Coconut Balls (Cocadas)

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Happy August!! Summer is going by so fast and I can’t wait for my favorite season to start = FALL. I will start making a list of Fall recipes that I’ll start posting in a couple of weeks, so if you have anything in mind for me to try to make, please let me know.

This recipe is another special one because my mother used to make it when I was a kid for my birthday parties. I wish I had some pictures here with me to show you the delicious spread she always had for our parties. For now, I’ll show you how to make this coconut balls and I’ll try to find pictures next time I travel to Peru.

Let’s start with the recipe.

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Walnut Alfajores

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Happy Monday! I can’t start my week better than posting this amazing recipe. I have a couple of other alfajor cookie recipes on this blog, but this one is special because it reminds me of my sweet mom.

My mom is a big reason why I bake so much now. I always saw her in the kitchen cooking or baking and alfajor was one of the things she baked a lot. She loved to make her own jam specially pineapple flavor.

These alfajores have walnuts and have 2 different fillings: dulce de leche and homemade pineapple jam.

I was not going to share this special recipe, BUT because it’s super special and delicious I would like that you try it out and let me know what you guys think. Why not making these or sharing them with someone you love?

Ready for the recipe? I’m sure you are!!

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Lucuma Chocolate Tarts

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Hi friends. I completely forgot about posting this recipe. I think I baked these tarts about 3 months ago but never posted it here!

Lucuma is the most popular fruit in Peru. I know you might have never heard of it, so I want to introduce you to this new flavor. This fruit is being more and more popular because it is now considered a super food due to its health benefits. You can eat it raw, make smoothies, desserts, etc etc. If you don’t live in Peru, it will be veryyy hard to find it fresh but I was very lucky to find it frozen at my local Hispanic grocery store, Goya brand is selling amazing south american fruit.

Lucuma’s flavor is a bit hard to describe, it reminds me of pumpkin and sometimes it makes me think of a mixture between a mango and apricot, I know it’s kinda crazy … that’s why you have to try it!

I’m going to show you how to make lucuma tarts. Chocolate crust, filled with lucuma filling topped with chocolate ganache.

I almost forgot… you can use lucuma as a natural sweetener too. How great is that!!

Let’s start baking!

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Mini Passion Fruit Pies

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Happy Tuesday!! I’m back! Sorry I haven’t posted any recipe for the last couple of weeks but I was mostly baking and not posting much here! Please, remember to follow me on Instagram so you know what’s happening everyday in my kitchen @Pastry_Tales

This recipe is perfect for Summer. Passion Fruit is a very well known fruit in South America (We call it MARACUYA). This tropical fruit is packed with vitamins and antioxidants, so you can add it in any meal you want! I grew up drinking passion fruit juice, it was my favorite Summer homemade drink.

These mini pies are super easy to make. First, you make a crust: I used animal crackers and it worked perfect! Second you make the filling with passion fruit pulp, eggs and condensed milk. You might be thinking… but.. where do I get passion fruit? It’s kinda hard to find at the regular produce part of your supermarket. You should go to a Hispanic grocery store, find the frozen fruit and get it there. I always get the one with seeds because I like to use them for decoration.

Are you ready for the recipe?

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Chocolate Fudge Cake

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Happy Wednesday! It’s a hot hot day here in Northern California. Our power has been turned off several times during the last couple of days because PG& E thinks is the best way to manage fire season. So, for now no more baking this week! I don’t want to have a cake in my oven and then have my electricity gone! Not fun!!

Today I introduce you to my favorite kind of birthday cake ” Chocolate Fudge Cake”. This moist chocolate cake is topped with a frosting that is one of the most popular in Peru. This fudge frosting is made with condensed milk and cocoa powder.

Just a simple chocolate cake covered with fudge frosting and colorful sprinkles. My favorite, the one my mom used to make for my birthday. This cake is perfect for any celebration, easy to make and delicious!

Ready for the recipe?

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Strawberry Lime Cake

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Happy Monday! It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post but I’m back with this tasty recipe that is perfect for your Summer days.

Things have been fine around here but my dad lost his brother (my uncle). It was very hard for my dad to accept that his youngest brother died. It has been really sad watching my dad not accepting what is going on but a week ago he finally watched a video of the ceremony my uncle received (he was a very well known general down there in Peru) so he finally realized his brother was gone.

I’m not sure when I’ll be going back to Peru but it’s very possible that my husband and I will be traveling to Lima in December to spend the holidays with my parents. I haven’t spent Christmas with my family since I got married, so yeah, it has been a while.

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Vanilla Cheesecake Squares with Wine Gelée

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Happy Monday! How is every doing? I’ve been super sick with a bad cold for the last 4 days. I’m feeling a bit better today, but I’m so tired of coughing so much! My husband is sick too so… yeah… it’s been fun!

Let’s start this new week with a new recipe. This is about a vanilla cheesecake topped with a red wine gelée. I know… it sounds a bit fancy and complicated but it’s actually not! I used animal crackers for the crust and guess what? It tasted amazing!!

Let’s start with the recipe.

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Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies

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Mother’s Day is just around the corner and it’s been about maybe 5 years since the last time I spent it with mom, but I got to see her not too long ago and stayed at her house for about a month so we had a bit of time to go do “our thing” like going for coffee or shopping. I know my two older brothers will go see her on Sunday, so I’m very happy about that.

I think I’ve mentioned it before but my mom used to bake and cook a lot. I think that’s why I like to be in the kitchen so much. I always watched her baking for birthdays, dinners or any special occasion. She was a great host. Now, she doesn’t bake/cook anymore because she has a maid (Diana) plus her memory issue is getting worse with time. I’m teaching Diana how to make desserts like breads and cookies so my parents can still enjoy homemade goods.

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Churro Cupcakes

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Yield 16-18 regular size cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 and 1/2 cups white granulated Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (If you don’t have buttermilk, just mix 1/2 cup regular milk with 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar and let it sit for 15 minutes)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yoghurt, room temperature
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