a garnish for cookies or added to your favorite recipes – sky’s the limit with coconut. Popular cookies with coconut include Coconut Macaroons, Coconut Bars, Chocolate Chip Coconut, and variations of the Almond Joy bar.
Coconut in Ice Cream
Add shredded coconut to your ice cream sundaes or create a vegan sweet treat with your ice cream maker called Coconut Curry Ice Cream. First, simmer two and a half 13.5-ounce cans of canned unsweetened coconut milk, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoons of mild curry paste in a large heavy saucepan. Whisk often, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer to allow the flavors to blend for about 10 minutes.
Slightly cool and then refrigerate the mixture uncovered until cold. Cover and chill overnight. When you are ready, process your ‘ice cream’ according to the directions of your maker. Add in ½ cup of toasted, sweetened flaked coconut to the mixture. Use extra toasted coconut flakes as a garnish.
When decorating cupcakes, the roundness of these sweet treats allows you to take full advantage of their versatile shape. With a few embellishments, colorful frostings, decorative icing, and a little bit of imagination, you too can produce creative cupcakes for special occasions. A couple of ideas include:
Engagement Cupcakes
Position a sparkling wedding ring party favor in the center of frosted cupcakes made for an engagement party. Surround the ring with edible silver balls. Don’t forget to leave a note warning partygoers that the cupcakes are outfitted with inedible decorations.
Birthday Cupcakes
Dazzle your kids with cupcakes made to resemble a hamburger. Simply cut a vanilla cupcake in half and insert a round slice of chocolate or Devil’s Food cupcake. Use red, yellow, and green icing to create mustard, ketchup, and pickles. For adult cupcakes, use fondant or a rainbow of icings to decorate cupcakes to resemble pool balls for the fanatic in your life.
Easter Cupcakes
Ambitious cupcake decorators may transform their treats into the iconic Easter basket. First, tint your frosting a bright color (preferably green) and decorate with small candies, such as M&Ms or jellybeans. Bend a licorice stick into an arch. Insert the ends into the cupcake to create the handles of a basket. Children will surely get a kick out of Easter cupcakes with a marshmallow Peep sitting on top of the frosting. During the holidays, Peeps come in various shades of blue, yellow, lavender, and pink.
Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
Valentine’s Day is probably one of the easiest special occasions for cupcake decorating. For example, use conservation hearts to resemble balloons held together by strings made out of chocolate icing. There are plenty of materials to work with for Valentine’s Day, including red and white sprinkles, berries, cinnamon candies, Sweet-tarts, red and white jellybeans, and red gumdrops. Today, you can even purchase non-stick cupcake pans in the shape of hearts. Try using cupcake stencils to apply a powdered sugar heart onto an unfrosted cupcake to cut down on calories.
Halloween Cupcakes
Decorative cupcakes make perfect treats for a Halloween party. From black cats and witches to spiders, there are many Halloween symbols and themes to choose for your sweet treats. Bewitch your kiddies with the following cupcake trick: Frost your cupcake with chocolate frosting. Take Nutter Butter cookie and cover in vanilla frosting. Position the cookie in the middle of the cupcake. Use brown icing to draw on eyes and mouth to create a spooky ghost cupcake.
Nuts play an important role in the creation of delicious sweet treats – from the walnuts that add extra ‘ummph’ to chocolate chip cookies to brownies with hidden pecans. From Macadamia Nut Cookies to Almond Paste Cake, there are thousands of dessert recipes that incorporate nuts. When you’re looking for ideas on how to make your own nutty desserts, consider the following suggestions:
Pecans
Many of us already know that the sweet gooeyness of pecan pie is a staple dessert during the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sometimes pecans are overlooked for their versatility in dessert making. However, the nut has found its way into a multitude of creative dessert recipes, especially in Southern baking. A couple of recipes include homemade caramel pecan ice cream, praline cheesecake, coconut pecan frosting, and pecan shortbread cookies. When looking to spice up a regular pecan pie recipe, try experimenting with chocolate and bourbon whiskey.
