S'mores Macarons

Hey guys! I'm still out of town for a wedding but I had to pop in to share with you these s'mores macarons. Just in time for National S'mores Day! Yes, there is a whole day dedicated to celebrating s'mores. I won't complain considering my love for them :)

These macarons were a product of my s'more addiction a few weeks ago that lead to these s'more cookie bars. You know I love macarons (here and here) but they are so finicking that I am making them less now. But these were a success on the first try and the second!

I made graham cracker macarons and filled them with marshmallow creme and chocolate frosting. I may have over piped the chocolate frosting and marshmallow filling (sorry but not sorry).  I loved how puffy these little sandwiches turned out. They were perfectly crunchy and sweet and they tasted just like a traditional s'more! If you need a twist on the traditional s'more, then you need to try these. They make for a pretty display too at any summer event :)

I hope you all have a great weekend!!


S'more Macarons
Yield: 30 macarons
(Inspired by Chocolate & Carrots)

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup graham cracker crust
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup almond meal

Marshmallow frosting

1/2 cup powdered confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup Marshmallow Fluff (~half of the 7.5oz jar)

Chocolate frosting

Directions:

Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. I used a 1½-inch round cookie cutter to draw circles on the parchment paper and flipped the paper (drawing side down).

Preheat oven to 280 degrees and prepare a pastry bag with a round tip. I used Wilton 2A.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and sugar. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks forms, about 5-7 minutes. 

Using a food processor, pulse the powdered sugar, almond flour and graham cracker crust into fine powder. Sift several times until there is less than 2 tablespoon of almond bits left.

Add the dry ingredients to the meringue and fold with a rubber spatula. Gently fold to deflate the meringue by pressing against the side of bowl and scooping from bottom until batter is smooth and shiny; about 20-25 folds. To check consistency, drop a spoonful of batter and it should have a peak that quickly relaxes back into the batter. Start checking the batter after 20 folds.

Transfer batter into pastry bag and pipe the batter into the pre-traced circles on the baking sheet.  Tap baking sheet hard on counter to release any air bubbles trapped in the batter.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until hard and slightly golden, rotating cookie sheets halfway through baking time. Cool completely on cookie sheets before peeling from the parchment.


For the Marshmallow frosting

 In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and icing sugar on low until combined, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes. Add the marshmallow fluff. Use immediately. 

Cherry Coconut Popsicles

I left home at a young age when I moved to Singapore, a whole different continent and culture away from my family to complete high school. It was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do and making it away from home would have been impossible without the immediate support of some amazing girlfriends.

Girlfriends are just the best and having them (far or near) is necessary. I was extremely lucky last year to have eight wonderful girls stand up with me as I was getting hitched. They traveled from Virginia, California, the Netherlands, Minnesota, Indiana, Sierra Leone and of course NY. So lucky to have them in my life!!

And this is why I am so happy to be heading out of town today to stand by my adopted 'baby sister' as she gets married this weekend! My girlfriend's sister is tying the knot and I'm super excited to be a part of her special day. It's also the first wedding in which I'm a bridesmaid. Remember the bridal shower we hosted? And I baked some cupcakes? Eeeep, tomorrow is our spa day with the bride and Friday is time for some last minute decoration prep, rehearsal and Saturday is the big day. Can't wait!

Ok these popsicles, I guess we should talk about them right? We had a heat wave a few weeks ago, hitting record heat in Central NY and in my need to cool down these popsicles happened. Twice. I didn't want to share them because the pictures are not that great...not a fan of popsicle picture-taking but the recipe is so simple and amazing I had to get over myself and share with you!!

If you don't already know this, I have a thing for coconut. Coconut flakes, coconut water and coconut milk are a staple in my pantry. It's not my fault, I was born in the tropics (at least, that's my reasoning). These popsicles are made with fresh cherries, the new Chobani coconut greek yogurt flavor and toasted coconut flakes (for added pizzazz).

They are simply creamy and refreshing! You have to try them before the summer is over. Cherries and coconut pair very well together and I am surprised this is my first encounter of their union.

As you can see I made these twice using the same ingredients. In one, I pureed the yogurt and cherries and in the other I kept them separate. Both taste amazing so do as you please!

Cherry Coconut Popsicles
Makes 4 popsicles

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh cherries, pitted
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (or to taste)
2 (6 ounces each) 2% Chobani Coconut Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons sweetened coconut flakes, toasted

Directions:
A)
Place the cherries in the bowl of a food processor (or blender) and puree until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend for another minute.

Pour the cherry puree into each popsicle mold. Insert a popsicle stick in the middle or top with popsicle mold cover if available. Freeze for at least 6-8 hours, preferably overnight. Enjoy!

B)
Puree the cherries and sugar in a food processor until smooth. In a separate small bowl, mix the yogurt and coconut flakes until combined.

Spoon the cherry puree into the bottom of each popsicle mold. Top with dollops of yogurt blend. Insert a popsicle stick and freeze for at least 6-8 hours.

Strawberry Lavender Cake

Happy Monday!

It's my birthday today and I made myself a birthday cake! A Strawberry Lavender Cake to be precise.

Apparently you are not supposed to make yourself a birthday cake but I wanted to and there was no stopping me. Who makes these rules anyway? Here was an opportunity to make myself whatever I want without worrying whether people will like it because it's my cake. Like this strawberry lavender cake; a great flavor combination.

