After crossing out a few and adding new recipes, I decided to bake these: 1. Famous Amos Choc Chip Cookies 18th Dec 08 For choc chip cookie, I added white choc chip and went w/o any nuts as I didn't have any. Hmmm... I realised that the cookie dough that were baked on grease proof paper didn't spread as much as those on wax paper. They looked more chubby! As proven here; cookie baked on wax paper on the left vs grease proof paper right. If you put alittle dough on the wax paper, the cookies will turned out flat, thin and crisp. This recipe helped me yield >70 altogether! 19th Dec 08 I was preparing for work and saw him laying on my bed. I had to snap this pic! 20th Dec 08 Pig and I were not meeting this day. I had the whole day of baking to myself, while he's travelling with his friends off S'pore. Sometimes, I do like these kinda days, doing stuff I like by myself on an entire free day. It's Lime Cookie's turn. I was greedy, very greedy in fact to combine 3 X ingredients to bake for a larger batch. Unlike my previous lime cookie, these were more crispy and hard. Still, not too bad as I could instantly taste the lime because I added quite a bit of lime juice! The shortbread dough was as usual soft, thus I added more flour for easy kneading, rolling and following by cutting out the shapes. Wooo... the spritz cookie looked pretty bouncy! I know... the cookie cutters aren't really for the X'mas season. Well, what the heck! By late afternoon, I started on slice-and-bake cookies by Smitten Kitchen. I did a variation of cocoa powder with raisins. I had to force the chilled dough into the heart-shape cutter instead of slicing it. These turned out pretty soft and slight chewy due to the raisins. And finally, mexican wedding cakes. They weren't easy to make as they were pretty dry. While the mexican wedding cakes were baking, I prepared icing for the cute spritz cookies. The icing had seemed to liven up them. 21st Dec 08 Individual cookies were selected and packed into the plastic bags. I got a total of 90 bags! Some contained 4 cookies; Mexican, Lime, Slice-and Bake and Choc Chip. Some w/o Mexican. Some with Spritz, Mexican and Lime... And some were Choc Chip instead of Mexican. For Tangy Lime Cookie's and Famous Amos Choc Chip Cookie's recipe, just click on the links. Russian Teacakes or Mexican Wedding Cakes (http://www.mykitchensnippets.com/search/label/Cookies) 1 cup (2 stick) of butter - room temperature For Tossing :1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar 1. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and creamy. Stir in vanilla. 2. Add in toasted nuts and flour until well combined. 3. Roll dough into a small balls and arrange the cookies into a baking tray about 1/2" apart. 4. Bake cookies in a pre-heated 325 F until golden brown on the bottom and just lightly brown on top. It might take about 20 min (depend on your oven). 5. Cool cookies completely and then roll it in powdered sugar. Note : If the dough is too soft, chill it in the fridge for an hour before forming it into balls. You can form the cookies into crescent shape. SPRITZ (http://howtoeatacupcake.net/) Makes: about 84 cookies Oven: 375 F 1 1/2 cups butter 1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, vanilla, and, if desired, almond extract until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. 2. Force unchilled dough through a cookie press onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Slice-and-Bake Cookies (http://www.smittenkitchen.com/2007/12/a-slice-and-bake-cookie-palette ) Adapted from Dorie Greenspan, makes about 50 cookies 2 sticks (8 ounces; 230 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature Options: 1. Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until it is smooth. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat again until the mixture is smooth and silky. 2. Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches (2.5 to 3.2 cm) thick. (Get the thickness right, and the length you end up with will be fine.) 3. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 4. While the oven is preheating, roll cookie logs in any coatings of your choice. 5. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are set but not browned. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.
2. Tangy Lime Cookies
3. Slice-and-Bake Cookies by Smitten Kitchen
4. Spritz by How To Eat A Cupcake
5. Mexican Wedding Cakes
In the end, I kept rubbing and instead of forming into a crescent shape, I split it into 2. Looked like a few fat thumbs baking on a tray.
Unfortunately, no pic was taken as I was very very tired and couldn't concentrate any more.
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 cups of flour
1 cup of walnuts or other nuts - toasted and finely ground (I toasted almond ground nuts that I bought from Phoon Huat)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1.
3. Bake in a 375 oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm but not browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. If desired, dip tops into icing.
