Coconut Chocolate Scones

It's snowing as I write this. It's not a blizzard, and it's not staying on the ground, but it is snowing. I'm partially excited because the air is fresh and it's snowing ever so lightly that it's more calming than chaotic white mess. But then again, it's snow, it's the beginning of 6 months of winter and two pairs of pants. At least we have baked goods to get us through. For some reason I think of scones as winter food. They're dense, sweet and need a cup of tea - all things I crave in a snack during the colder months. These scones are moist and slightly chocolatey and the perfect accompaniment to my day cozied up with a blanket and a book. 

Ingredients
Adapted from Hungry Girl

2 cups all-purpose white flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/2 shredded coconut, toasted
1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk
1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted

Preheat the oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, mix in the butter until the mixture is similar to sand, the butter being no larger than pea sized.
Stir in the coconut and chocolate chips and make a well in the centre. Pour the cream and vanilla into the well and gently combine, until a dough begins to form. On a floured surface, knead the dough (about 10 times) until the dough is well formed. Pat the dough into a large circle, approximately 1 1/2 inches thick - or your desired thickness. Cut into 8 large triangles and place on the baking sheet. Brush scones with milk and lightly dust with coconut. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned.

Coconut Lime Pull-Apart Bread

Maybe I should consider changing the title of this blog to something with coconut in it. I think nearly everything I've been baking recently has coconut. Or lime. This bread is no exception. It is similar to a cinnamon bun except instead of cinnamon it uses coconut oil, toasted coconut, and lime zest to ensure a sweet and tangy taste. It's moist and chewy, and perfect for dessert, but better for breakfast!

Ingredients

(Adapted from A Beautiful Mess)

1/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons melted, coconut oil
1/3 cup light cream
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lime zest
1/3 cup toasted coconut

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/2 cup toasted coconut

In a small bowl combine warm water, pinch of salt and yeast. Allow to rest for at least 8 minutes, until foamy. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture, melted coconut oil and cream. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Stir until combined and form into a ball of dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and rise for at least one hour, until it has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. After the dough has risen, roll it into a large rectangle (1/4 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface. Brush with melted coconut oil and sprinkle with sugar, zest and toasted coconut. Cut the dough into small rectangles, stack, and place in a lightly greased loaf pan. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. When ready, bake for 35 minutes. Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth. After allowing the bread to cool for 10 minutes, pour the the glaze over top and sprinkle with more toasted coconut. Now dig in while it's still warm and gooey!

Key Lime Pie with Coconut Crust

Last week I had an interview for an exciting internship opportunity over the summer in California! I'll talk more about this later but to ease my nerves that morning I woke up and baked a pie. It seems rather ambitious to bake a pie before an interview rather than other sorts of preparations, but baking calms my nerves! So a pie it was. Mom and I have been going crazy over a local food truck here called the Itty Bitty Pie Company that make the best miniature key lime pies in the universe, and ever since we found them I've been itching to replicate. After searching through several recipes, I finally found one that was simple enough to whip up in a couple hours. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
(Adapted from Hummingbird High)

Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (appx. 14 crackers)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil

Filling
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 tablespoon lime zest

Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a food processor, combine graham crackers and shredded coconut until crumbly. In a bowl mix together the crumb mixture, coconut oil and sugar until moist. Using your fingers press the mixture into a 9 inch pie dish, until evenly spread. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely.

Lower the oven to 325 F. In a bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice and zest until just mixed. Pour into your cooled crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until solid but still slightly jiggles. Allow to cool before serving. Top with whipped cream and lime zest.

Note: I know this is technically supposed to be key lime but we had lots of regular limes so I used those and it was still fantastic. Lime Pie just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Coconut Brownies

I always think I don't like brownies. If I'm in a bakery or a cafe, no part of me is thinking about choosing a brownie. Even when I'm browsing through recipes I'm always like "Meh, brownies." But then for some reason I'll buy one or I'll make a batch and I'm like, "Ohh yea...brownies." So of course I had to make a coconut-ty version of them to satisfy all the needs. These brownies are still the perfect amount of chocolate with a slight hint of coconut. If you want to jazz them up even more you could add a hint of espresso powder or some coffee chips to give them a light mocha flavour.

