I like little bundts and I can not lie!

I went out to cut some pine bows and dogwood branches for my holiday decorating and popped in to see my Mom. She sent me home with a new Ina Garten cookbook,  a spring form tube pan, a fluted pie plate (I think) and a mini bundt cake pan. I knew immediately I wanted to play with the mini bundt cake pan. I decided these would be wildly popular at the Red Mug so brought it to work. I wasn't doing the cooking and baking today but my co-worker Anna was happy to try out the recipe that was originally from Martha Stewart.

I would love to say I know first hand how delicious these were but I can't,  they all sold in a matter of an hour. A huge success. I did ask a few of my customers how they liked them and they said they loved them and thought we should offer them again. Who could resist their very own little bundt cake! So not only do I like big bundts, I like little bundts too! Hurry, go buy a mini bundt cake pan!

 Little Almond Bundt Cakes

Makes 6
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
6 tablespoons sliced almonds
1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds
5 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream, or plain yogur
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter six mini Bundt pans; set aside. Spread sliced almonds out on a baking pan, and toast until golden brown. Transfer nuts to a bowl to cool. In a medium bowl, combine chopped almonds, light-brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside. In another medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 6 tablespoons butter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg; beat until combined. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add 1/3 of reserved flour mixture and half of sour cream; beat to combine. Repeat. Add final third of flour mixture, and beat to combine.

Fill each Bundt pan with 3 tablespoons batter, and spread evenly with a small offset spatula or spoon. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons of reserved almond-spice mixture. Top with additional 3 tablespoons batter; the batter should come to within 1/2 inch of the rims of the pans.

Bake until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool completely. Unmold cakes. Place cakes, flat sides down, on a wire rack placed over a baking pan.

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat until color turns nut brown, about 5 minutes. Pour butter into a medium bowl, leaving behind any dark sediment. Stir in confectioners’ sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 3 tablespoons milk until smooth; add an additional tablespoon milk, if necessary, so glaze is pourable. Drizzle glaze over cakes, and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Serve.

Coconut Macaroons

Okay, these are SO GOOD. I love coconut and these are full of coconut, The hardest thing about making these cookies was figuring out how many cups of coconut is equal to 14 oz. I tried to make these to sell at Red Mug today but had no idea how to convert the 14 ounces of coconut to cups as I had 10 pounds of coconut that I was dealing with not a 14 oz bag. So when all else fails you GOOGLE IT. Well I'm glad I didn't rely on the answer I found online because I found a site that said it was 1.75 cups. It didn't sound right to me, I ran to the store and bought a 14 oz package of coconut and right on the front of the package it says it is 5 1/3 cups. Well, here is the recipe I found in another new cookbook by Ina Garten. if you have a sweet tooth and you love coconut you will be glad you made them.







COCONUT MACAROONS

14 ounce package of sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1 t. pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eg whites, at room temperature
1/4 t. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl and set aside. In separate bowl whip the egg whites and salt on high speed until they make medium firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using about a tablespoon of mix. Bake for 25- 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool and serve (yeah right...I popped one in my mouth and burnt my mouth but it was so worth it!) The skin on the roof of your mouth is overrated.

These cookies stay fresh for a few days if wrapped well and left at room temperature. Makes 20-22 cookies.