March 30: Hello Dollys/Magic Bars

Hello Dolly's are most likely the easiest thing I have ever made. There is no mixing whatsoever! All you have to do is layer butter, graham crackers, coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips (optional), nuts, and sweetened condensed milk. Then bake! That's it!

Ooey gooey goodness!

Hello Dollys are traditionally made with chopped walnuts, but I'm not a big fan of walnuts so I used sliced almonds instead. It was still really delicious, but I must say that--despite me using unsweetened coconut and omitting the butterscotch chips--these are very sweet. Best served with a glass of skim milk!

Final Grade: B+. Just a bit too sweet for me (personal preference!), although these get an A+ for ease. If you need to make a dessert fast, this is your go to recipe! You can find the recipe for Hello Dollys/Magic Bars on my Recipes Page. To purchase your own Hello Dollys for a good cause, sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Make your donation, then email me your order!

March 14: Tropical Thumbprint Cookies

After so much baking, I found myself with 9 leftover egg yolks. What in goodness sake would I make with that many yolks? The obvious answer seemed to be poundcake, but this is March of the Cookies, darnit, so I was going to find a way to make these yolks into COOKIES.

I found a wonderful recipe for Egg Yolk Cookies, which admittedly doesn't sound delicious, but my coworker says this was one of the best sugar cookies she'd ever had. The heavier citrus tones are what prevent this cookie from tasting too eggy. And while this dough was tasty on its own, I once again wanted to do my own thing with it, so I made "thumbprint" cookies.

After my macaroon making I found myself with some extra coconut, so I rolled the Egg Yolk Cookie dough into balls, rolled it in the coconut, and pressed my thumb into it. Then I filled the indentation with a Mango Coconut Jam that I brought back from Hawaii, and sweet mercy were they ever good!

I also made some with raspberry filling, which wasn't very "tropical" but still super delish nonetheless.

You can find the recipe for Tropical Thumbprint cookies on my Recipes Page.

If you'd like to order some of your own Tropical or Raspberry Thumbprint cookies, please sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Simply make your donation, then email me your order!

March 12: Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

Macaroons refer to a wide variety of cookie. Some consist primarily of almonds, some are mostly plain coconut, and some even have a jam center. While I am a fan of macaroons in all their permutations, I chose to make my very favourite macaroons from childhood: Chocolate Coconut Macaroons.

These macaroons turned out wonderfully...the chewiness of the coconut provided a delicious base for rich chocolate flavour. The sightly gooey centre is also a nice contrast to the crispier outside.

Final Grade: A+ You can find the recipe for Chocolate Coconut Macaroons on my Recipes Page.

If you'd like to order some of your own Chocolate Macaroons, please sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Simply make your donation, then email me your order!