Here's the recipe:

Adapted from the Pastry Affair

Ingredients 

4 tablespoons solid coconut oil
4 oz of semi sweet chocolate, chopped
2 eggs
3/4 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9x9 square pan with aluminum foil and light grease.

In a saucepan, melt together the coconut oil and chopped chocolate until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for five minutes. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Once the chocolate has cooled slightly, mix in the egg, sugars and vanilla. Gentle stir in the flour, baking powder and salt making sure not to form an air bubbles. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into the greased pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the shredded coconut on top until covered. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out (mostly) clean.

Three-Layer Pineapple Cake

Over the past couple months I've been really into cakes. I've never really been a cake lover either, I'm more of a pie girl. But lately! Lately I've just had an itch at making these sweet, layered, beauties. It is a well known fact on this blog that anything coconut-y (or with the potential to become coconut-y) is an immediate favourite in my books. Add that hint of coconut flavour to a moist, pineapple cake, smothered in whipped cream and you've got yourself a winner. I found this recipe on one of my regular browses through Pinterest and as soon as I got home that night I headed straight to the kitchen and began baking away! Though there are quite a few steps involved, this cake comes out stunning and delicious. I'll be surprised if it's not the best cake you've ever had. Here's my take on the three-layer pineapple cake:

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon coconut extract

3/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare 3- 8 inch cake pans, greased and lined with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugars on medium speed, until creamy. Add in the vegetable oil and coconut extract. Gradually add in the yogurt and dry mixture, alternating between the two until just combined. Gently fold in the drained, crushed pineapple. Evenly distribute the batter between the cake pans, and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

For the filling:

20 oz can crushed pineapple

1.5 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoon water

In a small saucepan, heat the pineapple, sugar and water, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick.

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 dark rum

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. When the sugar has evaporated, remove from heat. Allow to cool and stir in the rum.

2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup icing sugar

Whip the cream and icing sugar together until stiff peaks form. Allow to chill.

3/4 cup toasted coconut

Once the cakes have completely cooled, you can begin assembling the cake. Starting with one cake as the base, soak the top of the cake with the rum syrup. Next gently spread a few tablespoons of the crushed pineapple mixture on top. Spread about 3/4 cup of whipped cream on top and lightly dust with toasted coconut. Continue these layers until your cake is completely assembled. Allow the cake to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. For serving, gently saw with a serrated knife, making sure not to crush the cake. 

I know this cake will be the perfect summer dessert and am already dreaming up some cupcake versions of it to bring to parties and BBQs!  

Almond Coconut Energy Bites

On some of my favourite food blogs, and all over my Pinterest feed, I keep seeing variations of these protein packed energy balls. They deceivingly look like they could be some sort of chocolate-coconut concoction but when I peek at the ingredients they're always filled with loads of ingredients that I definitely don't have in my cupboards (though a frequent whole foods shopper might). If you frequent any health food and vegan blogs you may have stumbled across ingredients such as maca powder, or carob powder and had the same thoughts as I did, what in the heck am I gonna do with those! Upon further reading they're supposed to have all sorts of benefits, but when 'creation mode' strikes I usually stick to what I already have on hand.

These energy bites are packed full of goodness with simple ingredients, a slight nuttiness, and a hint of sweetness. What started as following a recipe quickly became me dumping ingredients into the food processor until things seemed right. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1/3 cup almond butter

12 pitted dates

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2-4 tablespoon maple syrup

In a food processor, combine the almond butter and dates until well blended. Add in the coconut, oats, flax, and chia seeds, and mix until it the mixture is similar to fine granules. Mix in the coconut oil and gradually add in the maple syrup until the mixture can hold itself in small balls. After everything is combined, roll the mixture into approximately 12 balls and roll into additional coconut (you could also leave them plain or roll them in sesame seeds or other nuts for something different!). Freeze until ready to eat! 

