coconut mint blueberry cookies

I adore blueberries. They're definitely one of my favourite summer fruits and I've been buying and eating them by the crateful! These cookies were inspired by our blueberry coconut mojitos recipe, and I won't lie... I was extremely nervous about how these would turn out! I was craving blueberries and lemon and mint and coconut, but wanted them in pastry form... so I took a leap of faith and made these cookies and am sooo happy with how delicious these babies turned out! If you're a blueberry lover, I promise you can't go wrong with these.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of coconut oil

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup coconut flakes

1 cup fresh (or frozen!) blueberries

1/4 cup of shredded mint leaves

Preheat your oven to 35 degrees. Sift together your dry ingredients while in a separate bowl, mix together your wet ingredients. Slowly mix both parts in together. Leave your blueberries for last and gently mix them in so that they don't explode and make a big mess! Then bake for 12-15 minutes.

*sidenote: not that it'll be a problem... but I recommend that you eat ALL of these the day you make them! I saved a half dozen of them and found that because of the milk and blueberries that the cookies got a little soggy the next day and weren't as scrumptious :) *

Enjoy these delicious summer treats! 

p.s.  ♥ clara

spicy thai coconut peanut shrimp

Oh hi there. It's Clara.

Yep.

Clara is doing a food post for the first time since....well, lets not actually go there, since it's a little embarrassing. So on to the good stuff!

I adore Thai food. It has a wicked kick to it (think Chuck Norris), it's colourful, healthy, intense on flavour, smells glorious, and is the best Asian cuisine in the world (don't tell my Korean relatives...). I'm seriously hooked on Thai food, which means that although I honestly do love my roots and Korean food, Thai gets cooked a lot more at home.

It's just that good.

Thank goodness Caleb likes it just as much as I do, cause I'm a little obsessed and crave it all the time. And if you've never had any experience with Thai before... please, please, pleaseee do yourself favor, go find a good Thai restaurant or make this dish at home.

And then prepare your tastebuds for some crazy epicness.

Ingredients: 

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

2 cups of coconut milk

2 tbsp of corn starch

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp red curry paste

1 tbsp sriracha sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp minced garlic

4-5 cups of sliced veggies of your choice 

(I used carrots, broccoli, and peppers...)

1/2 cup of chopped, unsalted peanuts

1/2 cup of chopped, fresh cilantro

sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Whisk together the coconut milk and corn starch first in a medium bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients in the first set. Set aside.

2. In a medium sized pot, boil water and boil your shrimp (if they aren't already pre-cooked) until the shrimp turn bright pink/red. Drain the pot of the water and set your shrimp aside for now.

3. In a large wok, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add your onion and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in your remaining vegetables and saute until they are tender, but crisp. 

4. Add in the peanut mixture and shrimp to the wok and stir until it comes to a boil. 

5. Turn your stove down, add in your peanuts and cilantro, and serve over prepared rice. Garnish with additional peanuts, cilantro, and sesame seeds!

bacon jam

I know what you're thinking... this is AMAZING. Best idea ever, right?! Bacon jam? A bacon themed Christmas on ps.heart? Yes. That's right. You're welcome. Bacon is the best, and this bacon jam is going to blow your bacon-loving mind, because this stuff is seriously delicious and addicting and epic beyond words. You might even be hailed as the favourite (friend/child/brother/sister/cousin/whatever it is you are) if you decide you can part with this goodness and gift it away!

Ingredients:

2 packs of bacon (each at 500g)

2 medium onions

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup coffee

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp cinnamon

pepper and salt to taste

Instructions: 

1. Cut up your bacon into 1/2 inch strips. Dice your onions, and peel then smash up your garlic cloves.

2. Set a heavy skillet to med-high heat and begin cooking your bacon until it begins to brown. Keep your bacon fat! (cause really, if you're going for bacon jam, you might as well go all in).

3. Stir in your onions and cook until softened (8-10 minutes).

4. Add in your maple syrup, vinegar, coffee, and worcestershire sauce. Season with cinnamon, pepper, and salt. Continue to cook until the mixture has a glossy appearance and a syrup-like consistency (up to 1 hour). Don't forget to stir occasionally!

5. Let the mixture cool for 20 minutes, then stick it in the blender and puree. You don't want it to end up "pasty," so don't go to town while blending! It should still be thick and chunky at the end.

6. Enjoy the pure awesomeness that is now bacon jam! 

*Note: bacon jam can be refrigerated for approximately 1 month. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

p.s. ♥ clara 

pumpkin squares with creamcheese icing

This recipe is seriously fail-proof. It is soooo good, perfect for fall, and so simple!

They're always a hit and although they always satisfy my pumpkin cravings...

they definitely keep me coming for more :)

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oil

2 cans (15 ounces each) of pumpkin puree

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix first four ingredients in a medium sized bowl until light and fluffy.
Sift together the dry ingredients separately, then stir into wet mixture.
Spread batter into a 9x13 inch pan that is greased.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Cool before frosting!