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract
2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour (I swapped ¼ cup of flour for unsweetened cocoa)
Mix in grated zest of 2 oranges and 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Mix in grated zest of 2 lemons; coat with or mix in 1/4 cup poppy seeds
Mix in grated zest of 2 limes; coat with 1/4 cup cornmeal
Mix in 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots; coat with or mix in 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
Mix in 1/2 cup mini chocolate or peanut-butter chips
Mix in 1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger; coat with or mix in 1/4 cup sesame seeds
Swap ¼ cup of flour for unsweetened cocoa
Swap ½ to 1 cup of flour for ground almonds, pecans, hazelnuts or walnuts
Beat in the egg yolks, followed by the salt and any dried fruits, zest, nuts or seeds. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, beating just until it disappears. It is better to underbeat than overbeat at this point; if the flour isn’t fully incorporated, that’s okay just blend in whatever remaining flour needs blending with a rubber spatula.
Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and divide it in half. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 2 hours. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.)
Then, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies about 1/3 inch (10 mm) thick. (Blogger: You can make the cookies thicker if you’d like; just bake them longer. Me: I squeezed the dough into a heart shape cutter onto the baking sheet directly.) Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) space between them.
Keeping: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature, or in the freezer for a month. Unbaked logs can be frozen for longer.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
X'mas Cookies On The Go!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Death by Choc Cupcakes Topped W/ Banana Crumble and Choc Buttercream
It was the first time I used corn oil in cupcakes.
The cupcakes looked like models found in the toy shop's display shelves, don't they?
With the unfortunate failure infront, I couldn't afford another. I decided to combine choc & banana in 1 cupcake this time.
I took cupcakeblog's Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes recipe for the base.
As usual, being greedy did no good to me nor the cupcakes.
And I topped off the cupcakes with Banana Bars with Streusel Topping by howtoeatacupcake. It tasted more like banana cake though. Lastly choc buttercream from cupcakeblog again. Instead of using icing powder, I mistook castor sugar for it. I had to use a blender in the wee hours as I couldn't get the consistency at all. I gave up after much trying. And dripped the super sweet choc sauce, NOT buttercream, on top. The sample was really death by chocolaty sweet! The very next day... My AM was pleasantly surprised and happy with the caupcakes on her table after her meeting. Making her wish... and blowing out the candles. Ain't she sweet? Happy Birthday Dear Ms Yap! Cupcakeblog's Banana Cupcakes, A Few Ways (http://cupcakeblog.com/) Ingredients: 1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. howtoeatacupcake's Banana Bars w/ Streusel Topping (http://howtoeatacupcake.net/search/label/banana) Makes 2 dozen bars Ingredients: Streusel Topping (blogger's own addition) Ingredients: 1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, mix sugar, bananas, oil, and eggs with spoon. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Spread in pan. (For streusel topping, in a small bowl combine ingredients with your fingers until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of batter halfway through baking time.) 2. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. (Eat them warm!)
Makes 22-24 cupcakes / 350 degree oven
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt3 medium bananas
1/2 cup buttermilk3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil1 teaspoon vanilla
2. With a blender or food processor, blend banana and buttermilk until the banana is broken up.
3. In another bowl, combine banana/buttermilk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
4. Fold dry mixture into the wet mixture.
5. Divide batter into three bowls. In one bowl, fold in toasted pecans and cinnamon. In the second bowl, fold in macadamia nuts and white chocolate. In the third bowl, fold in pistachios and cardamom.
6. Scoop out into cupcake papers.
7. Bake at 350 degree oven for ~20-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (start checking after 20 minutes).
1 cup sugar
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium or 3 small)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Strawberry for Gerry
I'm more into berries and all... =D
I came across this Strawberry Cupcake recipe by crazyaboutcupcakes.
I started with getting ready the creaming.
And the slicing of strawberries.