This recipe is great because you can adjust the ingredients to various nuts and seeds depending on what you have on hand or what your taste buds prefer. They're a great mid-afternoon pick me up without too much guilt!

Homemade Almond Joy Bars

Sunday was one of those days where I woke up and immediately felt the need to make something. I get that feeling pretty regularly, but knowing I had a few other items to check off my to do list I got right to it - didn't even eat breakfast first! I've seen on a few of my favourite food blogs the creation of homemade versions of classic candy bars, and they always look ten times better than the plastic packaged original. As you know I am passionate about everything coconut, and though the closest Canadian equivalent is a Bounty bar, I decided to recreate our beloved American friend's Almond Joy Bar. These were so simple to make - even easier than marshmallows (which I know sounds hard but really isn't). If you're having a candy craving make your own! And everything is better fun sized so what's stopping you!? Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Pinch of salt

12 whole, roasted almonds

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a food processor, ground together the coconut, oil, maple syrup, vanilla and almond extract. It should form a thick and sticky mixture (if it holds together in a ball then you're good to go). On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, make approximately 12 rounded rectangles with the coconut mixture. Lightly press a whole almond on top and freeze for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, melt the chocolate chips (30 second increments, stirring in between). Using toothpicks, dip your solid coconut pieces in the chocolate, doing your best to cover it completely. Allow to dry on the parchment before serving

Note: I chopped up some additional almonds and sprinkled it on top of the melted chocolate to make them a little prettier.

I could eat these forever. Once you try them it'll be real hard opening up the plastic wrapper and knowing you won't be nearly as satisfied with your processed bar of gunk. Bring on the homemade-fun-sized happiness!

(Adapted from this recipe)

Coconut Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

After finishing up the first week of school on Thursday, I was up and ready to let out some creative energy and stress with a mini bake-a-thon on Friday morning (very mini in that I only made two items, the second of which will be on the blog soon enough). Earlier in the week I saw a post over on Ambitious Kitchen for these amazing cookies that contained one of my favourite ingredients - did you guess it? - coconut. I love how the texture and taste of a simple chocolate chip cookie can change by swapping in and out a few different ingredients. These cookies are made dense with oats and shredded coconut, slightly sweet with brown sugar and ever so chocolatey with chocolate chips. The best part? No butter. Coconut oil comes to the rescue as a healthier fat and I'm now finding myself needing multiple jars for the many things I use it for - face wash, hair mask, baking, I can't believe I haven't mentioned my love for this oil yet. Anyways, I'm just blabbering on now so here's the recipe:

Ingredients 

1 1/4 cup quick oats

1 1/4 cup all purpose white flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup melted coconut oil

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

2 teaspoons milk (preferably dairy)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut oil and brown sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add in the egg, milk and vanilla, mixing on medium speed until well blended. Gradually add in the flour mixture until combined. Mix in the shredded coconut and chocolate chips. Spoon the dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until they just begin to brown along the edges. 

I'll be facing the battle of the books once again this week but will be much happier doing so with a cookie in hand! How could you seriously say no to a coconut chocolate chip cookie?

White Chocolate Coconut Cookies

When I'm feeling frustrated I usually need to create something in order to settle my nerves. As strange as it may seem, having a kitchen fail one morning (let's just say not every recipe is a good one) led to a very big kitchen win with my favourite ingredient, coconut. I followed this recipe and tweaked it a little to better suit my liking. To quote my mother "This is the best cookie I've ever had. You need to make more. We're so making these at Christmas. You could sell these!" They're great people, really really great. I hope you like coconut because they're coming at you.

