Crunchy Chocolate Chips Cookies

I love making homemade cookies to give out as gifts for the christmas. When Bakertan gave away these cookies during previous bloggers' gathering, my family, especially my children simply just loved it. If you're looking for a crispy or crunchy cookie, this recipe is a very good choice. I would like to make and share with others, then decided to make half in chocolate chips and half with M&M. Wrapped it nicely and ready to give away .... to friends and colleagues :)

Source : Baking Mum and Bakertan

Ingredients:
125 gr Butter softened at room temperature
75 gr Caster sugar
60 gr Brown sugar
1 Egg, light beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
150 gr Plain flour
45 gr Cornflour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonanate of soda (baking soda)
pinch of salt
170g Chocolate chips

Method:
- Cream butter with both sugars until pale & fluffy. Add egg and vanilla to butter mixture. Mix well.
- Sift flour, cornflour, bicardonate of soda and salt together. Add to creamed mixture, mixing to a soft dough. Stir in the chocoloate chips until well distributed.
- Chill dough for 30 minutes to firm it up. Shape dough into a small ball and flatten with fork or spoon heaped teaspoons of dough onto lined cookies trays, leaving some space between cookies dough. **
- Bake at preheated oven 180C for 20-25 minutes or medium brown.
- Carefully remove to wire rack to cool.

NOTE :
** To prevent cookies from spreading, freeze shaped cookie dough for 10 minutes (with the cookie tray/s).

This is my entry for the Christmas Giveaway hosted by Swee San of The Sweet Spot. You may hop over to her blog for the details on how to participate.

Which cookies do you prefer?
And do you have a favourite Christmas cookies to share?
I want to wish you all have a Happy Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011 :)

Crunchy Muesli Cookies

Two weeks ago I baked chewy cranberries cookies, this week I baked something similar, but crunchy. :)   Beside …... they are super easy to make, just mixing wet over dry ingredients and the results …...
simply great!
Here, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas :)

Crunchy Muesli Cookies
Source : The Australian Women’s Weekly – Traybakes & Slices

Ingredients
1 Cup (90 gr) Rolled oats
1 Cup (150 gr) Plain Flour
1 Cup (220 gr) Caster sugar
2 tsp Ground cinnamon (I only used 1/2 tsp)
1/4 Cup (35 gr) Dried cranberries (I added 50 gr)
1/3 Cup (55 gr) Finely chopped dried apricot (I replaced with Golden sultana)
1/2 Cup (70 gr) Slivered almonds (I replaced with pistachios)
125 gr Butter, chopped coarsely
2 tbsp Golden Syrup
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tbsp Boiling Water

Method:
- Preheat oven 150C. Greased oven trays, or line with baking parchment.
- Combine, oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, dried fruits and nuts in large bowl.
- Melt butter and golden syrup in small saucepan over low heat, add combined soda with boiling water. Stir warm mixture into dry ingredients.
- Roll level tablespoon of mixture into balls, place on trays 5 cm apart, flatten slightly.
- Bake cookies about 20 minutes. Cool on trays.

Colourful Jelly Pudding II

I made this pudding two months ago. However, after uploaded the photos to computer, I change my mind to postpone the post and wait until today. Why? I like this pudding cause it has the X'mas colour, don’t you think so?

I bought pre-mix Red Man’s Konnyaku Jelly package to make colourful jelly ball (made this one day in advance), add white dragon fruits in it and transparent agar-agar used to make the pudding. You may see here for the ingredients and the jelly ball mould pictures.

This jelly pudding will be my second submission to Aspiring Bakers #2: Christmas! (Dec 2010) hosted by Passionate About Baking.

Chocolate Cranberries Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are really delicious and I think they would be great in the Christmas cookies exchange too. Thanks to Honey Bee for sharing these tasty cookies. Surprisingly it really have the chewy texture, very easy to get addicted to eat and almost non-stop hahahaha ….. You may also check on Wendy’s version, where she added some mixed nuts. I replaced cherries with cranberries, but I’m not too sure why my cookies spread out so much compare to theirs.

