I apologize for once again dropping off the face of the Earth... it's obvious to me now that summertime is not the best time for my baking habits. It's too hot. I'm enjoying the sun. I'm going on all sorts of adventures. That kind of thing. But, once again, I'm sorry. And I'm back and hoping to get back on the swing of things. With that being said... I bring you "Coconut Ranger Cupcakes".
"What is a coconut ranger?", you may be asking. And to be honest with you, until a few weeks ago, I would be asking the same question. People are always coming and going at my job, and someone else was headed out the door. I could say that just another Manager in Training was leaving after just another few week stint, but he was a pretty swell dude. Always offering stories of one of the many crazy and very random jobs he held at one time. I'll miss him. Back to the cupcakes! I told him how I bake cupcakes when people leave and I inquired what kind he would like. I offered the normal questions to give him ideas like "what kind of booze do you like" (who am I kidding, that's the only question I ever ask). He really wasn't going for that. He told me that when he was in Texas, he had eaten this cookie called a coconut ranger and, thanks to smart phones, moments later I knew exactly what was in one. My sister, who happened to be standing there too, and I immediately started brain storming what these cupcakes could be. A week or two went by and it was crunch time. Tomorrow was his last day! We still didn't actually know what a coconut ranger tasted like. We quickly whipped up a batch of cookies in no time. This was the recipe we used:
They're essentially oatmeal cookies with coconut and whatever else you want to add. I saw peanuts, chocolate chips, raisins, you get the idea. Eventually we settled on an oatmeal cupcake with brown sugar icing dipped in toasted coconut.
The cupcakes were going to be simple. I looked for a recipe for oatmeal cupcakes that wouldn't require too much effort, since we were baking these before going into work. I looked for essential ingredients for the cookies during my search: brown sugar and oatmeal. Once I found one, I omitted the ingredients that weren't in the cookies. For the recipe I found, I just didn't add cinnamon. It ended up being just a boxed yellow cake mix made how the box tells you to with brown sugar and oats added to it. We tasted the cake batter when it was finished and we were afraid that it tasted "too yellow". There wasn't quite enough of the oatmeal flavor. We put them in the oven just the way they were and hoped they would come out how we wanted. Just bake them how the box tells you to and everything will be fine.
While our sweet cupcakes were in the oven, we searched for icing. Initially, we were thinking of a coconut icing. We ate another cookie. Coconut isn't really the main flavor at all. That was out the window and the hunt for brown sugar icing was underway. We looked at a couple recipes and they were all too much work. I don't want to make icing that requires using a stove and a double boiler. Too much mess and too many dishes. Ultimately, I came across just the right recipe. It was a simple buttercream with brown sugar substituted for some of the powdered sugar. When it was ready, we sampled it. It didn't taste enough like brown sugar so we added some molasses. Perfection!
As we made the icing, we put some coconut on a cookie sheet (enough to cover the bottom) and popped it in the oven on broil. Just keep an eye on it. It took about as long as it took us to make the icing for it to be slightly browned. Don't worry about every piece getting a little toasty. You don't want to leave it in for too long that some of it gets burnt.
My sister squeezed a plop of icing on top of each of the cupcakes and I turned them upside down and dipped them into the toasted coconut. This masterpiece was completed!
We really nailed this one. Together my sister and I are a cupcake force to be reckoned with. The came out tasting exactly like the coconut ranger cookies. The cake was perfect. The time they spent in the oven brought out the oatmeal flavor throughout the whole cupcake. The brown sugar icing was just what it needed to be. Bringing the sweetness to the entire treat, taking it from just plain, boring oatmeal, to a tasty cookie-like flavor. Lastly, the coconut did its' job. Not really bringing too much flavor, but more texture. I'm still in awe that we took the idea of the strange cookie that, as far as I was concerned, didn't even exist, and made into a perfect flavor twin in cupcake form.
Oatmeal Cupcakes Ingredients
1 box vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients to make cake according to the package
3Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 c Old Fashioned Quaker Oats
How to
Mix according to the package directions. Add in the sugar and oats and stir until blended. Bake and then let cool before frosting.
adapted from createdby-diane.com
Brown Sugar Icing Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 c light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c milk (not skim milk)
3 c powdered sugar
2 tsp molasses
How to
1. Using an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add vanilla, milk, and molasses. Starting off slowly so it doesn't go all over the place, combine the liquids with the creamed mixture (it will look as though it's not coming together -- just combine until you no longer see the milk)
3. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.
adapted from zimonawhim.com
