Coconut-Cashew Chocolate Truffles

mmm Truffles, and oh look they are sugar free. Woo Hoo.

Ingredients

3/4 Cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons granular sugar substitute (sucralose)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
7 Ounce-weights Hershey's® sugar-free chocolate
3 Ounce-weights unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Cup unsweetened dried coconut, divided
1/2 Cup unsalted cashews, very finely chopped

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     Directions



Combine cream, sugar substitute and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Place chopped
 chocolate in a medium bowl; pour hot cream mixture over chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes.

Stir chocolate mixture gently until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in extract and 1/2 cup of the
 coconut. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour 45 minutes, stirring occasionally (Truffles will be easier to
 form if the mixture is not too stiff).

Toast the remaining 1/2 cup coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until lightly
browned; transfer to a bowl and cool.Roll the chocolate mixture into 32 balls about the size of large marbles.

Roll half of the balls in cashews and half in toasted coconut. Place in an airtight container between layers of wax paper. Can refrigerate  up to one week.

Get more Delicious sugar free recipes at Atkins.com

Sent from my iPad

It's Magic!

Ingredients
Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
COMBINE graham cracker crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with fork.
BAKE 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or diamonds.
For perfectly cut cookie bars, line entire pan with foil, extending foil over edge of pan. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray. After bars have baked and cooled, lift up with edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into bars.
VARIATIONS
SUBSTITUTE chocolate chips or nuts with candy coated pieces, dried cranberries, raisins, mini-marshmallows or butterscotch chips.

Let them eat cake

We’ve all heard this statement. ‘Let them eat cake’ was allegedly spoken by Marie Antoinette- Queen of France in the mid to late 1700’s.

I don't think that's quite what she meant. It was a very hard time in France if you were poor. Taxes were too high. There was no food to speak of, and the King was building a palace of gold -- these were just a few of the factors that were at the beginning of the French revolution.  Well, it worked in America, right?

The Queen’s alleged statement rocked them to their core. Let them eat cake did mean cake like you and I understand cake, she meant the burned 'cake' on the inside of the ovens.  And the revolution was on…

Ah cake, everybody loves cake. So much so that there are cake fests. See this week’s pictures for, KC cake fest.

What amazing collection of edible art. There were cakes representing many of the things here in Kansas City. From football to the zoo to Lego land, the Kaufman center, the Nelson-Adkins museum and a nice tribute to pres Truman, all done in cake and fondant. Wow!

Oh yeah, I can't forget the cup-cake fairy.

Well one of my favorite cakes is German chocolate cake:

What You Need

1pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate

1/2cup water

4 eggs, separated

2cups flour

1tsp. baking soda

1/4tsp. salt

1cup butter, softened

2cups sugar

1tsp. vanilla

1cup buttermilk

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F.

COVER bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round pans with waxed paper; spray sides with cooking spray. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

BEAT egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.

ADD egg whites; stir gently until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.

BAKE 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small spatula around cakes in pans. Cool cakes in pans 15 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting between cake layers and onto top of cake.

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting

What You Need

4 egg yolks

1can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1-1/2tsp. vanilla

1-1/2cups sugar

3/4cup butter or margarine

1pkg. (7 oz.) BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut

 (2-2/3 cups)1-1/2cups chopped PLANTERS Pecans

Make It

BEAT egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan with whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

ADD coconut and nuts; mix well. Cool to desired spreading consistency.

Chocolate Pie with Coconut

Ingredients

2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup coconut
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup frozen (thawed) whipped topping


Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. In 3-quart saucepan, heat milk, butter and chocolate over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, just until chocolate is melted; remove from heat.
In medium bowl, stir chocolate mixture and remaining ingredients except whipped topping with wire whisk or fork until smooth. Pour into pie plate.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled. Garnish with whipped topping. Store in refrigerator.

Tropical Fruit Salad

. Dressing


1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons apricot preserves or orange marmalade
1/4 teaspoon poppy seed

Salad

1 small pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
1 mango or papaya, peeled, seeded and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium banana, sliced (about 3/4 cup)
2 kiwifruit, peeled, sliced (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup seedless red grapes
2 tablespoons coconut, toasted if desired*

In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients
 
On serving platter, arrange fruit in decorative pattern; sprinkle with coconut. Drizzle dressing over salad.

Italian Wedding Cake

Tell me am I a little off because I like to read cookbooks. At one point I had a whole kitchen cabinet devoted to cook books, diet books, and magazines related to food.

Unfortunately, when I moved to Kansas, I had to cut down. I kept my favorites. I still surf the web looking for ideas. What am I looking for? Recipes that are inexpensive, but taste that way, anything chocolate, and twits on my favorite comfort foods, and dishes I’ve tried in restaurants that I think I can redo at home.

And on that note, years ago, so coworkers and I were having dinner and a local Italian restaurant (yes, it was a chain) in Little Rock, OK North Little Rock, (known better for bar b.q. and soul food, but that is for another post). We had a really good dinner and followed with dessert of course,

They serve this cake; they called it “Italian Wedding Cake”. Well this cake is a white cake with a coconut frosting. The cake itself was moist and had a nutty flavor, without being overly crunchy. The frosting was light and sweet. It didn’t over power the cake like some can.

I have been looking for this cake again. Years have gone by. The chain restaurant that I originally had the cake has yet to feature it again. Boo hiss.

But, as I was digging though my box of books, I found a small, spiral bound cookbook. And as flipped though the pages, it’s called Arkansas favorites. It was published back when Bill was the governor, there was a recipe for Italian Wedding Cake,

It just needs to be changed a little, and it will be that cake from all those years ago.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I give you Italian Wedding Cake.

CAKE
1Cup Butter Milk
1 tsp baking soda
5 eggs separated
2 cups of sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 can coconut (3 1/2 oz.)
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 stick butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 Cups Flour

ICING
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter
1 box powdered sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS
combine soda, and milk. cream sugar, butter and shortening. Add egg yolks one at a time, beat well. Add milk and flour alternately. Stir sin vanilla . Beat egg whites until stiff: fold int mixture. Stir in nuts and coconut. Bake in three 9" round cake pans for 30 minutes.

For the icing cream the cheese and butter  and add the powdered sugar a little at a time. 

Haystacks

I love chocolate haystatcks. What are haystatcks. it's chocoate and toasted coconut. This is so simple.
thanks to About.com.


Ingredients:


•2 cups shredded, sweetened coconut
•7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Place the coconut in a pie tin or small baking pan, and toast it in the oven until golden brown. The secret to good toasted coconut is consistent browning, so be sure to stir it every 2 minutes until it is an even, light golden color. It will probably take 8-10 minutes, but monitor your coconut carefully.

3. While the coconut is toasting, place the chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave it until it is melted, stirring every 45 seconds.

4. Once coconut is toasted and chocolate is melted, stir the coconut into the chocolate, mixing until coconut is entirely coated with chocolate.

5. Using a small teaspoon, drop small spoonfuls of the candy onto the prepared sheet.

6. Once all candy has been formed, refrigerate for 30 minutes, until the chocolate is set