Scribbles & Munch

      Every now and again I get obsessed with coconut.  As a child, I hated the flavor--probably because I only encountered it as the dry unpleasant surprise in the middle of my grandmother's cheap box of assorted chocolates.  Somewhere in adulthood, however, I had a culinary epiphany and started to love the stuff.  I rather wish I remember what happened, because I'm betting it would make a great story.  Hm...maybe I'll just make one up.  It'll involve a secret service agent hiding out on a tropical island where my family is vacationing!
      Anyways, now I get this itch a few times a year to make something really, REALLY coconutty!  I've had pancakes (yum), some fabulous Thai dishes (yum!), and - of course - some great pastries (yum).  But the best coconut thing I've ever made has to be Alton Brown's Coconut Cake.

Your patience will be rewarded.  Oh yes, yes it will.

     Without a doubt, that cake IS the epidome of coconut.  It's what coconuts dream of becoming, the way Buddhist monks dream of acheiving enlightenment.  Make this cake, and you will feel true coconut ecstasy in every bite.  And you better, because did you look at that recipe?  That cake takes a serious amount of time and effort.  Oh, it's worth it!  But you have to have the time to begin with.  If you, like me, are not blessed with limitless funds and freetime, you will need to satisfy your coconut craving another way.  Such as with my Crazy Coconut Shortcakes.

I know, they look like muffins.  Trust me, the texture is not muffin-y in the least.  Read the recipe and all will be revealed.

      Why 'crazy?'  Because I started with this recipe and adapted it to contain even more coconut action, in the form of coconut flour and coconut sugar.  The final trick would be to add coconut extract instead of vanilla, but Ithought these finally had enough flavor.

Z.D.'s Crazy Coconut Shortcake

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup virgin coconut oil
3/4 Cup AP flour
1/2 Cup coconut flour
1& 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
1/4 Cup cocao nibs or chopped unsalted cashews (optional)
3/4 Cup sweetened shredded coconut, divided
1 large egg
1 Cup Greek yogurt (NOT low-fat)
1/3 Cup coconut sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
 - Pre-heat your oven to 375º F, and line twelve standard-sized muffin cups with papers.*  Place the coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until just melted.  Set aside to cool a bit, but do not allow to harden.

 - In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and cardamom and cocao nibs or cashews (if using**).  Add 1/2 Cup of the shredded coconut, and mix thoroughly.

 - Crack your egg into a medium bowl.  Whisk a few times, then slowly drizzle in the coconut oil, still whisking nonstop.  This will create a fully emulsified egg cream, with the color and texture of sweetened condensed milk.

This process is not unlike beating melted butter into egg yolks to create Hollandaise sauce--and there's something oddly satisfying about it.

 - Whisk the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla extract into the egg mixture until thoroughly combined.

Looks like Dijon mustard.  It tastes NOTHING LIKE Dijon mustard.

 - Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until just combined.  You should have a mildly stiff dough, like biscuit dough.

If you don't want to mess with muffin pans, you could actually take handfuls of the dough, pat them into circles, roll them in shredded coconut, and lay on a baking sheet, like big cookies.

 - Scoop by 1/3 Cupfuls into the muffin liners, and sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded coconut (about 1 generous teaspoon each).  Gently press on the tops to flatten and held the coconut adhere.

Mmm...coconut....

 - Bake 19 - 21 minutes, until coconut is browned and a toothpick comes out clean.  DO NOT OVER-BAKE, or the coconut on top will burn!

      These biscuits have a very tender shortcake texture and a true coconut flavor.  They make a nice breakfast treat with coffee.  They also make a nice scone stand-in for tea (serve with lemon curd or - if you can find it - coconut curd).  And if you REALLY want to go all out, you can use them to make Tropical Shortcake!  Simply split, layer with sliced banana, and then top with Whipped Coconut Cream and/or Coconut Dulce Du Leche!  Or, you know, if you're all coconutted-out, you can just use regular ice cream.  I like Jeni's Double Toasted Coconut.



*This is a baking technique we call: cheating.  Because you can pat out the dough, take a cookie cutter, and cut rounds.  And mess up your countertop, and goop up your hands.  OR, you can let the round, ridged muffin liners do the work for you.  I am all about innovation, baby.

** They really don't add much flavor, but the crunch is a fabulous addition to the texture.