Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate drizzle

Recipe No: 285

Ingredients                                              Makes 12

• Sweetened Coconut….............6 oz/ 155 grams/ 2 ¼ Cups
• All Purpose Flour………...........1/3 Cup (Maida)
• Sweetened Condensed Milk…7 oz/ ½ Cup and 2 Tablespoons/ ½ of a 396 Gram tin
• Vanilla Essence…………………..1/4 Teaspoon
• Pinch of Salt
• Semisweet Chocolate Chips….1/2 Cup

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F/160˚C.
2. Mix together Coconut, Flour, Condensed Milk, Salt and Vanilla Essence well.
3. Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop the mixture onto a greased, parchment paper lined baking tray. (I used a medium sized Ice cream scoop to make 12 scoops.)
4. Place it in the middle of a preheated oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or till the top of the Macaroons become light brown here and there. (The time to bake depends on the size of the scoops; so adjust it accordingly.)
5. Let it cool completely on the baking tray itself.

6. In a double boiler on low flame, (A dish with the Chocolate placed on top of a deep pot of simmering Water, taking care to avoid Water from coming in contact with the dish with the Chocolate.) melt Chocolate until smooth.
7. Dip the bottom of the Macaroons in the melted Chocolate and place them on a parchment paper and press slightly so that the Chocolate spreads evenly. Repeat this with all the macaroons.
8. Scrape all the remaining Chocolate into a small zip lock bag and make a hole on one end.
9. Squeeze the Chocolate and drizzle it onto the Macaroons to make pretty patterns.
10. Let it cool completely (so that the Chocolate hardens) and serve at room temperature. Store the left over in air tight containers. 

Notes:

• Almond extract can be used instead of Vanilla Essence.
• The dish to melt the Chocolate should be absolutely dry or the Chocolate will separate. (It becomes a thick mass that won’t melt; if it happens, do start with a fresh batch of Chocolate.)

 




Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Sending this to Love and Chocolate Fest by My Culinary Trial Room Valentines Day Event by Teenz' Yummy Delights and Valentines Day Special by Annz Cafe

Date Cookies

Recipe No: 280

When 'Our Santa' secretly sent me a message to change the usual Sugar or Ginger Bread Cookies to something new and exciting this year, this suddenly came into my mind. So when 'Santa' was busy finishing the last minute Christmas shopping, me and my daughter whipped up this Cookies on the Christmas Eve.

Ingredients                                            Makes 14-16

To make the Pastry dough

• All Purpose Flour/ Maida……1 Cup
• Cold Butter…………………….….6 Tablespoons (unsweetened; cubed)
• Sugar……………………………..…1/4 Cup
• Baking Soda……………………...1/8 Teaspoon
• Salt……………………………….….a pinch (Avoid if you are using salted Butter)
• Rose Essence…………………....1/3 Teaspoon
• Cold Water……………………….3-4 Tablespoons

For the filling

• Dates Chopped…………………..1 Cup
• Water………………………….……1/3 Cup
• Sugar……………………...……….3 Tablespoons

Method of Preparation

To make the Covering/ Pastry

1. In a Food Processor/ electric mixer, pulse together Flour, Sugar, Salt, Baking Soda, Rose Essence and Butter (cubed) for a few times till the Flour resembles wet sand or bread crumbs. (Don’t make it very fine; there should be small pieces of Butter left in the Flour.) Alternatively you can mix Butter into the Flour using your fingertips just like you would moisten the Flour for Puttu.
2. Add 3-4 tablespoons of Water into the mixture to make a very crumbly dough. (At this stage the Flour will stick together if pressed but very crumbly.)
3. Dump the dough onto a floured board/ work surface and pat all the dough mixture together into one mass; cover with a plastic or Aluminum foil and keep in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or till the filling is ready.

