Our Favorite Chia Pudding!

Chia seed pudding is a healthy pudding made with rich in fiber chia seeds, some type of milk, a little sweetener, and optional flavorings and toppings. It is usually made from vegan ingredients and it's easy as can be to make!

All the ingredients are simply mixed together in a jar or bowl then rested overnight in the fridge so chia seeds have time to plump and soften. Then the next day it's ready to enjoy and you end with the perfect consistency and texture.

I didn't used to care much for chia pudding but that was until I started adding canned coconut milk (in addition to a non-dairy milk) for an extra boost of creamy richness, and also I added some flavorful extract (my favorite is coconut here).

I found it doesn't need a whole lot of either to really take it from bland and boring to something you'll actually crave.

Then of course, to really highlight it, I recommend finishing it with fresh diced fruit (or puree). My favorites are peaches or mangoes, especially with this coconut vibe we have going.

But truly it's a blank canvas, start with the main base then finish it off with toppings to your hearts content. And for more of a dessert, be sure to try the tempting chocolate variation as well!

Island Style Coconut Shrimp!

This classic coconut shrimp tastes equally as good as the coconut shrimp you'll get in Hawaii! We found ourselves going back to the same restaurant 3 times to order it so I had to figure out how to make it at home.

The shrimp itself calls for a few basic dredging ingredients then of course a generous amount of shredded coconut, and some panko for crunch.

And it's taken up a notch with a sweet, salty and tangy mango dipping sauce. It really is the ultimate sauce to serve with this shrimp!

When you pair the two together people will love them so much they'll quickly disappear before your eyes.

No one can resist the tempting flavor and the perfect layering of textures. You get tender shrimp surrounded by a crispy light crunch, and it's finished with a seriously smooth sauce for dipping.

Though it boasts of a cheery summertime vibe this is easily something you'll crave year round!

Wondering what to serve with coconut shrimp to complete the dinner? Here are some ideas:

• Black Bean and Corn Salad
• Coconut Rice (my go-to choice)
• Coleslaw
• Fresh fruit (something tropical like mangoes, papayas, pineapple, guava and kiwi)
• Mango Black Bean Quinoa Avocado Salad
• Mango Salsa and Tortilla Chips

Favorite Tropical Smoothie

Take an island-style staycation in the comfort of your home, in your pjs with this DIY tropical smoothie that you can enjoy year round!

It's a tempting homemade treat and I think it's even better than those you get at Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Jamba Juice.

This is one of the best things you can enjoy on a hot summer day and you'll love it for breakfast or a healthy midday snack.

It's ice cold, creamy and thick and even filling since it's jam packed with fruit.

Plus it's easy to customize and add other fruits or juices you have on hand. That's the beauty of a smoothie!

This is a family favorite and I think you'll love it too!

The BEST Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

After many attempts, I finally came up with my idea of the perfect cream pie. From top to bottom, you'll love everything about it!

This homemade coconut cream pie turns out perfect every time. It's thickened with both cornstarch and egg yolks so you won't end up with a droopy, soupy pie. The key is to just be sure to cook the custard long enough to get it to that nice and thick state.

Then in this recipe you'll use a little cream cheese to balance out the sweetness of the pie and to and a nice faint tang (reminiscent of cheesecake) which pairs perfectly with the coconut.

And if we are going to make a coconut cream pie it better have plenty of coconut flavor so here we use shredded coconut, coconut milk and coconut extract. No one will be left wondering what type of pie this is, it has an abundance of real coconut flavor.

It's one of those desserts that will have people fighting for the last slice. Soon enough people will be requesting this for the next holiday celebration!

The Best Coconut Cake Recipe!

I shared this coconut cake four years ago but I figured it was due time that I re-share it in case some of you may have missed out. It's a recipe book dessert staple!

Coconut Cake Video

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This is what I'm planning on making for Christmas dessert and I can't wait! Some people look forward to gifts, I look forward to cake.

This cake is elegant and sophisticated yet very traditional and simplistic and it's perfect for the holidays since it's not only incredibly delicious but it's so white and snowy looking.

I love that it's like the cake you remember your grandma serving at family parties growing up. Who doesn't love a good old fashioned recipe like this? The classics are often the best.

Finally, A Soft and Moist Coconut Cake

This will probably be one of the softest cakes you'll ever make and you'll also love that it is incredibly moist (because we all hate a dry cake right?). And it is layered with sweet, natural coconut flavor with every bite, which is complimented perfectly by the light tang of the cream cheese in the frosting.

Good luck saying your only going to have a thin slice. Not gonna happen with this cake. Try it and you'll see what I mean!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa too! I hope you have the best holiday week!

Baked Donuts

I mean aren't these what weekends were made for?? We love weekend breakfast and weekend treats and this fits the bill for either/or.

More often than not when I making donuts I go for baked donuts vs. fried.

Less mess, still such a delicious flavor, and a bit less fat since we skip the deep frying. Oh and none of that oily smell in the house, just a sweet coconuty scent!