Ingredients

75 mL solid coconut oil

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

2 tbsp coconut oil

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (toasted)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cream together the coconut oil and the sugar. Beat in the egg and coconut extract. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix it into the oil mixture on medium speed. Gradually add in the sweetened coconut until it is well distributed. Place small drops of the batter onto a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the bottoms are a light, golden brown. Allow them to cool

In the microwave melt together the coconut oil and chocolate chips. Lightly dip the tops of each cookie into the chocolate glaze and next into the toasted coconut and allow them to set.

After a delicious dinner we treated ourselves to a hot cup of tea and a couple cookies. I would suggest doubling this recipe because it doesn't make nearly as many as you'll want to be eating (about 16 cookies total).  They are light, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside and oh so coconutty - this cookie is a keeper.

Adapted from this recipe.

Chocolate Brownie Donuts: Three Ways to Glaze

     I've always been a foodie at heart. I remember asking for a blender for my twelfth birthday and the excitement that followed opening it, as well as my beloved Kitchen Aid mixer for graduation and a few other kitchen accessories in between, so it should be of no surprise that on my most recent birthday I received a donut pan. I've seen a few recipes on Pinterest for homemade donuts, and was definitely intrigued after trying out a few in some gourmet donut shops, so this week I put my donut pan to good use and made some of my own.

    Looking through various donut recipes I wasn't sure about the type of donut I wanted to make or how difficult they could be. Assuming (correctly, I might add) that anything chocolate would be  delicious I decided to try out this recipe for Chocolate Brownie Donuts. I am without words. My first attempt at donuts was beyond what my taste buds could handle - in a good way - and was welcomed with high praise from my family (and also exclamations of "why did you cut the recipe in half!?" but twelve donuts just seemed like a lot at the time!). I did try out a peanut butter glaze as the recipe suggested however I felt like experimenting so I added two other kinds into the mix - chocolate coconut and white chocolate peppermint - which brings us back to the title, chocolate brownie donuts: three ways to glaze.

Peanut Butter Glaze: 2-4 donuts

1/2 cup icing sugar, 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter, 

2 tbsp 2% milk, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk all the ingredients together and depending on your preferred consistency add more icing sugar, peanut butter, or milk. Dip the cooled donuts in and sprinkle with chopped nuts (I used almonds - mild in flavour but still with a good amount of crunch). 

Chocolate Coconut Glaze: 2-4 donuts

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 2 tbsp coconut oil, 

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Melt together the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave, stirring frequently. Add more chocolate or oil, as before, depending on your preferred consistency. Dunk in the cooled donuts and sprinkle with the toasted coconut until well coated.

White Chocolate Peppermint Glaze: 2-4 donuts

1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 

1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Melt together the white chocolate chips, vegetable oil and peppermint in the microwave, stirring frequently. Add more chocolate or oil, again, depending on your preferred consistency. Dip in cooled donuts and sprinkle with chopped chocolate pieces or crushed peppermint candies.

Surprise, surprise, the coconut was the favourite donut but that's not to say the peanut butter or white chocolate peppermint weren't equally delicious. These donuts are going into my hall of fame of baked goods for pure decadence. They are best served with a cold glass of milk, but I enjoyed them with what else but a hot cup of tea - and I dare you not to finish them all in one day!

Tip: When filling the donut pan, I found it easiest to fill a ziplock bag with the batter, cut the tip off and pipe them in to ensure they were filled evenly. You could also skip the sprinkling of nuts on the Peanut Butter Glaze by using crunchy peanut butter instead!

Coconut Raspberry Muffins

Feeling in the mood for coconut once again - but really who am I kidding? I'm always in the mood for coconut - I decided to make this muffin recipe for double coconut muffins that I had pinned on my Pinterest a little while back. The great thing about these muffins is that they had no butter, little sugar, and were also half whole wheat flour!

They didn't rise into your typical, crumby, muffin either but were more like a dense coconut biscuit, which I found to be even better. Though I loved the idea of 'double coconut' for taste I decided to mix in some frozen raspberries for some added flavour and colour. Great decision, they tasted amazing.