To make the Filling

1. Heat chopped Dates, Sugar and Water on medium heat till it comes to a boil and the Sugar is melted. Switch off the heat and let it cool a bit. Pulse it once or twice in a food processor or the dry grinder of a Mixer Grinder. The filling should not have any big pieces and don’t make it too dry as this mixture will continue to tighten up as it cools.
2. Let the filling cool down completely before filling the cookie. If needed, add one or two tablespoons more of Water if the filling becomes too dry on cooling.

To make and bake the Dates filled Cookie

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F/ 163˚C.

Roll out the pastry into 1/8 inch thickness and make 14 - 16 squares 2 1/2 -3 inch squares. (I used a 2 3/4 inch square cookie cutter with a pretty edge.) Bring all the scraps together and make more. If it becomes sticky, do refrigerate the dough for a while.
Divide the filling between the cut out squares taking care to place them along the middle of the pastry, leaving some space on the sides. (Please refer the picture.)
Fold both sides of the pastry over the Dates filling, so that, most of the filling is covered showing only a thin line along the middle. Press slightly on top of the cookie so that the filling and the pastry stick together.
Place it on a baking tray and continue with the rest.
Bake the filled Pastry in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes. (The Cookie should be slightly crispy with light coloration along the edges, but not fully brown.)
Serve warm or at room temperature with a glass of Black Coffee or Green Tea as a snack or as a dessert after dinner.

Notes:

• While mixing Butter into the Flour, there should be small pieces of Butter left and don’t knead this dough too much as it will melt the Butter. Just pat the dough together and roll it out. In a hot oven, the small pieces of Butter will melt creating steam that will help the dough rise making it flaky, which is very essential for this cookie.
• Apply Flour on the board/ work surface and the rolling pin to avoid the dough from sticking. 
• If you don't have the time for the dough to chill in the refrigerator, do put it in the freezer for 6-8 minutes.
• You can make this pastry without Rose Essence, but its addition gives a very special taste.
• If in case the Date mixture is too tight when cold, do add a tablespoon or two of Water and mix well to incorporate. Don’t make it very wet or it will be make the cookie soggy when cooked.
• Let the Date filling cool completely before filling the Pastry or the heat from the filling will make the dough too soft to handle.
• The low temperature setting of the oven will crisp up the cookie without browning  it too much.
• Store the leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Don’t refrigerate.

 

Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 

serve it to your family with love...

Chocolate striped Cylinder Cookies

Recipe No: 261

Ingredients                                     Makes 12-15

• Semisweet Chocolate Chips….1/4 Cup
• Butter………………………………..1/2 Teaspoon
• Egg Whites………………………...2
• Powdered/ Icing Sugar………..1/4 Cup
• All Purpose Flour/ Maida…….1/4 Cup
• Butter………………………………..1/4 Cup / ½ Stick; Melted
• Vanilla Essence…………………..1/4 Teaspoon

Method of Preparation

1. In a bowl melt Semisweet Chocolate Chips and ½ Teaspoon Butter in the microwave until smooth. Pour this into a small Zip Lock bag; make a small hole at the tip and keep it aside till ready to be used.
2. Preheat the oven to 375˚F/ 190˚C. Keep a tray lined with a parchment paper ready.
3. Whip the Egg Whites and Vanilla Essence until it forms stiff peaks.
4. Add the Powdered Sugar slowly while whipping.
5. Mix in the Flour followed by the Melted Butter (1/4 cup) really well.

6. Drop a tablespoon full of batter onto the parchment paper lined tray and spread it as thin as possible.
7. Squeeze the melted Chocolate onto the batter to make thin stripes at equal distance.
8. Keep it in the middle of the oven for 3-4 minutes or until it is slightly browned here and there.
9. Take it out of the oven; loosen the cookie from the sheet; turn it upside down and with the help of a small round rod roll it into a cylinder. (You can roll it without the rod too, but it wont be that perfect.)
10. Keep it on a cooling rack to cool. Once cooled, keep it in an airtight container.
11. Serve at room temperature with Ice cream.

