Tasty Coconut Clusters

We have been in the mood for coconut. What better way to eat coconut than in a yummy cookie?! We found some recipes for coconut "almond joy" cookies and loved the idea of a coconut cookie that is chewy but also crunchy and packed with flavor. After looking at about 100 different recipes, we created our recipe. The main difference from those we found is that we toast our almonds for extra toasty flavor and add fancy sea salt to the "dough" and to the top of the cookies. These have already become a huge hit with our family and friends.

Warning: These are addictive.

Enjoy! 

xxx Ivy & Eve

Makes approximately 20 cookies. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (or whatever kind of chocolate chips you have)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (the fancier the better) plus more for sprinkling on top

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. Toast the sliced almonds in a small skillet until lightly golden. Let cool.  
4. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
5. Scoop large spoonfuls onto the parchment paper.
6. Slightly pat the mounds down.
7. Sprinkle with quality sea salt.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Until the cookies are golden around the edges.
9. Let cool and enjoy!

Father's Day Float!

Just in time for Father's Day, we decided to share one of our new favorite recipes that is "Dad approved". We discovered this tasty delight at one of our favorite local coffee shops, Crema, in Pacific Grove. Ivy was a little wiry of this concoction when Eve ordered it from the menu, but after taking a sip herself, Ivy decided it was delicious. We didn't get this recipe from Crema, but it tastes pretty darn close! Their espresso shot was super smooth (which was delicious), whereas our espresso was a bit more intense. It totally depends on your preferences. Its fairly simple to make however we recommend trying it out at Crema yourself first. We made this for our Dad before we left for Europe as an early Father’s Day treat. We think any Dad (or beer lover) will love this sweet treat!

xxx Ivy & Eve

Makes two floats.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout beer (You can find it at most beer shops or at Total Wine & More.)

• Good Chocolate syrup

• 2 shots of espresso- We used our Nespresso machine

• Good vanilla ice cream

 Directions

1. Chill pint glasses in the freezer for several hours. (optional)

2. Brew one shot of espresso for each (2 total) and let cool slightly.

3. Drizzle chocolate syrup on the inside of each glass.

4. Scoop out 2-3 scoops of ice cream into each glass.

5. Add one espresso shot to each.

6. Top with Chocolate Stout.

7. Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries for Mother's Day & Free Printable Card!

With Mother's Day just around the corner, Eve and I were toying with ideas of what to give our Mom this year. After some time thinking, we decided we would make her chocolate-covered strawberries. We always buy these yummy morsels when we spot them in cafes and chocolate shops but had never really attempted to make any ourselves. It was SO simple, not to mention affordable! We recommend pairing these with a bottle of bubbly, naturally. We also designed a cute card to go with them for your Mom, because she really is the sweetest! Download the full-size card (we made a mini one to fit better in the pictures) for FREE by subscribing HERE! If you already subscribe, don't worry. We will be sending it to you shortly. Cheers to all our sweet Mothers! 

xxx Ivy & Eve

Ingredients & Supplies

• High-quality white & dark melting chocolate 

• Strawberries

• Sprinkles, Nuts, and anything you want to top them with (optional)

• Baking sheet

• Parchment paper

 Directions

1. Place melting chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl (you can also melt on the stove if you have more time).

2. Set the microwave to 30-second increments and stir until just melted.

3. Place parchment paper on baking sheet

4. Simply dip the strawberry in chocolate

5. Top with sprinkles or whatever your heart desires

6. Let cool and set in the refrigerator before serving (they are best eaten the day of or next day).

Your Mom will LOVE them, we promise!

Death by Chocolate Guinness Cake

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This cake is perfect for celebrating everything Irish. It is equally ideal for any beer or chocolate lover's celebration. The first time Eve encountered this densely delicious cake was during a college bake-off in England! It is so good, two of her friends used this recipe for their cake entries. One taste, and it'll be hard not to eat the whole thing!

xxx Ivy & Eve

Adapted from Nigella Lawson's recipe in Feast.

Makes one 9-inch cake.

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 cup Guinness

• 1 cup butter (two sticks)

• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa

• 2 cups superfine sugar

• ⅔ cup sour cream

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2½ teaspoons baking powder

For the Frosting

• ½ cup cream cheese

• 1¼ cups powdered sugar

• ½ cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)

• Smashed malt balls (preferably Maltesers)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F

2. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment, butter or pam the pan

3. In a large saucepan, pour in the Guinness and butter, turn heat onto Med/Low until butter is melted

4. While the butter is melting, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla together

5. Once melted, take off the stove and whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder

6. Pour and whisk in the egg/sour cream/vanilla mixture

7. Lastly, add the flour and baking powder and mix well to get the lumps out

8. Pour the mixture into the lined and buttered pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (the cake may wobble a little when you move it)

9. Leave the cake to cool in the pan on a cooling rack. It will be a very moist cake.

10. Once it's cool, take the cake out of the pan and place on a cake stand or plate

11. To make the frosting, whip the cream cheese in an electric mixer until smooth, add the sifted powdered sugar, and lastly, add the cream and whip well.

12. Frost the top of the cake (so it looks like the foam on the top of a pint!) and add the crushed malt balls as decoration!

13. Sláinte!