                            Ingredients 

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

1 cup plain greek yogurt

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1 cup frozen raspberries

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a muffin tin with coconut oil. Mix together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Stir in 1/2 cup of the shredded coconut. In a small saucepan, heat the coconut just until it melts then remove from heat. Beat together the coconut oil, yogurt, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Combine the flour and oil mixtures together. The batter will be very thick and heavy, similar to a cookie dough. Fold in the raspberries. Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with the remaining shredded coconut. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I intended to have these for breakfast for a few days but they were so good I could barely stop myself, or my family, from snacking on them and finishing them within a day and a half! Such a simple, healthier, and delicious muffin recipe, this one is for the books!

Coconut Banana Bread

You would think that with the name of this blog featuring a well-loved baked good, I would have started with a post on making banana bread. During my last couple years of high school, I became known among my friends for my banana bread. It was the one recipe I had perfected and had even given as a gift on numerous occasions. Though I have shared that recipe with a few close friends, I am not ready to share it with the internet just yet, so instead I am turning to Ambitious Kitchen for a healthier banana bread option. Looking at my Pinterest boards, you'll notice that I have recently developed an obsession with all things coconut and this recipe for Coconut Banana Bread couldn't be more appealing!

Ingredients

1 cup white flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 ripe medium bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 egg whites

1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the flours, baking powder and baking soda in a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the bananas, vanilla and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg whites and olive oil. Gradually add in the flour mixture until it is well combined. On low speed, mix in the greek yogurt and orange juice - if the batter is too heavy, add a couple tablespoons of milk. Finally, fold in the 1/2 cup of coconut until it is evenly distributed. Pour the batter into a non-stick loaf pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Great for breakfast or a snack, the hint of coconut and the classic banana flavour brings the tropics to your taste buds on these (still) chilly first days of spring!

Note: The whole wheat flour makes for a heavier bread, so if you prefer for something lighter you can use entirely white flour. Also, why not try mixing in some dark chocolate chips for something more decadent or your favourite nut for an added crunch!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Toasted Coconut Frosting

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday (Happy Birthday Mom!). After just coming home from a last minute vacation, there wasn't much time to pick up a birthday gift. That being said I am all about anything homemade. It adds a personal touch that can't be store bought, and more often than not is much more delicious. So as my Mom was out for the morning, I did my best to make a tasty birthday treat with what was in our cupboards. I didn't have time to run out and pick up other ingredients if I wanted the treat to be complete and all cleaned up by the time she got home, so I browsed through various recipes that included chocolate and coconut. The result was combining a couple different ones to create chocolate cupcakes with a toasted coconut frosting. I followed this recipe for the chocolate cake,  however I divided it in half and split it into a dozen cupcakes - sometimes an entire cake can be a little overwhelming to eat.

Ingredients 

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 

1 cup sugar, heaping

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cups. In a small bowl dissolve the cocoa powder in the boiling water, and add the vanilla when cooled. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs one at a time until well combined. In a separate bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients. With your mixer on low, gradually add the cocoa mixture and flour mixture to the butter, eggs and sugar. Mix until everything is blended. Evenly distribute the cake mixture into the 12 muffin cups and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to completely cool before icing.

For the frosting I used this recipe. It is more similar to marshmallow fluff than buttercream but I found it to be the perfect topping - not too sweet or heavy. Though next time to add more coconut flavour, I would substitute the vanilla extract with coconut. I toasted half a bag of sweetened, shredded coconut, and after icing the cupcakes, sprinkled it on and shook off any excess. The result couldn't have been better! After a nice dinner at home, these moist, chocolatey with just a hint of coconut cupcakes were a great alternative to any store-bought birthday cake.

If you're not a fan of coconut, try sprinkling graham cracker crumbs on top instead of coconut for a s'mores flavoured cupcake!