I am submitting these cookies to Aspiring Bakers #2: Christmas! (Dec 2010) hosted by Jane of Passionate About Baking

Ingredients:
227 gr Unsalted butter, room temperature
180 gr Caster sugar
200 gr Brown sugar
1.5 tsp Vanilla extract
2 Large eggs
225 gr all purpose flour
250 gr uncooked roll oats
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
3/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
150g Chocolate (70% cocoa), cut into small chunks (you can use chocolate chips)
100g Sweetened dried cherries (I used dried cranberries)

Method:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and both sugars till creamy. Add eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat well again.
- Sift the flour, salt, baking power and baking soda and cinnamon. Add it to the egg mixture. Lastly add in the oats and stir well.
- If using chocolate chunks and cherries, add in the cookie batter and stir well. Chill dough for at least 2hours.
- Preheat oven to 180C. Place a sheet of parchment paper on baking pan and grease it.
- Take about 2 tbsp amount of cookie dough, roll round and place on baking pan. Make sure the cookie dough is placed about 3" apart from one another.
- Bake cookie for 13 to 15 minutes. Do not over bake the cookies, it is meant to be soft and chewy.
- Allow the baked cookies to cool on the rack before storing in air tight container.

Bread Cake

When I saw Min’s blog on her beautiful bread cake two months ago, she really inspired me to try this out :) I found that this could be interesting .... in making & eating it …. and can try both bread & cake in one slice … what a greedy mouth I have hor … hahahaha … Instead of baking this in bread loaf, I baked in chiffon tin. The bread cake tasted good and still remained soft even on the third day. But, I guess I still need a lot of practice to produce a smooth and fluffy bread.

Here is the recipe with minor modification.

Bread material:
200 gr Bread flour
1-1/2 tbsp Cocoa powder
1/2 tsp Salt
70 gr Caster sugar
140 gr Water (can try on 120 gr first)
1 tsp Instant yeast
40 gr Butter (I used only 25 gr)

Method:
- Mix thoroughly bread flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and yeast into a mixing bowl.
- Add in water and beat till it forms into dough then add in butter and continue beating till dough is smooth and elastic.
- Prove the dough for one hour.
- Divide the dough into few portions and let it rest for 15 mins.
- Roll the dough into 23 cm chiffon tin and let it rest until double.

Cake material:
A:
20 gr Bread flour
20 gr Top/Cake flour
30 gr Caster sugar
3 Egg Yolks
30 gr Oil
30 gr Water
Few drop of pandan paste

B:
3 Egg Whites
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
30g Caster sugar

Method:
- To make egg yolk batter: Combine egg yolks, sugar, oil, water and pandan paste in a mixing bowl. Fold in flour until forms batter.
- To make egg white foam: Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy, gradually add in sugar, beat at high speed until frothy and stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold into egg yolk with egg white batter, mix until well blended
- Pour on top of the proved bread dough.
- Bake in the preheating 180C oven for about 30-50 minutes.

Macaroni Schotel (Macaroni Cheese)

Here is another yummy food that I had bookmarked the recipe from Everything4sweets, and baked this macaroni Schotel for last week gathering. I scaled down the recipe, because I baked only in small portion.

Macaroni Schotel is actually slightly different from other normal macaroni cheese, as additional ingredients like meat & sausages add in to the recipe. So even you are not macaroni or cheese lover, you will sure like this :)

Original recipe from this site.
Ingredients:
125 gr Macaroni elbow, boil up to 3/4 cooked
2 tbsp Butter
½ Big Onion
75 gr Minced meat
2 Sausages, sliced thin
200 gr Fresh milk
100 gr Cheddar chesse, diced in cube ½ x ½ cm
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
Salt, pepper, sugar, nutmeg to taste

Method:
- In a pan, fry butter and onion till soft & fragrant.
- Add in mince meat, half cooked, then add sausages, fry until cooked.
- Add nutmeg, salt, sugar and pepper to taste.
- Add fresh milk, stir to mix well, add diced cheese, beaten eggs, stir for a while (not until too dry) and taste again before remove from fire.
- Pour in individual foil or a greased big tray.
- Steam for 10 minutes for small cup or 30 minutes for big tray.

Topping White Sauce:
1 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Plain flour
100-150 cc Fresh milk
Salt & pepper to taste
100 gr Shredded Cheddar cheese

Method:
- In a pan, fry butter & plain flour, keep stirring.
- Gradually add in milk in small amount to dilute the plain flour until creamy.
- Add in salt & pepper to taste, remove from fire.

Assembly:
- Pour in the white sauce on top macaroni schotel.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven at 180C using top fire for 10-15 minutes or cheese melt.
- Best served while it hot.

Yields : 11 cup foils

Other pictures :

Bloggers Gathering

After previous Cook and Feed with Love Event, all volunteers decided to have follow-up gathering, so at least we can have more chance to get to know each other. However, because of busy schedule & other commitments, only nine of us finally got chance to meet and bring snacks for gathering, which held last Saturday (27.11.10) at Jane's place.

