Housewarming Bakeathon: Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes

Photo courtesy of Matt Garza

I've been looking for an excuse to make these odd cupcakes for a while now. I was instantly intrigued by the use of everyone's favorite guacamole precursor- the avocado. My curiosity was further peaked after a trip to the always fantastic (and now practically in my backyard) Cafe TH where I had an unbelievably refreshing avocado smoothie that I mixed with a little chocolate from my cake (don't judge). Luckily my housewarming provided the perfect opportunity to bust these out. Could they withstand the intense expectations set on them from the chocolate covered strawberry cookies and snickerdoodles, or would they get mercilessly mashed by the competition?

Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes

Adapted from Women's Health (yeah you read that right)

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Time: 45 minutes

Super runny batter

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup mashed ripe avocado

1 cup milk

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp milk

Confetti sugar

Green icing writer

Leads to super bouncy and moist cakes

Buttered Cream with chocolate!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Mix the sugar, oil, avocado, milk, vinegar and vanilla together in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment.
4. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture gradually in intervals at low speed until well combined in a loose batter. Be careful not to overmix.
5. Get mildly disgusted at the avocado chunks floating around in the batter.
6. Fill lined cupcake tins 2/3 full with batter and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the toothpick test comes back clean.
7. Let cool on a wire rack.
8. Start making the frosting by creaming the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium speed.
9. Add in the cocoa powder and sugar and mix at low speed (unless you want powdered sugar exploding in your face which is a good way to freshen up for a party).
10. Pour in the vanilla and milk then mix at medium to medium high speed until a soft and fluffy frosting forms.
11. Spread the buttercream onto the cupcakes with a butter knife then garnish with confetti and green icing.

Confetti sugar is the best. It made its way on 2 out of 3 desserts (sorry chocolate covered strawberry cookies).

The result of the unholy alliance of avocado and chocolate was one deliciously moist and bouncy cake that was bursting with chocolate goodness and finished off with a very subtle avocado backend that you probably wouldn't even notice. Make no mistake, chocolate is the star of this cupcake, with the avocado essentially replacing the egg and some butter. The brilliance of chocolate was then further showcased with the smooth buttercream topping that definitely rivaled the days of my childhood spent shoveling Duncan Hine's version straight from the can. In an attempt to ratchet up the avocado aspect (and to attempt to honor that previously mentioned avocado smoothie), I would probably try making an avocado whipped cream next time.

Specially decorated to (not at all half-assedly) honor each roommate.

One of the most tense moments of my life was when someone finally sampled these cupcakes. I hadn't had a chance to test them beforehand thanks to being grossly full from testing the other desserts along with having dinner, so I had no idea if they actually worked. Then, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the guests started chowing down on them. Even though they weren't as popular as the legendary chocolate covered strawberry cookies, they added another spectacular dimension to the night's desserts and furthered solidified the night as the most awesome (and not at all ridiculous) housewarming ever.

Carl blows our minds with the cupcake sandwich to maximize frosting efficiency.

Housewarming Bakeathon: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies

Photo courtesy of Matt Garza

Recently, Kevin, Dennis and I moved into a lovely townhouse closer to civilization in Houston. Meaning I have a whole new kitchen to make a mess of! And it's a lot bigger so I'll have to be even sloppier. To celebrate and remind ourselves and our bodies that we are no longer in our early 20s (a task we began by moving heavy things on Friday), we threw a little housewarming party this weekend. In order to mask that wonderful beer smell that would soon take over the house, I went on an eggless baking extravaganza featuring chocolate avocado cupcakes (reserve judgement on the weird sounding treat), snickerdoodles (previously seen for Mardi Gras) and chocolate covered strawberry cookies.


Eggless Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Servings: 18 cookies
Time: 40 minutes plus cooling

Sugar and strawberries

12 oz strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 tsp lemon juice
9 tbsp granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut pea-sized
2/3 cup heavy cream
Dark chocolate
White chocolate

Scone like cookies!

