Toasted Coconut Donuts

I think I've mentioned before that ever since I bought a donut pan, I can make donuts whenever the mood strikes me. And it actually strikes me quite a lot.

When I lived in California, there was a donut shop practically everywhere you looked. Sort of like the equivalent of Seattle having a Starbucks on every corner. Well, I live across the water from Seattle now, and there are no donut shops around here. Or at least none I have found.

So of course that's the perfect reason to start making my own donuts, and my family loves them.

They are super easy to whip up on a lazy weekend morning, whenever we have a craving for them.

These Toasted Coconut Donuts are pretty fabulous, and if you are a coconut lover like I am, you will especially adore them.

This recipe makes a dozen donuts. You can make them without toasting the coconut if you are short on time, but they aren't quite the same. That extra five minutes or so that it takes is well worth it.


Recipe for Toasted Coconut Donuts

Ingredients:

For donuts:

Baking spray
2 cup all purpose flour
12 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup toasted coconut

For glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions:

In a medium frying pan, place 1 cup of coconut. On low-medium heat, toss coconut frequently with a spatula. Cook until toasted, about 5 minutes, and do not let coconut burn. Place in a small bowl when done, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a donut pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add buttermilk, eggs, coconut extract, and melted butter. Stir to combine. Carefully spoon batter into prepared donut pan, filling 2/3 full.
Bake 8-10 minutes, or until donuts are baked through. Allow to cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, coconut extract, and milk.
Stir until smooth, adding more tablespoons of milk as needed. Dip cooled donut in to glaze, and set on rack. Sprinkle heavily with toasted coconut. Repeat with remaining donuts.

2-Bite Coconut Cupcakes

These coconut cupcakes are so moist and delicious. They are actually super easy to make too, because they start with a boxed mix.

With the addition of sweetened condensed milk and coconut in the batter, these little gems will go quickly.

My grandchildren loved the fact that they were the perfect size for them, and of course I was so pleased that they liked them so much.

And they make a great presentation if you want to take them to a potluck or barbeque this summer.

Recipe for 2-Bite Coconut Cupcakes

Makes 48 mini cupcakes

Ingredients:

For cupcakes:

2 cups flaked coconut, divided
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 box white cake mix
water, eggs, vegetable oil called for on cake box mix

For coconut cream frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1-3 tablespoons milk
1 cup coconut, toasted

Directions:
 

• 1 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place mini paper baking cups in mini cupcake pan.                        
• 2 In medium bowl, stir 2 cups coconut and the condensed milk; set aside.
• 3 Make cake batter as directed on box. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (two-thirds full). Top each with about 1/2 heaping teaspoonful coconut mixture.
• 4 Bake as directed on box of mix. Cool in pans 5 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack.                           
• 5 In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter and salt with spoon or with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. Beat in coconut extract and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. Immediately frost cupcakes. Sprinkle tops of cupcakes into toasted coconut. Store loosely covered.   

 

         

                                                                        

                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                        

                                                                        

                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Are you a cookie lover like me? I'm always on the lookout for a yummy cookie recipe, and this combination of chocolate and coconut is my new favorite.

This recipe calls for almost two cups of coconut in it, so you know it's packed full of coconut goodness.

These cookies were a huge hit with my grandchildren when we sat down to eat them with a cold glass of milk. This recipe is definitely one I'll me making again, especially since my family likes them so much.

Recipe for Chocolate and Coconut Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the butter until fluffy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated and brown sugars, and beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed.

Add the dry ingredients, and beat together until just combined. Add the coconut and chocolate chips, stir until combined.
With dampened hands, shape the dough into 1-inch balls, and place on baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.