Here are the other participating bloggers that attend with me:
Christine @ Yummy Koh
Edith @ Precious Moments
Eelin @ The batter Baker
Jane @ Passionate About Baking
Josephine @ Sugar & Everything Nice
Judy @ A Busy Gran's Kitchen
Sheryl @ Sweet and Happy Ending
Zhuoyuan (Baker Tan) @ Baking Library

Please hop over their blogs for more photos and detailed write up
(I think I'm the last in posting ... :)) and finally ....
here are the wonderful snacks for Hi-Tea buffet spread:

Jane's Lemonglass Drink & Coffee Walnut Blondies

Zhuoyuan's Hawaiian Pizza Pie & Crispy Chocolate Chips Cookies

Eelin's Cointreau Chocolate Cupcakes



Sheryl's Spice Potato Salad



Judy's Sambal Prawn Sandwiches



Jo's Chicken Drumlets

Edith's Blueberry Muffins & Banana Loaf

I brought Macaroni Cheese & Konnyaku Jelly

It is so nice of Jane that she prepared Bingo game, a fun game for us to interact each other by collecting signatures of all players, and a prize too (homemade vanilla extract). Hehehehe …. Never expected, but …

I am the lucky winner. Maybe because the place I was standing quite strategic so can easily get everybody to sign for me first …. LOL. Thanks again Jane for the precious prize. We really have fun there and I really looking forward for the next gathering

Banana Butter Sponge

I had bananas that were ripening on my kitchen table, try make use of it so that we don't waste that healthy fruit, right? I've been wanted to try on this banana sponge cake sharing by J3ss Kitch3n. Since there was only 2 banana left, then I just baked half of the recipe.

The cake was initially rise in the oven but then started to sink after that. I guess I never properly softened the banana, therefore the cake was a bit dense, but it was still nice and soft.

Banana Butter Sponge
adapted from Alex Goh Fruity Cakes

Ingredients
90g sugar
4 eggs
120g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
200g mashed bananas mix with 1/4 tsp baking soda
85g melted butter

Method
- Preheat oven to 180C
- Using a electric beater whisk sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, add in plain flour and baking powder and whisk till combined.
- Add in banana mixture and mix till combined.
- Stir in melted butter in the above mixture until well blended
- Spoon mixture into baking tin or paper cups and baked in for 20-30mins or till golden brown.
- Cool and serve.

Chocolate Sponge Pancake

These pancakes were our family breakfast this morning. When I first saw Wendy blog about her fluffy pancake, everything looks so simple and easy. I had no worry for making the batter, however when come to frying stage hehehehe …. it’s a bit tricky here …..  but once you can handle the fire ….. sure …. making this pancake is quite easy. (see below picture for my pancake frying adventure ... at least got improvement, right?) I really enjoy the fun of making this. :)

Here are the simple ingredients that I used.

Sponge Pancake adapted from Wendy

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp all purpose flour (I used 1.5 tbsp flour + ½ tbsp cocoa powder)
A bit of butter for frying
Chocolate chips / Almond flakes (optional)

Method:
1. Separate the eggs and beat egg whites until frothy and add in sugar and beat until medium stiff peaks (egg whites has a very droopy hook and doesn't slide off the bowl).
2. Put in egg yolks and mix.
3. Sift in flour (just use a coffee strainer) and fold into the eggs.
4. Heat a 9 inch pan on medium and put in 1/2 tsp butter. Swirl it around to coat and pour the excess into batter.
5. Lightly fold the batter to incorporate.
6. Turn heat to medium low (very small fire on outer ring or just use low) and pour in all the batter.
7.Cover with lid and cook until sides look golden, and center of pancake is almost cooked. Sprinkle chocolate chips/almond flakes toppings as desired. Cook for a while.
8. Flip into half or flip onto plate

Actually this is my second time making this, as the first one I cannot submit because I used cutter to trim the side. Now, I am submitting these pancakes to Sponge Pancake Giveaways entry organised by Wendy. We like the pancake, the taste is delicious. The texture is light, spongy and stay soft even already cool down. Thanks Wendy for sharing this.

Other varieties : Chocolate Almond Pancake ... : )

Rainbow Chiffon Cake

I recently bought Kevin Chai’s book ‘Chiffon Cake is done’, with various kind of chiffon recipes in this book. And this Rainbow Chiffon caught my attention for the beautiful colour shades.

I have never thought that making this chiffon cake was quite a challenge for me. Why? The reason was because making one chiffon cake was equivalent to make four chiffon cakes at one time. Dividing the egg batter into 4 portions …. minimum 5 mixing bowls to do the job. Hahahhaha …. :D Not to mention the need to mix individual colour batter for each layer.