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Combine the strawberries, lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar together.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 7 tbsp sugar together.
4. Cut or smash in the butter to the flour mixture until it looks like coarse crumbs. 
5. Add in the cream and stir until a dough forms.
6. Stir in the strawberry mixture.
7. Form the dough into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and have slightly hardened bottoms (this is key or they'll fall apart when you dip them in the chocolate).
9. Let cool on a wire rack.
10. Melt the dark and white chocolate separately using either a double boiler or a microwave on medium power in 30 second bursts.
11. Dip the cookies in the dark chocolate then sit them on top of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
12. Drizzle the melted white chocolate on using a fork.
13. Let refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the chocolate set.

As a scientist, I can't help but ponder the hexagonal packing of cookies.

This was one freaking amazing cookie. The recipe is actually for strawberry shortcake cookies and makes for a very welcome scone-like cookie (just look at the recipe it's practically the same as when I made scones). The juicy strawberries really provide a refreshing dimension to the cookies (although they can negatively impact their structural integrity as witnessed by the chunk missing from the cookie above).  These would have been a stellar addition to my baking resume by themselves, but, as always, I couldn't settle for simple leading me to dip them in chocolate.

We hire only the fanciest servers like Jaime for our parties.

Originally, I wanted to make my chocolate peanut butter banana cookies (which are quite possibly the world's finest cookie save SusieCakes' whoopie pie), but new roomie Dennis' peanut allergy and the lack of self restraint he would've experienced when he smelled them ended that idea. But I still really wanted to dip a cookie in chocolate, so I went with the next best thing- chocolate covered strawberries. Having previously made a cupcake version of this, I was confident it would translate well to cookie form (surely a pie version must be next to complete the desserty trifecta). The chocolate indulgence definitely hit the spot as the hard outer shell complimented the moist and light inner cookie brilliantly especially since it was jam-packed with strawberries.

Professional brewer Dennis shamed himself by having trouble tapping the St. Arnold's keg he helped make.

These cookies were a huge hit at the party and definitely set the tone for the evening. Stay tuned for the mouth-watering finale to my first adventure in the new kitchen- chocolate avocado cupcakes. Will they be a smashing success or will the new oven confuse me and send the whole thing up in smoke? The clock is ticking as the party nears and I have a considerable mess to clean (stupid larger kitchen).

The delicious adventure continues with chocolate avocado cupcakes and snickerdoodles.

French Toast Fantasia: Nancy and the Créme Brûlée French Toast

Editor's Note: And now a word from Nancy:


As you may have read from Terry’s earlier post on French Toast Cupcakes, I am taking control of the my-mess-their-kitchen ship for a brief while to present to you our other baking project of the weekend: crème brûlée French toast!  I have had this recipe in my email for a while, just waiting for the right day.  Terry’s mad kitchen skillz (yes, this deserves a “z”, folks) and a free Sunday morning convinced me it was time we give it a shot. 

We knew an egg with a double yolk was an auspicious start to our day of baking.

Crème Brûlée French toast

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Servings: 8 – 12 

Toasts
1 medium-sized loaf white bread, thickly sliced
1 1/3 cups whole milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
4 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Amaretto
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Caramel Topping
2/3 cup granulated sugar

1. Cut the bread into one-inch thick slices.
2. To make the creamy liquid custard, whisk together milk, cream, eggs, sugar, salt, Amaretto and vanilla extract.
3. Arrange slice of bread on baking sheets with rims.
4. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
5. Pour custard over the bread slices and let it sit for about 30 minutes, flipping the slices mid-way to allow for maximum absorption on both sides.
6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, and transfer the custard-soaked slices of bread onto the newly prepared sheets. Be sure to leave a bit of room between the slices so they don't bake together.
7. Bake the French toast slices for 30-35 minutes, flipping at the halfway point. If you insert a small knife into the center of a slice and, after twisting it slightly no liquid is released, then the toasts are ready.
8. To caramelize the tops, leave the toasts on the baking sheet and have a spatula handy. Melt the remaining 2/3 cups sugar in a small, heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Stir with a small spoon until it is fully melted and turns the color of honey. Immediately spoon one tablespoon or so of caramel over the first slice of bread, spreading it evenly and thinly* over the top with the spatula. Working quickly, repeat with the remaining bread slices.