Notes:

• This batter has a tendency to become thick as it sits. But when it is spread onto a hot tray (from the previous batch) it will spread easily and will form very thin sheets. 
• Take care to spread the batter as even as possible on to the Cookie sheets to ensure even cooking.
• Depending on the size of the tray and the size of the cookie, make 1 or 2 at a time. Don’t make more than that at once, otherwise, the other cookies will harden up while you roll one of them. In case if the cookie hardens up before rolling, keep it back in the oven for a few seconds to make it soft again.
• I used a Silpat (Silicon Mat) for making these cookies so that it wont stick onto the pan. At least Parchment Paper is a must for this and if the Cookie sticks, loosen it with a metal spatula and keep it back in the oven for a few minutes (to make it soft again) before rolling.
• This cookie is very sensitive to moisture so keep it in an airtight container as soon as it cools.

 














Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Date and Nut Pastry

Recipe No: 242
I consider this as a cookie, but the way the dough is made closely resembles a pastry and hence the name. The Rose Essence in the recipe is what makes this so special and I have to say that this is one good cookie to eat with a glass of Black Coffee after a heavy dinner. With the tempting taste of Dates and Pistachios together with the lightly sweetened rose flavored pastry makes it a… well... in this case… you have to eat it to get what I am trying to describe...

Ingredients                                            Makes 18

To make the Pastry dough

• All Purpose Flour/ Maida……1 Cup
• Cold Butter…………………….….6 Tablespoons (unsweetened; cubed)
• Sugar……………………………..…1/4 Cup
• Baking Soda…………………….…1/8 Teaspoon
• Salt……………………………….…..a pinch (Avoid if you are using salted Butter)
• Rose Essence…………………..….1/3 Teaspoon (optional)
• Cold Water…………………………3-4 Tablespoons

For the filling

• Dates Chopped…………………..1 Cup
• Water………………………….……1/4 Cup
• Sugar……………………...……….3 Tablespoons
• Toasted Pistachios……………..1/4 Cup (chopped)

Method of Preparation
To make the Covering/ Pastry

1. In a Food Processor pulse together Flour, Sugar, Salt, Baking Soda, Rose Essence and Butter (cubed) for a few times till the Flour resembles wet sand or bread crumbs. (Don’t make it very fine; there should be small pieces of Butter left in the Flour.) Alternatively you can mix Butter into the Flour using your fingertips just like you would moisten the Flour for Puttu.
2. Add 3-4 tablespoons of Water into the mixture to make a very crumbly dough. (At this stage the Flour will stick together if pressed but very crumbly.)
3. Dump the dough onto a floured board/ work surface and pat all the dough mixture together into one mass; cover with a plastic or Aluminum foil and keep in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or till the filling is ready.

To make the Filling

1. Heat chopped Dates, Sugar and Water or medium heat till the Sugar is melted and the Water is absorbed. Don’t make it too dry as this mixture will continue to tighten up as it cools.
2. Mix in the chopped toasted Pistachios and let the mixture cool down thoroughly before filling the pastry.

To make and bake the Dates filled Pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F/ 163˚C.
2. Roll out the pastry into 1/8 inch thickness and with a round cookie cutter (use a lid of some bottle if you don’t have a cutter) make 18, 2 ½ inch circles.
3. Divide the filling between these 18 round pastries taking care to place them in the lower half of the Pastry rounds.
4. Take the rounds with the filling in your palms, and fold the pastry over the filling to cover it, by slightly pushing the filling inside and letting the tips of the dough touch each other. Seal the ends properly by pressing so that the filling is secure inside.
5. Place it on a baking tray and continue with the rest.
6. Bake the filled Pastry in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes. (The pastry should be slightly crispy, but not brown.)
7. Serve warm or at room temperature with a glass of Black Coffee or Green Tea as a snack or as a dessert after dinner.