At the end of the day, I was quite satisfied with how it turned out. The texture of this cake … moist, soft and fluffy …........and …......
the best part was being able to enjoy 4 flavours in a slice :)

Ingredients :
Egg York Batter:
6 Egg yolks
50 gr Sugar
4 tbsp Oil (I used 60gr)
60 ml Milk (I replaced with 18 gr coconut powder + water = 60 gr)
½ tsp vanilla essence (I omitted)
110 gr Self-raising four (I used Cake Flour + ½ tsp Baking Powder)

Colouring:
Few drops yellow colouring
1 tsp Cocoa powder (I add extra few drops chocolate paste)
Few drops pink colouring (I add extra few drops strawberry paste)
Few drops pandan paste

Egg White Foam:
6 Egg whites
¼ tsp Cream of tartar
100 grm sugar (I reduced to 70gr)

Method:
- Preheat oven to 170C.
-To make egg yolk batter: Combine egg yolks, sugar, oil, milk and vanilla essence in a mixing bowl. Fold in flour until forms batter.
- Divide batter into 4 portions. Add in difference colour separately, mix until well blended.
- To make egg white foam: Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy, gradually add in sugar, beat at high speed until frothy and stiff peaks form.
- Divide egg white foam into 4 portions. Gently fold into egg yolk batter separately, mix until well blended.
- Pour each of colour batter mixture into ungreased 23cm tube pan by sequence.
- Bake in for 30-40 minutes or until cooked.
- Remove from oven, invert cake onto table until completely cooled.

I am submitting this chiffon cake to Aspiring Bakers #1: Chiffon Cakes (Nov 2010) hosted by Small Small Baker.
Blogger or Non-blogger …. Yup ….. Everyone is welcome.
Please support and join here :)

Kueh Bangkit

It’s been quite sometimes, where there is no baking events organized by NCC. Now, the group back with event name “Bangket Week”, there will be no excuse for me to join this, right? :) I picked the recipe from Baking Mum, cause I found the recommendations good and wanted to try it out.

This is my first time baking Kueh Bangkit, the mixing part is quite simple, however, the challenge is on the kneading part. At first I had difficulty to roll out the dough and cut with the cookie cutter, it was hard and sticky. But once you know the technique (try to roll the dough in small portion between two small plastic bags), it is very simple to do it ... :) I let my colleagues to try it, they said the cookies I made were too thin (I will take note on this, frankly speaking I didn't follow the rule to roll it by 0.5cm thickness, my mistake :( ), but the taste-wise ….. nice and melts in the mouth.

Ingredients:
300 gr tapioca flour (I used tapioca starch)
3-4 pandan leaves

20 gr margarine or soften butter
1 egg yolk
120 gr icing sugar
120 gr coconut milk
1/4 tsp vanilla powder (I omitted this)

Method:
- Fry tapioca with the pandan leaves over low flame until fragrant and light (around 30 mins). Set aside to cool. For best result, try to use it after 1 to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven at 170C.
- Sift tapioca flour, icing sugar and vanilla powder. Add margarine or butter.
- Lightly beat egg yolk, mix with the coconut milk until combine. Add the mixture into the flour. Knead until dough is pliable. If you find dough too dry and crumbly, add more coconut milk, a tbsp at a time and knead until it is workable.
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2 cm thick. Cut with cookie cutters and pinch patterns with tweezer (optional on the pinching of patterns). Arrange them on a lined baking tray (best to use the non-stick parchment paper).
- Bake in a preheated oven for 15 mins or until it is lightly brown (not too brown).
- Cool it on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Strawberry Jam Cream Swissroll

Ingredients:
4 Egg yolks
50 gr Sugar
40 gr Milk
40 gr Butter, melted
100 gr Cake four

4 Egg whites
25 gr Sugar

¼ tsp Strawberry paste
a bit of Red food colouring

Filling:
100 gr Whipped Cream
Strawberry Jam

Method:
- Preheat oven 200 degree.
- Hand whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale. Add in milk & melted butter, mix well.
- Fold in cake flour until combined.
- In separated bowl, whisk egg white until foamy, add in 25gr sugar, whisk until stiff (soft peak).
- Pour 1/3 egg white mixture into egg yolk-flour mixture and mixed well, then pour this into the rest of the egg white and mixed well.
- Divide the batter into two, one portion remains plain and one portion add in strawberry paste and red food colouring. Pour each colour into piping bag, cut out the end of the piping bag, to make a small hole.
- Pipe out a diagonal line in alternately colour batter into tray (12”x12”x1”) and bake for 15-20 mins.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack
- Spread cake once it cool with whipped cream and strawberry jam, then roll it with the help of the greaseproof paper.
- Refrigerate it before slicing the cake.

This is how the batter looks like before baking (updated by 04/11/10)