Caution: the melted sugar is super hot and will burn skin upon contact. Keep arms and fingers clear of the drips! Indeed, after our day of baking, Terry was sporting two new battle scars. The sugar was so hot it actually cut his finger not to mention the burn he got from an inadvertent sugar splash.

*Upon eating our French toast, we discovered that if there was too much caramel topping it was too hard to cut into and eat. Therefore, be sure to spoon only enough to thinly cover the top of the toast.

Note: Hot water will dissolve any remaining caramel in the saucepan. It might take a few hot water rinses, but it will eventually come off.

Serve with berries and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Ultimately this baking project was a delicious way to spend the morning.  The Amaretto really stood out and was a nice counter to the creamy crème brûlée taste.  We found that though maple syrup was not necessary, we were missing that cinnamon-y taste that accompanies traditional French toast.   It would be worth experimenting and adding some cinnamon to the custard the next time around.

And for those of you who are wondering, yes, Terry does indeed make a mess when he’s cooking:

French Toast Fantasia: French Toast Cupcakes with Bacon

Quite fortuitously, baking buddy Nancy and I had drinks last night. Naturally drinks evolved into talk of what I was making for my weekly Sunday Brunch, which quickly turned into what we were making for Sunday Brunch. She had a fantastic looking créme brûlée French toast recipe she wanted to try, and I had recently seen a few French toast cupcakes that I desperately wanted to fill my stomach with. So we reached a compromise. We would make both (See, this is how you do a win-win compromise. Maybe I should consider a profession as a mediator.). As I sit here typing with a headache having crashed from all the sugar, I know that it was totally worth it. Now on to part one of the single greatest brunch of all-time (with a cupcake involving bacon was there any doubt it would be).


French Toast Cupcakes
Adapted from Bakingdom.com
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Time: 40 minutes

Streusel

Streusel
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut pea-sized


Cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour

Batter (with minor butter chunks)

2 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp bourbon 
Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Sugar Decorations (recipe follows)
Bacon, pan-fried to crispy and cut 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Make the streusel by mixing all the ingredients in a large bowl then mashing the butter pieces in by hand. Chill in the freezer until the batter is ready.
3. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Cream the butter using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium speed.
5. Add the sour cream, eggs, vanilla and bourbon and mix well.
6. Pour the dry ingredients in over three intervals at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl in between rounds. Be careful not to overmix.
7. Use an ice cream scooper to fill lined cupcake tins 2/3 of the way with batter. 
8. Sprinkle the tops with streusel.
9. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the toothpick test comes back clean.
10. Pipe on the cream cheese frosting and garnish with sugar decorations and bacon.

Crispy streusel topping gives a great crunch.

The cupcake itself was already a nice breakfasty treat. As soon as I tasted the batter, I knew this was going to be amazing (although I was unnecessarily concerned with how dense it was). The cinnamon and nutmeg really came through in the cupcake to give an authentic French toast taste. The streusel on top also added a nice level of sugary crispness to add texture to the moist cake. But the fun (and deliciousness) was only just beginning.

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from My Maker's Mark Cupcakes

Servings: Enough for 30 cupcakes

Time: 5 minutes

16 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup butter, softened

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

6 cups powdered sugar, sifted

The world's most perfect frosting

1. Cream the butter in a stand mixer until soft (this will help melt it and prevent lumps) then beat in the cream cheese, cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup.
2. Add the powdered sugar about a cup at a time and mix at medium speed.

