everyday food made simple

Lately I’ve been thinking about getting a Fitbit Charge HR. I already own a FitBit Flex, but I’m really digging the additional functions the Charge HR provides (heart rate monitoring, time display, automatic sleep detection, etc). But as I added it into my shopping cart and typed in my credit card information one day, I suddenly remembered that the iWatch is scheduled to come out sometime this year, and that’s when the internal debate began…

I’m sort of an Apple geek – all my electronic toys have the little half-bitten apple logo on it. When I initially heard of this iWatch, I laughed and vowed I would never need a wrist gadget that did a lot of the things my phone could do. “Why do I need a watch like that when I can just use my Fitbit?” Buuuut… after reading all about its features, I’m kind of ashamed to admit that I have since changed my mind and I now want a iWatch, especially since it also contains a pretty cool health & fitness app within.

Question: Do any of you guys have the new Fitbit Charge HR? Do you recommend it? Are you planning on getting the iWatch when it comes out? Why or why not? I’d like to hear your opinions!

Maybe the reason why I’m thinking so much about activity trackers is because I may have accidentally ate a few too many of these Samoa cookie chocolate cups.. they’re little chocolate cups filled with gooey sweet and salty caramel coconut mixture and a bite-sized piece of shortbread cookie, all in this little chocolate cup… and oh boy are they dangerous!

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They don’t require any sort of mixer, and they don’t require any baking. It may seem like a long process to make them, but there’s a lot of waiting around in between steps, which is perfect for getting miscellaneous things done around the house… or spending some time on Pinterest…. or finding things to buy online… or taking a few of those silly BuzzFeed quizzes…

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First you melt the chocolate and spread the chocolate around in the liners so it covers everysingleinch of it. Freeze those babies for half an hour (this would be the time to do those things we previously talked about). Then add a little bit of the caramel coconut mixture on the bottom of each cup and top with a little bite of the shortbread cookie.

Are you still following me?

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Top the cookies with more caramel coconut and sprinkle the tops with some sea salt, if the salty-sweet combo is your kind of thing. Freeze some more (patience, grasshopper!).

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Then top it up with more melted chocolate and garnish with toasted coconut flakes. Freeze a little bit longer (almost there!), then EAT and DEVOUR!

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I will not be responsible for the amount of chocolate cups you eat in one single sitting. Nor will I be responsible if you end up with a stomach ache after eating half the pan… just sayin’.

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But just look at that ooey gooey caramel-y deliciousness! I mean, how can you resist?!

I apologize for the over abundance of pictures…

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samoa cookie chocolate cups
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Ingredients
  1. 2 and 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
  2. 1 and 1/4 cups sweetened coconut flakes
  3. 1 cup caramel syrup
  4. 6 shortbread cookie squares, cut into quarters
  5. Sea salt, for sprinkling, if desired
Instructions
  1. Line a 24 mini muffin pan with liners and set aside.
  2. Using a double boiler, melt 2 cups of the chocolate chips, stirring occasionally until smooth. Drop 1-2 teaspoons of melted chocolate into each liner, spreading the chocolate up the sides of the liner using a pastry brush or a spoon. Make sure the sides are nicely coated. Freeze for 30 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, toast the coconut flakes in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Once you notice the flakes are starting to brown, stir constantly until most of the coconut flakes turn golden brown in color. Be careful not to burn them! Remove from heat and reserve 1/4 cup for garnish.
  4. Combine the caramel sauce and the remaining cup of coconut flakes in a medium bowl and mix well. Remove the frozen chocolate cups from the freezer and spoon ~1/2 teaspoon of the caramel/coconut mixture on the bottom of each cup, top with a quarter piece of the shortbread cookie, then top with ~1 teaspoon of the caramel mixture. Sprinkle tops with a little bit of sea salt (if desired). Freeze for another 30 minutes.
  5. Melt remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips over a double boiler (or in the microwave) until completely melted and smooth. Remove chocolate cups from freezer, and cover each cup with a thin layer of the melted chocolate, smoothing the tops with a spoon if needed. Garnish with the reserved toasted coconut flakes. Freeze for an additional 15 minutes. Chocolate cups can be stored either at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the freezer in an airtight container, depending on your preference!
  6. Makes 24 chocolate cups
Adapted from The Housewife In Training
Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/
Recipe adapted from The Housewife In Training

© Simple Everyday Food. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use any of my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or kindly link back to this post for the recipe.

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I’ve been on a real huge “lime” kick this summer. I’ve been adding it in drinks…

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In main dishes…

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In appetizers…

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…And in an assortment of baked goods such as bars…

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(okay, these are key lime pie bars, but still close enough to “limes”)

Donuts…

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And now… cookies!

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I’m a big fan of coconut and coconut flavored anything, so even though the recipe says to toast 1/2 cup of shredded coconut, I “accidentally” spilled a little bit more onto the baking sheet…. oops :)

If you’ve never toasted coconut before, you really have to stand right by the oven to keep an eye on it. It was my first time toasting coconut – I set the timer for 5 minutes, and when I peaked at it after 2-2.5 minutes, they were already brown and on the way to being burnt! The second time I only had them in there for 1.5 minutes and they turned out way better.

Before you put the cookie dough balls into the oven, slightly press the dough balls down with a few fingers to flatten them out a bit. This allows the cookie to spread out a bit more as they cook in the oven, resulting in a nice round flat cookie complete with little crinkles and cracks on the top :)

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soft and chewy coconut lime sugar cookies
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Ingredients
  1. 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 1 teaspoon baking soda
  3. ½ teaspoon baking powder
  4. ½ teaspoon salt
  5. 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
  6. 1 ½ cups white sugar
  7. 1 egg
  8. ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  9. Zest of one large lime
  10. 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
  11. ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  12. ½~1 cup sugar for rolling cookies
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  2. First, toast your coconut. Place the shredded coconut on a baking sheet. Spread it out as much as possible. Place in oven and toast for 1-2 minutes, keeping an eye on it the entire time - they can burn fast! Once done, remove from oven and let cool.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  4. In an electric mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium~medium high until smooth and fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, lime zest, and lime juice. Mix well.
  5. Slowly add in the flour mixture and toasted coconut while mixing under medium speed until everything is thoroughly combined.
  6. Drop tablespoon sized dough balls into the sugar and place onto the baking sheet, about 1.5" apart. Gently press the dough balls down with your fingers so they're slightly flat. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove cookies onto wired cooling rack and cool completely.
  7. Makes about 4 dozen.
Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything
Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/
These cookies are light, chewy, soft, with a hint of lime and coconut – it’s “summer” in a cookie! The coconut flavor isn’t super pronounced, but as you chew on every bite, you get hints of coconut with the shredded coconut flakes inside. If you really want the coconut flavor to pop, adding a few drops of coconut extract wouldn’t hurt either. The lime zest gives it a slight tart flavor which really balances out the sugar cookie itself. Nothing is too sweet, too overpowering. It’s a delicate balance in flavors.

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I even had a little visitor during my photoshoot :)

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Even Brian, who complained I didn’t make something “more traditional” (a.k.a. peanut butter cookies), ended up having at least 5 or 6 as they sat on the counter to cool. I don’t think he was as disappointed with my choice of cookie in the end… he even admitted that they were pretty good, even though I was secretly hoping he wouldn’t like it so I could have all of it! Mwahahaha!

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

© Simple Everyday Food. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use any of my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or kindly link back to this post for the recipe.

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