Notes:

• While mixing Butter into the Flour, there should be small pieces of Butter left and don’t knead this dough too much as it will melt the Butter. Just pat the dough together and roll it out with a rolling pin. In a hot oven the small pieces of Butter will melt creating steam that will help the dough rise making it flaky, which is very essential for these type of pastries.
• Apply Flour on the board/ work surface and the rolling pin to avoid the dough from sticking.
• You can make this pastry without Rose Essence, but its addition gives a very special taste.
• If in case the Date mixture is too tight when cold, do add a tablespoon or two of Water and heat again to loosen. Don’t make it very wet or it will be make the pastry  soggy when cooked.
• Even though I used Pistachio, you can substitute it with  Almonds or Cashews (Don't use Peanuts) depending on the availability.
• Let the Date mixture cool completely before filling the Pastry or the heat from the filling will melt the Butter in the pastry.
• The size of the pastry rounds shouldn't have to be 2 1/2 inches; make it as big or as small as you want.
• There is no need to use Water or any sticking agent to seal the pastry, as the pastry dough is sticky and will stick together just by pressing.
• The low temperature setting of the oven will crisp up the pastry without browning  it too much.
• Store the leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Don’t refrigerate.

 





Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Chocolate Cream Biscuits

Recipe No: 214

I am a big fan of Britannia Bourbon (Chocolate Cream) Biscuits (Somehow I don’t like any of the other brands.) and unfortunately (or fortunately for me!) my kids are not. But even now, I buy these at times and indulge in a blissful moment all by myself!!! So I decided to make something that is similar to that Britannia Bourbon and along came these Biscuits… and I should say I didn’t get a chance to indulge in these Biscuits much, as my daughter went crazy over it and ate most of it together with her father!!!

Ingredients                                         Makes around 15
To make the Biscuits

• Butter……………………….......1/2 cup/ 1 stick/ 8 Tablespoons (room Temperature)
• All Purpose Flour/ Maida…1 ¼ Cup
• Cocoa Powder………………...2 Tablespoons
• Fine Sugar……………………..1/4 Cup (If Sugar has big granules powder it slightly)
• Water……………………………2 Tablespoons
• Granulated Sugar for sprinkling on top

To make the Cream

• Semisweet Chocolate chips…1/3 Cup
• Milk Powder…………………..…1 Tablespoon
• Water…………………………..….1 Tablespoon
• Vanilla Essence………………...1/4 Teaspoon
• Instant Coffee Powder…….…1/8 Teaspoon
• Butter………………………….…..1 Tablespoon
• Powdered Sugar………………..1 Tablespoon

Method of Preparation
To make the Biscuits

1. Mix together Flour, Sugar and Cocoa Powder really well.
2. Mix in the Butter with your hands (just like you make Puttupodi) thoroughly until it resembles wet sand.
3. Add the Water and knead it into soft dough.
4. Cover the dough with Aluminum Foil and refrigerate for about ½ hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 375˚F/190˚C.

6. Once chilled, roll out the dough into a rectangle with 1/8 of an inch
   thickness.
7. Cut 3 X 1 inch rectangles from the rolled out dough and place them on a buttered cookie sheet ½ inch apart.
8. Prick the top of the Biscuits with a fork and sprinkle granulated Sugar on top of half of the Biscuits.
9. Bake them in the middle of the oven for 12 minutes or until the sides start to turn light brown.
10. Once out of the oven, let it cool on the sheet itself.

To make the Cream (Substitutes in the notes section)

1. Dissolve  Milk Powder in Water thoroughly. (Use 1 ½ Tablespoons of Heavy Cream instead)
2. Add Chocolate chips, Coffee and Butter to the Milk and double boil till it melts thoroughly. (You can Microwave it, but do stop and mix every 10 seconds.)
3. Once slightly cooled, mix in Vanilla Essence and Powdered Sugar to the Chocolate mixture and keep aside till ready to be used.

To assemble the Cream Biscuits

1. Spread some Cream on the flat side of the Biscuits without Sugar and sandwich it with  Biscuits with Sugar on top. Press slightly so that the Cream spreads till the edge.
2. Allow it to set for 1 hour before serving.