This cake is straight up from my cake crush; Sweetapolita and I've had it at the back of my mind for months. Honestly, all her cakes are on my to-bake list. Like this chocolate marshmallow cake. But I digress. This strawberry lavender cake starts with a wonderfully moist vanilla buttermilk cake that is filled with a whipped vanilla mascarpone filling & strawberry and lavender compote and then topped with whipped lavender frosting. It's a mouthful, I know but it's just as amazing as it sounds!! Let me break it down for you.

First, there is a light, airy yet very moist cake. Rosie (Sweetapolita) uses an interesting mixing technique in making this cake. She adds cold butter to the dry ingredients and mixes to create a cornmeal consistency before mixing in the wet ingredients and this makes a light and fluffier buttermilk cake. The cake is filled with vanilla whipped cream, which is a perfect match for strawberries. I added mascarpone cheese to this for more richness and a little tartness. In addition to the whipped cream, the cake is also filled with a fresh strawberry, lemon and lavender compote that is sweet and full of summer flavors. Finally, a perfectly sweet whipped vanilla lavender frosting tops it all. Lavender is a beautiful flavor and if you haven't tried it yet, I suggest you do soon. It's my first time baking with it and I don't know why it took me this long.

I am not a big fan of birthdays to be honest. I hate being the center of attention and despite my love of presents, I don't throw birthday parties! My wedding took lots and lots of effort to walk out and be stared down...yikes! Anyway, I let my husband host two dinner parties for me this weekend and I resisted the urge to be involved in any of the planning except making this cake and some cupcakes I'll share later. Thanks to the great presents, I survived both parties! Oh I got a camera fund started by my friends. I am almost ready to shop for a DSLR!! I can't wait.

Recipe: From Sweetapolita
- The only change I made was adding mascarpone cheese (1/3 cup) to the vanilla whipped cream filling at the end.

Here is a look at the aftermath of this beauty.

What's a Blahnik?

I recently realized not everyone knows what Blahnik in this blog’s title refers to. Silly me, I thought everyone knew what these beautiful things are! But, people keep asking “What’s a Blahnik?” So, I figured it’s about time I answered the question.

Simply put, Blahnik refers to shoes made by the famous designer, Manolo Blahnik. But to me, it’s more than just a shoe. It symbolizes friendship, perseverance, self-assurance, and the first chance at a fun dream. Before we talk about what it means, we need to talk about when & where it all started. 

The story begins in St. Paul, MN, in a small two bedroom apartment with a best friend and college roommate of 4 years. Instead of me telling you this story, I asked her to share with you the story behind my (slight) obsession with these shoes. 

Here’s Dimpho:

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In college, Zainab and I, like most college aged girls, were obsessed with Sex and the City. During our junior year, Target had a Black Friday special, every season for $10! We immediately jumped on it. Unfortunately, other people had the same idea and Target sold out before we could acquire the entire series. Luckily, they offered rain checks. Over the next six months, we scoured Targets hoping to complete our collection. Every time we purchased a new season, we’d sit down and watch it end to end. For us, it wasn’t necessarily the storylines as much as the style. The series taught us about creating our own signature style. I thought of myself as a plain Jane with funky accessories, while Zainab was into bold colors and patterns like the time she had yellow pants. But both of us loved the shoes!!! Especially Carrie’s favorite designer, Manolo Blahnik. However, since we were broke, we bought our heels from Payless that pinched our feet, but we loved them. 

In 2008, the first movie was released and of course, Blahniks played a special role. We watched Carrie prancing all over Manhattan in her Blahniks, hanging out with the girls, writing for Vogue, and planning her wedding. She finally had it all. Until she didn’t. Her world fell apart when she was left at the altar. At the end of the movie, what finally reunited her with her one true love were a pair of satin, cobalt blue, crystal encrusted toe Manolo Blahniks. Carrie left them behind and had to go retrieve the never-worn-before shoes, and who happened to be waiting for her, shoes in hand? Her true love. He got down on one knee, told her she was the one, and slipped the shoe on in the most gentle and loving way. Cheesy? We know!

Fast forward to 2012 and my college roommate, best friend, and sister for life is getting married. Who do you think she wanted to share the special occasion with? Me of course but those satin, cobalt blue, crystal encrusted toe Manolo Blahniks as well. And she did, walking down the aisle, posing for pictures, and dancing the night away. Forever embedding a shoe into the history of our friendship and the rest of her life. 

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Thanks Dimps! I miss those days of just vegging out all day on the couch and enjoying our DVDs. Who said growing up was fun?

What Dimpho didn’t mention, is the show helped me discover my style, confidence, and comfort with my body. And that’s why I fell in love with those shoes.  Being a college student and subsequently enrolling in graduate school for 6 long years meant my dream of owning the shoes would not come true for a very long time.  So instead, I kept a picture on my blackberry and continued to slowly save towards fulfilling my dream of owning them one day. For the first time in my life, I was pursing something other than a career goal, and it meant a lot to me. When my future husband came into the picture, he, of course, learned about my dream (or obsession!) and as a symbol of our love, he gave me the satin, cobalt blue, crystal encrusted toe Manolo Blahniks as a wedding present!  

So there you have it friends! The Blahnik in Blahnik Baker is about a dream, a beautiful pair of shoes, and confidence in me. It may not have anything to do with baking – but for me, the shoes and baking represent success and fulfillment in my personal life and it just felt right for the title of my blog.  

PS: this is the only picture where you can see I am wearing the shoes! I forgot to raise the dress all day for the pictures!

FYI: This is not a sponsored post and I was not compensated in anyway. I just really love Manolo Blahnik shoes.  

(All images are by Finch Photography)