Walnuts
Walnuts can elevate the taste of cookies and brownies, but they also create delicious dessert combinations when paired with fruit. For example, you will find plenty of recipes that incorporate baked apples and walnuts. Some approaches may include dried fruits (like cranberries), while others may insert unsweetened shredded coconut. Nutmeg and cinnamon are popular spices added to the mix. When hot, serve baked apples with vanilla ice cream. In the morning, a cold baked apple makes a tasty breakfast when topped with vanilla yogurt.
Almonds
When creating desserts with almonds, you will find almond paste a delightful ingredient. For quicker results, you can purchase your paste from a store, while the more ambitious baker may prefer to create their own at home. Ground almonds and sugar are the two most significant ingredients in almond paste. A typical recipe may contain salt, almond extract, confectioner’s sugar, cooking oil, heavy cream, blanched almonds, and egg whites.
When baking, use almond paste to fill pastries (such as almond croissants) or add to homemade chocolate recipes. Some people also use the paste as a substitute for marzipan. In China, almond paste is used to create ‘sweetheart cakes,’ which also contain winter melon.
Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts make a flavorful filling for wafer cookies and enhance the taste of many dessert coffee recipes. To explore an uncommon hazelnut dessert, consider making a pudding out of the nuts. Start by mincing ½ pound of hazelnuts until they are the consistency of a powder. Heat 1 cup of cream until it reaches the point just before boiling. Add a bit of vanilla extract to flavor. Allow the cream to cool. Beat 8 ounces of unsalted butter until the mixture become pale and creamy. Stir in the hazelnuts, 8 ounces of powdered sugar, and 1 cup of cream. Line a mold with ladyfingers and add the hazelnut pudding. Chill well.
photo courtesy of hotblondiesbakery.com
About Hot Blondies Bakery:
The idea for the company started while co-founders Lorin Rokoff and Laura Paterson were working together in unsatisfying desk jobs at a New York City museum. Although neither had prior work experience in the baking industry, Rokoff’s natural baking talent, combined with Paterson’s background in brand development inspired them to start Hot Blondies Bakery.
About the Product:
Hot Blondies Bakery offers delicious and unique flavors of Blondies and Brunettes (Brownies), each baked in an individual tin to ensure each treat has the crispier crust and the gooey center. The Blondies include Classic, Butterscotch White Chocolate, Oatmeal Raisin, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk. The Brunette flavors offered are Classic, Espresso White Chocolate, S’mores, and Nutella Hazelnut.
In addition, each month there will be new offerings of Blondies and/or Brunettes under the “Flavor of the Month” category, which will coincide with special holidays and/or events.
Where to purchase:
• Online at HotBlondiesBakery.com
• Bloomingdales (Nationwide), The Bean Coffee & Tea (New York City), Murray’s Bagels (New York City), Leo’s Bagels (New York City), Zeytuna (New YorkCity), Garden of Eden (New York City and Brooklyn), Kitchen Kabaret (Roslynand Bay Shore, NY), Candylicious (Dubai)
• Brooklyn Flea — Sundays from 10am to 5pm, One Hanson Place, Brooklyn(January through June).
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Hot Blondies Bakey has generously donated a dozen mixed blondies/brunettes to be shipped to a winner anywhere in the continental USA.
This giveaway is open to US residents only.
How to enter (required): Visit HotBlondiesBakery.com and then come back and leave a comment telling us your favorite product!
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The giveaway ends on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at the end of day, Pacific Standard Time. Hot Blondies Bakery will ship the prize.
*Please make sure you leave a comment for each additional entry so you get credited.
*Also, please make sure you typed in the correct email address.
*The winner will be announced via e-mail and has 2 days to get back to us or other name will be chosen.
*Incomplete entries will be disqualified & deleted.
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