I have used various iterations of this frosting for Maker's Mark Cupcakes and Bananas Foster Cupcakes, so I knew it was a winner. I really wanted to bring the cinnamon flavor across since our créme brûlée was sadly lacking in it (more on that to come in a future post). This was jam packed with all that cinnamon our hearts desired without being overpowering. There was also a nice sweetness added by the maple syrup that would be key to the interaction with the bacon. To top it all off, this also may have been the best I've ever made this frosting as it had the perfect cupcake topping consistency.

Sit down. We're nowhere near done.

Sugar Decorations

From Bakingdom.com

Originally Seen in Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

Time: 15 minutes plus cooling

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp light corn syrup

1. Stir the sugar, water and corn syrup together in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil swirling occasionally until it turns amber colored then quickly remove from heat (it will rapidly burn if you let it keep going).
3. Drip onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to make fun shapes. Also, you can wrap a rolling pin in parchment paper for cool curved shapes.
4. Let harden.

The parchment rolling method

The goal of the sugar decorations was to mimic the syrup drip on your standard French toast (and to play with scolding hot sugar for yet another culinary Rorscharch test). I think the end result provided a fun and playful garnish to help these somewhat color deprived cupcakes stand out. Just be sure you make your decorations thin so your teeth don't become coated in hard sugar (it's like the exact opposite of a filling).

The results up until this point definitely gave that French toast sensation in one sweet package, which is where the bacon comes into play. In order to cut some of that sugar (and further establish a complete brunch), we added the salty bacon. At first, we were both a little hesitant, but by the end we found ourselves crushing up more bacon to put on our cupcakes. It might seem a little unorthodox, but it plays a vital role to one well-rounded brunch dessert.

The sugar crown. One day I will rule the cupcake throne!

When all the flavors came together in our finished cupcake, I couldn't help but get weak in the knees and unleash uncontrollable mmm noises. I think I'll have to thank the four hour Cupcake Wars marathon I watched yesterday for its inspiration leading to what is perhaps my favorite cupcake yet (that shockingly didn't have a filling). Stay tuned for part two of our ode to French Toast as Nancy will present a special guest post on the Créme Brûlée French Toast. For now, enjoy some more of our sugar artwork (Nancy does work at an art gallery, so it should come as no surprise that she was a natural).

In the game of cupcakes, you win or you die(t).

I'm pretty sure there's a swan in there.

And Nancy shows how to make the cupcakes even more adorable and awesome.

Kimchi Pancakes

Last Saturday night, Jaime, Dennis and I needed something to eat with their homebrews while watching Hot Tub Time Machine (one of the most woefully under appreciated films of all time). So Jaime busted out his culinary skills to prepare these non-traditional spicy pancakes with a masterful dipping sauce. They were so good that we forgot all about the grilling we were going to do and just devoured them.

Kimchi Pancakes
Adapted from RasaMalaysia
Servings: 1 giant pancake
Time: 20 minutes

Jaime's hand modeling career begins!

Pancake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/2 cup water
2-3 tbsp kimchi juice
1/2 jar of kimchi, sliced into one inch pieces
2 scallion stalks, cut into small rounds
1/2 tsp salt
Oil for pan-frying


Sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp rice wine vinegar
Red chili flakes to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 scallion stalk, cut into small rounds

Amazing spicy sauce

1. Whisk the flour, egg, water, kimchi, kimchi juice (note more you put the redder and spicier the pancake will be), scallions and salt together in a bowl. If you don't have any kimchi juice left in your kimchi jar make sure you substitute in water so the batter isn't too dry.
2. Heat up oil in a pan over medium heat. Drop in some batter to form a giant pancake and pan-fry for several minutes until the bottom edges start to brown.
3. Flip like a pro and cook until the bottom is browned.
4. Cut like a pizza.
5. Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce and serve.
6. Liberally add beer and BROing out.