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese
1/2 cup of softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups of icing sugar

I promise, you won't regret making these! They're always a favourite and get gobbled up right away :)

p.s. ♥ clara

tasty tuesday: pumpkin pie yogurt parfaits!

I am absolutely in love with fall. As a girl who grew up in southern Ontario, I seriously miss the beautiful changing colours of Ontario's countless maple trees. Fall to me meant long hours raking our big backyard with my little brother then jumping off our trampoline into mountainous piles of crunchy, colourful leaves. It also meant pumpkin season. Every year, my parents took us out to the pumpkin patch where we would get to pick a pumpkin (not everyone is as blessed to have grown up on a real farm *cough* kelsey *cough*... and no, I'm not jealous... not at alllll..). I'm getting side-tracked though, so to get to the point, fall = pretty leaves = pumpkins = best season ever. 

Don't ask how that equation works, it just does. And yes, math is not my friend. 

So here's a deliciously simple breakfast or snack for all you fellow pumpkin-loving fall people!

Seriously, it's awesome. Healthy, scrump-ta-la-lump-tious, and so so simple!

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp maple syrup

1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup of your favourite granola
1 tbsp hemp

Instructions

1. Mix together the first four ingredients.
2. Start with a base layer of granola.
3. Layer in your greek yogurt and pumpkin mixture.
4. Finish it off with a dollop of greek yogurt and sprinkle more granola and hemp on top.
5. If using mason jars, make extras and stick them in your fridge for an easy breakfast-to-go!

Happy pumpkin picking, dear friends!

p.s.  ♥ clara

tasty tuesday : snickerdoodles

I love snickerdoodles. And for more reasons than the fact that they are delicious! They're my favourite kind of cookie... soft, moist, chewy, with a lovely cinnamon-sugar topping.... and then there's the name. Snickerdoodle. 

Best. Cookie name. Ever. Right?

So, this got me thinking... why in the world are they called snickerdoodles? So here's what my research (*cough* wikipedia *cough*) revealed to me.

Snickerdoodles are probably German in origin and it a corruption of the German word "Schneckennudein," which was a kind of pastry that translated means "snail noodles." 

Yeah. Weird. 

But wait, it's ALSO possible that: the name could also simply be a nonsense word with no particular meaning, originating from a New England tradition of whimsical cookie names. 

Much better. 

So there you have it! A little lesson on the origins of the perfectly delectable and delightful sounding, "snickerdoodle."

{  i  n  g  r  e  d  i  e  n  t  s  }

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
a very, itsy, bitsy, teenie, tiny pinch of nutmeg!

{  i  n  s  t  r  u  c  t  i  o  n  s  }

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees!
2. Cream together your first three ingredients.
3. Mix your dry ingredients separately.
4. Blend your two mixtures together until they are well-blended!
5. In a separate small bowl, mix in your 2 tbsp of white sugar and spices.
6. Roll your dough into small balls, then roll them in your small bowl of the cinnamon sugar.
7. Place them onto a greased baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes (DON'T OVERBAKE!), and remove from pans to cool on wire racks.

Enjoy!

p.s.  ♥ clara

tasty tuesday : chocolate coconut cupcakes

So here's the deal, I love coconut. Seriously, I am a little obsessed. And I'm not as talented of a baker as miss Kelsey or miss Jordyn... so what am I presenting to you? Their incredible chocolate (cup)cake recipe with a large dose of coconut! Call it a lazy post if you want, but this coconut spin on their chocolate cake recipe was ah-may-zinggg!! And it went perfectly with the Great Gatsby inspiration shoot that I organized last week... that's right dear readers, the Great Gatsby is coming your way and here's the first sneak peek!

Ingredients:
3 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
2/3 cup Cocoa

1/4 cup coconut flakes

1 TBSP Vanilla
2 TBSP Vinegar
3/4 cup Margarine (melted)
1 cup Warm Water

1 cup Coconut Milk

Instructions:
1) Mix together all dry ingredients; then pour all wet ingredients over top and mix until moist.
2) Pour batter into 9x13 pan /or 2 round pans /or cupcake tins (makes about 24-30 cupcakes)
3) Bake at 350: for 35-40 minutes for cake [or until a toothpick comes out clean] OR:  for 20-25 minutes for cupcakes.

So if you go --> here <-- you'll find the original recipe and more photos on how to make the batter! And below is the coconut frosting I used to top this delicious cake.

Ingredients for Coconut Frosting:

1 cup butter at room temp

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes 

Mix in the first four ingredients until your icing is a good texture - frost away, and then sprinkle your coconut flakes on top! 

And here's some frames from the Great Gatsby shoot... If you want to see more, visit my website at Clara Cecilia Photography to get the full sneak peek!! 

p.s.  ♥ clara