I spotted a heart shape in a strawberry! Amazing! Fated! My Love! hahahaha.... I used a box out of 2 for the recipe. I finally found these white cups but it was a 'medium' size. The creaming started with butter and sugar 1st. The strawberries and vanilla were the last to be folded into the mixture. Papa gave me this giant spatula. It cleaned out everything from the bowl! I waited for the cupcakes patiently, and increase the timing as they didn't look totally cooked. They looked like some mousse instead, right??! And they had torn themselves away from the cups 'cos of over-baking =(... It's tooo wet! I can't believe it. And there's no picture as to how the cupcake would look like and neither the texture as well on the website. Strawberry Cupcakes (http://www.crazyaboutcupcakes.com/recipes.htm) 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with liners. With the disappointment I had in the day, I jumped to the next strawberry cupcake recipe that I found under howtoeatacupcake. I wzs tempted to try as the result was a really sweet and cool pink one. I sliced the other box of strawberries and squashed them in a bag. More fuss-free this way. Sugar is added and set aside. Next, boil the strawberries that the flavour ia already well enhanced by the sugar. Blend the hot strawberries into juice form. Careful it's hot! It's so yummy! The strawberry juice was then added to the creamed butter and sugar with the milk. I didn't get a pink mixture though. And it's pretty runny too. They were ugly! And wet too, just like the batch in the morning! As time was running out, I decided to use Nigella's vanilla cupcake and the remaining strawberry juice. I love the way Nigella works around her kitchen. And I love her kitchen! I took the recipe down as she was demonstrating it over on SCV one day. They are just simple cupcakes but look pretty enough to fall in love with. To make strawberry jam, I added cornstarch bit-by-bit (depends on the thickness preference) and vanilla essence (about 1 tsp) to the strawberry sauce. Finally, I saw some 'light'. I cut a cone shape out of the cupcakes and pour a tsp of the strawberry jam in. Then cover the top back, but of course you'll need to cut off the excess cake off the 'hat'. I followed Nigella's lemon icing as well. It was lemony delish, alot better than my first trial of the Royal Icing! The idea started with a drop of strawberry jam on the center of the lemon icing. But I suddenly thought of a pattern made with cuppacino via a forwarded email. I did this with the help of a toothpick, drawing from the middle of the red dot and to the end. Strawberry Cupcakes (http://www.crazyaboutcupcakes.com/recipes.htm) 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with liners. Strawberry cupcakes with Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting Cupcakes: strawberry sauce: cupcakes: 1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Strawberry sauce: 1. Macerate strawberries with about 1-2 tbs sugar for 15 minutes. Cream cheese frosting: 1. Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours. Nigella's Vanilla Cupcake (I) (II) 1. Blend all ingredients in (I) until pale and fluffy. Lemon Icing 350g icing sugar 1. Blend icning sugar and egg whites.
Ingredients:
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Mix for 3 minutes. With a spatula fold in the vanilla and strawberries.
5. Fill the cupcake liners one-half to three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.
I was disheartened. I was thinking am I that bad a baker??
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Mix for 3 minutes. With a spatula fold in the vanilla and strawberries.
5. Fill the cupcake liners one-half to three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.
(http://howtoeatacupcake.blogspot.com/2007/05/strawberry-cupcakes-with-strawberry.html)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup strawberry sauce
1/4 cup milk
2 cups of fresh strawberries, cut in half and stem removed
sugar to taste
cream cheese frosting:
8 ounces or 1 package of cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
4 cups sifted powdered sugar approximately
1/4 cup of strawberry sauce
2. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Measure out milk and strawberry sauce together.
4. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
5. Add about one third the milk/strawberry sauce mixture and beat until combined. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.
6. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes). Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350F until a cake tester comes out clean.
2. Put strawberries in a small saucepan and heat under medium heat with lid on. Cook strawberries for approximately 15 minutes till strawberries cook down and become soft and saucy.
3. Adjust sweetness with sugar until you get the desired sweetness.
4. Using a hand blender, puree until you get the desired smoothness or chunkiness. Cool before using in recipe.
2. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl. Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add half of the sugar, beat until combined.
3. Add strawberry sauce until you achieve the right color and flavor, making sure not to add too much or the frosting will be too soft. Gradually add remaining sugar (more if you have to) until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.
125g unsalted butter
1/2 cup + 1tbsp castor sugar
125g all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsps vanilla essence
2 tbsps milk
2. Blend (II) into step 1 for around 5mins.
3. Fill up 12 cupcake liners and bake for 15-20mins in preheated oven of 200 Deg C/ 400 F.
2 egg whites
A squirt of lemon juice (half lemon)
2. Add lemon juice and con't to blend.