Notes:

• In US, the regular Sugar is very fine. So I used granulated Sugar, which has bigger granules to sprinkle on top of the Biscuits. Fine Sugar will not be seen once the Biscuits are done. If the Sugar you are using have big granules(like the ones in India) do use that to sprinkle on top.
• Rotate the tray half way through baking to ensure even cooking of the Biscuits.
• This Biscuits will not rise or spread much as there are no leavening agents in the dough. But because of the amount of Butter it will be very light.
• While making the Cream, mix in the Powdered Sugar to the chocolate mixture only after it is cooled otherwise the Sugar will melt.
• If the prepared Cream is a bit on the loose side, keep it in the fridge and allow it to chill so that it hardens slightly.
• Let the Biscuits cool thoroughly before making it into Cream Biscuits.
• This Biscuits as such is not on the Sweeter side as it is meant to be eaten with the Cream which is on the sweeter side. But I have to say my daughter like it even without the Cream.
• The Cream in the middle will become more stable as it sits. After 5-6 hours it will become perfect. (We didn't have so much patience and so the Cream came out a bit while eating.)
• Substitutes for the Chocolate Cream:

1. If you want a Vanilla Cream do mix Butter with Powdered Sugar and a bit of Vanilla Essence till it attains a creamy consistency.
2. Avoid Vanilla Essence from the above Cream and add Cocoa Powder made into a paste with Water to get a very simple Chocolate Cream. Add Powdered Sugar as needed.

 






Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Masala Cheese Crackers

Recipe No: 151

Back in Kerala, the Masala biscuits are easily available in most of the stores. But after coming to US, it became hard to find those yummy ones. So I decided to give it a try and here is my take on those delicious Crackers. I am using a bit of Sugar for a hint of sweetness, but if you want to avoid that just leave the Sugar out (I kinda like that slight sweetness).

Ingredients                                      Makes around 3 dozen

• Butter…………………………...1/2 Cup (1 stick)
• Sugar…………………………....3 Tablespoons
• Egg……………………………….1
• All Purpose Flour/Maida…1 Cup
• Baking Powder………………1/2 Teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder………….1 ½ Teaspoon (I used mildly hot one)
• Cumin Powder………………1/2 Teaspoon
• Garam Masala Powder…...1/2 Teaspoon
• Salt………………………….…..1/2 Teaspoon
• Sesame Seeds………………..1 Teaspoon
• Grated Cheese…………..….3/4 Cup (I used grated Parmesan.But Amul Cheese will work)

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F/ 163˚C.
2. Sift together Flour, Salt, Baking Powder, Red Chilly Powder, Cumin Powder and Garam Masala Powder really good. Mix in the Sesame Seeds, stir and keep it aside till ready to be used.

3. Mix together, Butter and Sugar till light and fluffy.
4. Stir in the Egg to the Butter mixture and beat everything until combined well.
5. When fluffy, add the Flour mixture and mix well.
6. Fold in the grated Cheese and make it into soft and smooth dough.
7. Dump this onto a floured board (or any work surface) and divide it into two portions.
8. Roll out each of the portions into 1/8 of an inch thick rounds.
9. Cut out small rounds using a cookie cutter of 2 ½ inch diameter and place on a baking tray half an inch apart.
10. Prick the top of the cut out crackers here and there using a fork and bake in the middle of the oven for 12-13 minutes. Roll out the dough scraps to make more crackers.
11. Once out of the oven let it sit on the baking sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer it to a cooling rack.
12. Serve this at room temperature with a cup of Tea or with Cheese.