Which Would You Choose Raw Coconut or Toasted?

I couldn't choose which I liked better, the raw coconut or the toasted coconut so I did half of each. But I will say the finely shredded coconut is definitely what you want here.

That fine texture won't detract from the soft fluffy texture of the donuts. You can find the fine coconut in the bulk bins of some grocery stores, or sometimes the baking section or on Amazon.

Where to Get a Donut Pan

And if you don't own a donut pan you can also find those on Amazon (or in stores like Michaels or kitchen supply stores).

I recommend buying two though. I started with one back in the day and that didn't last long. Baking 6 at a time was kind of annoying when your recipe makes 12 - 18.

The Perfect Coconut Dessert!

If you like coconut desserts definitely do not pass these by!

Coconut Blueberry Oatmeal

Of course it starts with rolled oats. Then instead of adding the traditional boring water or milk, I added canned coconut milk and coconut water. It gives it a unique yet delicious, raw coconut flavor, and a wonderfully creamy texture.

Some of you may like your oatmeal without added sugars. I haven't quite gotten that far :) but you most definitely could omit the sweetener used in this recipe, which makes it healthier.

This recipe is a great way to get excited about eating oatmeal again! With oatmeal I'm always eating it in phases. I'll eat it for a few weeks and then I'll get sick of it and go a few weeks without, but the more variations I have on it, the more I'll make it without getting bored.

I love peanut butter oatmeal, apple cinnamon oatmeal, overnight oats, banana oatmeal, baked oatmeal, chocolate oatmeal and now, I've got this delicious Blueberry Coconut Oatmeal to add to that list (all of those recipes you can find on my blog btw, just use the search box on the right side. Oh, except peanut butter. That one I just add 1 Tbsp of peanut butter and a little honey to the basic recipe after it's cooked.)

As a side note, I know fresh blueberries aren't in season in many places right now, and they can be pricey, so you can omit them or just replace them with another fruit until Summer rolls around. But once Summer get's here be sure to try it with blueberries, they add a wonderful natural sweetness and flavor!

More Oatmeal Recipes You'll Love

• Oatmeal Eight Ways
• Overnight Oats Five Ways
• Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

There's just something about these though. The coconut, the salted caramel, the melt-in-your-mouth buttery goodness. These cookies speak to me. In other words someone please hide them!

I just had to quickly take most of them to neighbors because I knew I couldn't resist these ones (then I later heard from my neighbor that she hid them away for herself lol. She had the same problem as me).

There are a few extra steps with these since they need to be rolled, indented and filled but those couple of extra steps make them an over-the-top, worthy of any holiday, kind of cookie. To keep them things from getting too messy, I like to use one hand for rolling in the egg, then the other for rolling in the coconut - kind of like when you bread chicken.

Another thing that helps is to press the coconut onto the cookie to help it adhere, if you just roll it through the coconut it doesn't stick all that well. And I chose to just chill these cookies directly on the baking sheets, but you can definitely chill them on plates or in containers if you don't have room for two sheet pans in your fridge.

Then just transfer them to the baking pans after they've chilled and bake as directed.

Obviously a highlight of the cookies is the course sea salt. I've got salt on my mind lately since last week I had the opportunity to attend Morton Salt's Next Door Chef event in New Orleans along with several other guests. It was a fun dinner experience where they converted someones home into an actual pop-up restaurant for a day.

Below is a few sneak pictures of the event. I'll be sharing more in the coming months so be sure to keep a look out for more. I think I might even have to share that Budino recipe!

Of course,  my favorite part of the meal was the Coconut Caramel Budino with Grilled Mangos and Morton Kosher Salt which was served for dessert. It was dreamy so I knew I needed to use that combination again to make something for the holidays, and that's how these cookies came about.

Acclaimed chef Nina Compton coached a home cook and then this cook prepared an incredible meal for us in which different types of Morton salt were used. At the event we tried a number of inspiring dishes where we could taste how different types of salt transformed each dish, from appetizer and drinks, to side dish, to the main dish and then onto dessert.

More salted caramel recipes you'll love

• Salted Caramel Sauce (with Step by Step Pictures)
• Microwave Caramels
• Salted Caramel Turtle Thumbprint Cookies

This post was sponsored by Morton Salt. All opinions are 100% my own.

Thumbprint Cookies Pineapple Jam and Coconut!

So I didn't make it anywhere tropical this summer so instead I brought the taste of the tropics home with these utterly delicious, melt-in-your-mouth Pineapple Coconut Thumbprint Cookies!

I'm obessed with thumbprint cookies maybe these will complete my collection, but then again maybe not :). I absolutely love this summery twist on thumbprints!

It took a few batches to get them just right but after a little tweaking each time I got them right where I want them.

They are perfectly coconuty, deliciously buttery, they have just the right texture, and with the help of a little lemon juice and lemon zest you get a flavorful pineapple jam that makes for the perfect pairing with the coconut.