These pancakes were pan-fried to perfection yielding a perfect pancake texture surrounding flavorful bites of kimchi that provided a wonderful kick (seriously load up on the kimchi because biting into it is the best part). Combined with the dipping sauce this savory and salty appetizer was absolutely incredible paired with the always sophisticated combination of beer and a movie.

Dennis digs in.

With the third straight fantastic meal at Jaime's (see Cajun Shrimp with Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and The Pear Ginger Crumble), I was almost prepared to declare his house the culinary destination for foodies in the greater Houston area. Before doing so, he was going to have to prove himself with his pancake flipping abilities. He started the night 2 for 2, but how would he respond to the whole world watching (read: my loyal blog following that rivals the size of a baseball team)?

After 2 perfect flips, the pressure was on for Jaime

I guess I'll just have to keep searching...

The Weekly Vegan: Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

I had one of the most profound realizations of my life today. My grand epiphany shined light on the fact that The Weekly Vegan doesn't just have to be meals; it can also involve baking (perhaps I should have realized this given all the baking I did with my sister)! While suffering from a serious case of the baking DTs (It had been 4 whole days), I developed a craving for peanut butter, bananas and chocolate (Fortunately, I didn't also crave pickles, or I'd have to worry that I was pregnant).  The only cure for this would be to make some ridiculous cookies. Luckily, I found a recipe to get me started on a health site called Fat Secret (Google takes you to the darndest places). I knew it was the one based on the fact it had a 2 star rating due to it not being particularly diety.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
Modified heavily from FatSecret.com
Servings: 15 cookies
Time: 30 minutes (plus cooling)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2-3 bananas
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup chunky peanut butter
16 oz dark chocolate (better quality should be milk free)

Luckily I only had room for 12 cookies leaving plenty of amazing batter.

3 straight tries without seizing!

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
3. Mash the bananas then mix with the sugars and vanilla extract in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment .
4. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until incorporated.
5. Add the peanut butter and mix well.
6. Drop tablespoon sized amounts of batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Let cool on wire racks.
9. Melt the dark chocolate using a double boiler or in the microwave on medium power in one minute bursts.
10. Dip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate then place on a new baking sheet lined with parchment paper in the fridge until the chocolate hardens.
11. Serve with lots of soy milk and enjoy.

Surely, I couldn't stop at just a normal dessert.

Let's start with the cookie itself. I'm always a little disappointed with the consistency of banana cookies because they turn out too muffiny (the mushy banana in the batter really changes things). I figured it would probably happen again this time, so I cut back on the flour to counteract this a little. This still gave me one muffin-like cookie, but it worked really well with the flavors. The crunch peanut butter gave a fabulous roasted peanut taste that was smoothly finished by the banana backend.

Waiting for the chocolate to harden might be the toughest part.

What really made this cookie special was the dark chocolate shell. The hard coating provided a beautiful contrast to the cookie, and we all know chocolate and peanut butter are among the world's greatest combinations (somehow giving jelly a run for its money). All together, the three key components of this super cookie provide for one uber satisfying triple layered experience.

It's like two desserts in one. But seriously, you'll probably want to dip the whole thing.

Make sure you have a healthy supply of soy milk to go with these cookies to complete the ultimate in vegany desserts. Now, I need to make sure I still focus on vegan meals for the weekly vegan and don't just feed my love of baking (since I do want to keep this segment somewhat on the healthy side).

The killer line-up

The Crazy Pie Train: Coconut Lime Cream Pie

House of Pies ain't got nothing on us!!!

Thankfully for my blood sugar and your reading enjoyment, Robin and I decided to combat the fact that cream pies take so long to make by baking two of them (see yesterday's giant s'more-like goodness known as Chocolate Cream Pie with Meringue). Our second pie would toe the line between our usual fruit pies and our new friend cream pies to help make the transition much easier (I was worried it would be far too overwhelming to just jump right in to.). If we could just keep from burning Robin's townhouse down while toasting the coconut (we're apparently bad at setting timers on toaster ovens, but luckily smoke is a good signal), we would be in for one of the greatest pie binges ever.