Notes:

• Don’t use any melting kind of Cheese; use only some crumbly non melting kind of cheese like Parmesan. In India the common type that can be used is the Amul Cheese that is available in tins.
• As these are crackers, you have to roll it out pretty thin (1/8 th of an inch or slightly less than that).
• If the dough is sticking to the fork while pricking, do dip the tip of the fork in Flour now and then.
• These Crackers won't spread much. Pricking the top of the Crackers will prevent it from puffing, which is essential for Crackers.
• Once out of the Oven you should leave it on the hot baking tray itself for 2 minutes. This will finish cooking the crackers and will help them crisp up.
• Cooling rack (being thin metal wires connected at a distance) is good for cooling cookies as it will not make the bottom soggy by trapping the vapor.

 






Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Almond-Anise seed Biscotti

Recipe No: 146

Back home, most of the Bakeries have these crispy Cake like thing that are mostly kept in glass jars (I am sorry that I don't know its name, but if anyone knows, please share...) It is light yellow in color with Tutty Fruity here and there and its texture is that of a Rusk but tastes like a Cake… Now these Italian Cookies tastes exactly like those ones in glass jars.

For a very long time I used to make Raisin Biscotti, but once I happened to taste these Almond Biscotti that was bought from Costco from a friends house. (who are by the way very crazy of these)  After tasting that, I never went back to Raisin Biscotti… now I make only these Almond-Anise Seed Biscotti… and sometimes substitute a portion of Almonds with Pistachios depending on its availability at home. (It is in one of the picture)

‘Biscotti’ literally translates as ‘double baked’ which is exactly what happens in the baking of these Cookies. It’s baked as big logs first and later cut into small pieces and baked for a second time. This very lightly sweet Cookie goes excellent with Tea.

Ingredients                                  Makes around 40 cookies

• All Purpose Flour/ Maida………….3 Cups
• Baking Powder……………………...…1 Teaspoon
• Salt………………………………………...1/2 Teaspoon (Avoid this if you are using Salted Butter)
• Unsalted Butter………………………..1/2 Cup (1 Stick)
• Sugar………………………………………1 Cup
• Eggs…………………………………..……3
• Vanilla Extract…………………….……1 Teaspoon
• Dried Whole Almonds……………….1 ½ Cups (Substitute with 1 Cup Almond and ½ cup shelled Pistachios if you wish)
• Anise Seeds……………………...………1 ¼ Tablespoons (If not available use 1 Tablespoon of Fennel Seeds)

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C.
2. Heat a pan on medium heat and dry roast (without Oil) Almonds and chop into medium sized pieces. (Don’t make it small) Keep it aside till ready to be used.
3. Line two baking sheets with Parchment paper and apply a small coating of Butter . (or simply use a cooking spray)
4. Sift together Flour, Baking Powder and Salt; keep it aside.
5. Mix together Butter, Sugar and Vanilla Essence till light and fluffy.
6. Add Eggs one by one and mix till it is combined really well.
7. Mix in the Flour mixture until just combined.
8. Add the chopped Almonds and Anise Seeds and mix till it is equally distributed.

9. Divide this equally into two logs of 8-9 inches long and 2 ½ inches broad. This dough is very sticky, so dip your hands in water before using it to shape the log.
10. Bake it in the middle of the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or till the sides starts to brown slightly.
11. Take it out of the oven and let it cool down a bit.
12. Cut it into ½ inch thick pieces and arrange it in one layer on the baking sheets.
13. Keep it again in the oven and bake for 8 minutes on each side or till it hardens slightly. (Once out of the oven it hardens a bit more.)
14. Once cooled, store it in an air tight container and serve at room temperature with a cup of Tea.

Notes:

• Almonds can be used as whole, but I found that it is a bit hard to cut through the log if you are using whole Almonds, not to mention the higher chances of  the pieces crumbling when you slice the logs. So I prefer cutting the Almonds into thirds after toasting. But I don’t mind putting the Pistachios as whole since they are smaller in size.
• Anise Seeds looks almost the same as that of Fennel seeds (both belong to the same family Apiaceae) but slightly smaller in size. But the taste to me is almost the same. I have made these Biscotti with both Anise Seeds and Fennel Seeds and it needs an incredible palate and a sharp sense of sight to notice the difference! 
• Don’t try to accommodate both logs in one cookie sheet as it may spread while baking for the first time.
• Allow the logs to cool down slightly before slicing it, other wise it may crumble.

