daily meal

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Heath Bar Toffee Dip with Apples


Although the summer cookout season has come to a close, the fall party and holiday dinners are just beginning! Whenever I have friends and family over I love having a multitude of various appetizers and snacks to satisfy everyone's tastes.  Of course, making several different appetizers can be quite a task in itself, and that is only the first course! This heath bar toffee dip though is very simple to make and can be prepared ahead of time.  It is always a crowd pleaser and a great way to use up apples from the fall picking season.

Heath Bar Toffee Dip with Apples
Ingredients:
-5 to 10 granny smith apples (depending on party size use more or less)
-1 can pineapple juice
-1 12 oz container of cream cheese, softened 
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup powdered sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
-3/4 cup heath bar toffee bits

Directions:
Rinse and slice apples (no need to peel them) and place in a bowl.  Pour the pineapple juice over them, cover, and refrigerate overnight.  This gives the apples a delicious flavor and prevents them from browning (do not use lemon juice because although lemon juice prevents browning, for the purpose of this recipe the flavor would be too strong and very different). 

For the dip, blend together the powdered sugar, brown sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla in a bowl.  Fold in the toffee bits.  Cover the dip and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours.  

When ready to serve, strain the apples and place on a plate around the dip.  Dunk the apples right in and enjoy! You may even end up taking plain spoonfuls of the dip... I sure do at least! 


Thanks to my aunt for always having this recipe at her house growing up and passing it along to me! 

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Saturday, September 3, 2011

Freshly Baked Scones and Kelapo Coconut Oil

Last week I was asked by Kelapo Coconut Oil to write a review of their product.  Since I have had coconut oil in the past and absolutely love the flavor of coconut, I accepted the request excitedly!

As soon as I received my sample in the mail, I tore open the package, cut through the plastic wrapping, popped open the lid, and spooned a tablespoon of the coconut oil right into my mouth! It was delicious! I could honestly just eat the oil straight out of the jar.  As I sat there spooning out the coconut oil, I realized I should probably stop and save some since I wanted to use it in a recipe.  So before I ate it all plain, I begrudgingly put the lid back on the oil.


I was so torn as to what to make with the coconut oil, but knew that I wanted to bake something.  Coconut cake, Madeleine's, cupcakes, cookies, and macarons, all raced through my head.  However, I remembered that on my trip to the UK when I was staying in Bed and Breakfasts, I was lucky enough to have freshly baked scones every morning.... mmmmmm! With that in mind, I set forth to bake my own homemade scones for breakfast using the Kelapo Coconut Oil, and here was the result....


An absolutely, perfectly delicious, and scrumptious scone! I was afraid that by not using all of the butter and shortening and replacing it with coconut oil that they may taste different or not rise well, but they were stunning in look, smell, and taste! And if you happen to be someone who does not like the flavor of coconut, do not worry, the coconut flavor does not overpower when using it for baking, it simply replaces less healthier ingredients!

Freshly Baked Scones
Ingredients:
-2 cups flour
-4 teaspoons baking powder
-3/4 teaspoon salt
-1/3 cup sugar
-3 tablespoons Kelapo Coconut Oil (original recipe called for shortening)
-2 tablespoons butter, diced (original recipe called for 4 tablespoons)
-3/4 cup cream
-1 egg
-Healthy handful of raisins, craisins, or dried currants (I used craisins this time around)
-1 egg beaten, plus 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
-Sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Incorporate the butter and coconut oil (you can actually use all coconut oil and no butter if you prefer, but this was the first time I used the oil in a scone recipe so I wanted to see how it would come out.  Now having done it, I would just use all coconut oil).

In a separate bowl, beat the egg and mix in the cream.  Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and combine well.  At this point, it is probably best to just use your hands to mix the dough.  Then, mix in the raisins, craisins, dried currants, or your fruit of choice.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough about 1/2 inch thick and cut into round circle with a biscuit cutter, or triangular shapes if you prefer.

Lightly brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle with a little sugar (optional).  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Serve warm with butter, or better yet, Kelapo Coconut Oil! I used the oil as a spread over my scones and absolutely loved it! I was actually amazed at myself for liking the oil spread more than butter.  Overall, the coconut oil turned out to be pretty fantastic and a great ingredient to bake with.  Using coconut oil is much healthier than using all butter, shortening, or other cooking oils.  Better yet, when using coconut oil as a replacement, it is not a one to one ratio.  Rather, you can use about 3/4 of what the recipe calls for when it says to use butter or shortening.


(I'm glad I just got my nails done...)

For more information on the benefits of coconut oil and its many uses, including gel capsules, skin scare, and so forth, check out the Kelapo Coconut Oil website here: http://www.kelapo.com/

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