I'm seriously buying this book (and moving to Boston to become best friends with this baker and eat at her bakery every day until I have to be wheeled out because I've lost the ability to use my legs).

Coconut Lime Cream Pie
From Flour by Joanne Chang
Servings: 9" pie

Time: 45 minutes (plus 4 hours to set and 2 hours crust time)

Add the well toasted coconut

Pie
Pâte sucrée (recipe found here)
1 14 oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cake flour
1 egg
4 egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted


Lime Whipped Cream
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1-2 tsp grated lime zest
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

I call this the pie in its tadpole state.

1. Make the crust as described in the linked recipe. Set aside.
2. Heat the cream and lime zest together in a small saucepan and bring to just a boil. Remove from heat and refrigerate overnight.
3. Scald the coconut milk and cow type milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat (remember scalding means the edges start to bubble but the liquid isn't boiling).
4. While waiting for the milks to scald, whisk the granulated sugar and flour together in a small bowl (this is key or it will clump later).
5. Whisk the egg and egg yolks together in a separate bowl then slowly whisk in the sugar-flour mix until a thick paste forms.
6. Slowly pour the scalded milk into the egg mixture in intervals while whisking constantly. Once it's completely incorporated, return to the saucepan and cook over medium heat while continuously whisking until it thickens and reaches a boil (about 5 minutes). You'll known when it's boiling because it will start to blub blub (it totally did just like the book described).
7. Once it blub blubs, whisk vigorously for 30 seconds.
8. Immediately strain the mixture and mix in the vanilla, salt and 3/4 cup toasted coconut.
9. Pour your filling into the baked pie shell and refrigerate uncovered for 4 hours or until the filling is set.
10. Once the pie is ready, whip the zest-cream mixture, powdered sugar and cornstarch until stiff peaks form.
11. Spread the whipped ream over the pie and decorate with toasted coconut.
12. Come to the realization that it's too much work to try to make actual designs with the coconut and resign yourself to eating the pie immediately. 
13. Realize it was totally the right decision.

You put the lime in the coconut (Come on. You knew it was coming).

Despite only existing as some zest in the whipped cream, the lime was actually the strongest flavor in the entire pie. It went nicely with the creaminess of the coconut filling to yield one truly refreshing pie. Unfortunately, the coconut was a little muted (aside from the garnish), so I would definitely try to find a way to accentuate it more next time.  Despite this minor quibble, I have to say that this is exactly what I think of when I imagine a cream pie (which I probably do 3-4 times a day once I'm done picturing cupcakes and waffles).

My sightline as I prepared to pounce.

Our lime filled whipped cream was the perfect topping for this pie, but I would forgo the cornstarch for a slightly silkier and smoother experience in future incarnations. The toasted coconut garnish was a nice touch for both prettiness and tastiness reasons. Once again, the nice crisp fancy sounding crust was a brilliant addition to the round out any cream pie.

Our streak of ugly slices stays alive! (It took two slices and some prettying up to show something that wasn't just whipped cream.)

The success of our latest (and greatest) pie adventure can be summed up by my actions leading to this post. I wanted to have a quick little slice of each pie to freshen my memory (and negate everything I just did at the gym). Instead, I ended up having two ginormous slices (or at least what I postulate were excessively large slices since I just started going at the pie straight with a fork after the tiny slice). Our two pies provided completely opposite ends of the magnificent pie spectrum. One was bold, rich and heavy chocolate, while the other was refreshing, surprisingly light and fruity. They somehow managed to come together gloriously for a pie experience that neither of us will soon forget (which, lets be honest, was gonna happen anyway since pie is an essential part of both of our lives). Now it's time to start prepping an actual crazy pie train (think like the Coors Light train in the commercials but with pie and probably less fit people).

Abbie licks her lips in anticipation of fresh pie.