 




Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love...

Pin Wheel Cookies

Recipe No: 142

This is a recipe that I got long back from a neighbor of mine who introduced me to the world of baking. This is one of my son’s favorite.

Ingredients                                Makes 20-25

• All Purpose Flour/ Maida….2 Cups
• Baking Powder………………..3/4 Teaspoon
• Salt………………………………..1/4 teaspoon
• Butter…………………………....1/2 Cup
• Sugar……………………………..1 Cup
• Vanilla Essence…………..…..1 Teaspoon
• Milk………………………….…..8 Tablespoons
• Cocoa Powder………………...4 Tablespoons
• Instant Coffee Powder……..1/2 Teaspoon

Method of Preparation

1. Sift together Flour, Baking Powder and Salt. Keep it aside till ready to be used.
2. Mix Coffee Powder with a teaspoon of Milk from the quantity  mentioned above and keep aside till ready to be used.
3. Mix together, Butter, Sugar and Vanilla Essence till light and fluffy.
4. Mix in Flour and Milk to the creamed Butter and make a soft but stiff dough.
5. Divide this dough into two.
6. Make a ball out of one, cover with a plastic wrap or Aluminum foil and refrigerate for ½ hour.
7. To the second half of the dough, mix the Cocoa Powder and the Coffee mixture and make smooth dough out of it.
8. Make it into a ball, cover with a plastic wrap or Aluminum foil and refrigerate for ½ hour.
9. Once chilled, place each Ball between two wax papers or plastic wraps and roll into roughly 12 inch circles.
10. Peel the paper from one of the sides of both the dough and place one above the other  so that the doughs are touching each other.
11. Now peel the above paper and roll the dough tightly into a log. This may be sticky so get maximum help from the bottom wax paper.
12. Once rolled, make it into a perfect round log. If the log is thick in the middle press there and evenly distribute the dough. Tap the sides also to make it as even as possible.
13. Wrap it in an Aluminum foil and refrigerator for 2 hours. Well if you don’t have so much time, keep it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
14. Preheat the oven to 350˚F/ 180˚C.

15. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or Butter paper and spread a little oil.
16. Cut the dough into ¾ to 1 centimeter thick pieces and place on the Cookie sheet one inch apart.
17. Bake it in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes for soft and chewy cookies or for 15-18 minutes for crunchy Cookies.
18. Serve at room temperature.

Notes:

•  While making the Chocolate part, if the dough is too sticky use a teaspoon more of Flour.
• Ideally it is good if you can roll the dough into rectangles. But as I have too much experience rolling round Chappaties, somehow mine will become round always!!
• The cookies should be a little soft to touch in the middle when it comes out of the Oven but it will harden up as it cools.
• My kids love soft and chewy cookies, so I used to take it out of the Oven around 15 minutes. But, if you prefer these soft ones it should be finished as soon as possible. If you want to keep it for more than 3 days do bake for 18 minutes.

Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and
serve it to your family with love…

Bean Biscuits

Recipe No: 95

Let me take you for a small tour along my childhood. Being 10 and 9 years younger to my brothers, my father used to send me with them to the nearby bakery to get some snacks on one single condition. I should hold on to the hands of either one of them the whole time. So clinging onto the hands of one of my brother I used to make bakery visits often. Most of the times I will be welcomed by the sight of a big glass jar filled with scrumptious Bean Biscuits. Just like an instinct I will ask my brothers pointing to the glass jar “Can you buy that…..please…?” even though I know that the answer will be a big ‘NO’, mostly because my father would have instructed my brothers to buy something else…. So I will stand there staring at that big jar full of these small, lighter than air biscuits, committing crime in my mind by imagining me putting my hands into the jar and scooping up fistfuls of those biscuits and eating it voraciously…. But when I grew big, I used to buy these whenever I get a chance. I even packed a few packets of these sweet treats on my way back to US from my last Kerala trip.

Suddenly, last week when I was talking to my brother over phone I remembered these moments and decided to give this all time favorite a try. The taste of these resembles very much like a basic sponge cake. So I decided to make such a kind of batter and the difficulty was to adjust the temperature. After making two batches I got the temperature correct and I should say these came out well. I think the name is from the shape of these Biscuits, but if you look closely they come in all shapes, mostly round. So here it is the good old Bean Biscuits…

Ingredients

• Egg………………………................2 (At room temperature)
• Sugar……………………................2/3 Cup
• All purpose Flour/Maida....….6 Tablespoons
• Baking Powder……………......…1/8 Teaspoon
• Vanilla Essence…………….....….1 Teaspoon

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 250˚F/120˚C.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and apply a small coating of Oil or Butter. Use cooking spray if you have.

3. Sift together Flour and Baking Powder and keep aside till ready to be used.
4. Beat Egg, Sugar and Vanilla Essence really good till it is pale in color and doubles in volume. This process is easy if you have a stand or hand mixer.
5. Add the Flour mixture and mix gently with a wooden spoon. Don’t use a mixer for this step.
6. Transfer this mixture into a sauce bottle.
7. Drip the batter onto the baking sheet to make small drops leaving space in between the drops.
8. Once the sheet is full put this in the middle rack of the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or till it starts to brown lightly around the edges.
9. Keep it in  an airtight container when cooled.

Notes:

• After the cooking time the Biscuits will be slightly soft to touch but will harden up within minutes.
• If you don't have a sauce bottle, use a Zip Lock bag instead. Fill up the bag and make a small hole in one corner so that the batter will drip when you apply a small pressure.
• The texture of these cookies should be very light and crispy.

Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and
serve it to your family with love…

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe No: 47

I got this recipe from a Brown Sugar cover and decided to give it a try. I was a bit skeptical at first since it contains only less amount of butter when compared to most of the other recipes. But when the cookies turned out to be delicious, I felt that this is a keeper and never tried to change since.

Ingredients                                         Makes 20-25 cookies

• Flour…………………..……...........2 ¼ cup
• Baking soda…………………........3/4 Teaspoon
• Salt…………………………............1/2 Teaspoon
• Butter………………………...........1/2 cup
• Brown Sugar………………..........3/4 Cup
• Granulated Sugar…………….....3/4 Cup
• Vanilla extract……………..........1 Teaspoon
• Eggs………………………..............2 large
• Semisweet Chocolate Chips….3/4 Cup

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F/190˚C.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread a thin layer of butter on it. (You can use a cooking spray instead.)
3. Sift together Flour, Salt and Baking Soda and keep aside.
4. Melt the butter and cool it slightly. Combine it with Brown sugar, White sugar, Eggs and Vanilla. Beat this till light and fluffy.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix gently till everything is just combined. Don’t over mix after adding the flour.
6. Add the Chocolate chips and mix.
7. Scoop out heaping tablespoons of the cookie dough and place them on the parchment paper 2 inches apart.
8. Wet your fingers and flatten the top of the scoops.
9. Place it in the middle of the preheated oven and bake till golden on the edges for about 12 to 16 minutes.
10. Once out of the oven, let the cookie rest on the cookie sheet itself for a minute and then transfer to a cooling rack.
11. I love to eat them warm. But if you are storing it, store it in an airtight container after cooling thoroughly.

Notes: The time of the baking depends on the consistency you want. Around 10-12 minutes the cookie will be soft and chewy. Around 14-16 minutes it will be crunchy. In both cases it should be soft in the middle when you take it out of the oven. It will harden when it cools.
Instead of Chocolate chips you can use broken Chocolate pieces too.

You can store this cookie for at least a week at room temperature and if you like a warm cookie, just heat it in a microwave for a few seconds.

 



Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love...