The winner for the last month's giveaway CINNAMON ROLLS is Divya Kudua. Congratulations!!! Please send me your postal addy to airmathew AT gmail DOT com and the rolls will be on it's way!! :)
Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
Monday, August 1, 2011
GIVEAWAY : FROM ME TO YOU -3
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
GIVEAWAY : FROM ME TO YOU - 1
Hello everyone! Are you thinking whether you read it right? You did! I am planning on some giveaway (s) on my blog. A giveaway of things made/baked/cooked or even bought by me. Every month someday, I will announce what I am planning to giveaway to my readers who have been so supportive & encouraging all throughout . It could be anything.It could be big. It could be small. It will depend on what my Gemini brain feels like in the end but let me assure you, it will be good :-)
This month,I am going to bake some cookies for you...a dozen of my favourite Wholewheat Fruit & Nut Cookies. I have been thinking about this for months together now. So did Jobin. Finally, today, I am letting you all into it :) So what are you waiting for? You guys definately deserve something for all the drooling that you have done here (that's what I am told!).This month it's open only for US residents.But if you have someone in US who would love to get some cookies in their mail, I can do that! (Thanks Nisha, for that comment!)
For all my wonderful readers in India, your time will come very soon! Real soon :-)
You have plenty of time...all the time you need till the 1st of July to comment. On the 1st of July, I'll pick a winner and the cookies will be baked fresh for you by me :-) I can't wait for that day! There's lots and lots of good stuff in that cookie so go on...make sure you atleast make an attempt to grab your share!
Also, have no worries of me vanishing into thin air (remember my speech?), I'll be around :-)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
WHOLEWHEAT FRUIT & NUT COOKIES
I cannot tell you how good these cookies are, you will absolutely love it as they are tasty,chewy (in a good way) and butter-less! I made 4 batches in less than a week's time and they disappeared as soon as they were baked and hopefully they don't make an appearance on my waist! ;-)
WHOLEWHEAT FRUIT & NUT COOKIESRecipe source: Eat Good 4 Life
Ingredients:
3/4 c wholewheat flour (I used Ashirvad Atta)
3/4 c oatmeal (I used Quaker oats)
1 c dry fruits (I used cashewnuts & raisins)
1/2 c chocolate chips
1tsp baking soda
1 egg
2/3 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c canola/vegetable oil
1 tsp Vanilla
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 350F/180C and line your cookie sheet with baking parchemnt.
Whisk together eggs,sugar,oil and vanilla in another bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix it in with a rubber spatula.
Drop level tablespoons of dough onto the cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 mins.
Cool on the tin for 2 mins and then on the wire rack till cooled completely.
Store in an airtight tin.
Verdict: Absolutely delicious! Jobin is not a cookie person but he said these cookies were 'Incredible'! I am addicted to it and I am sure this cookie is going to be a regular in our home,whenever the cookie craving hits me! It's so simple to make! I guess I'm starting to fall for wholewheat products,they are a lot more healthier than refined flour.
Monday, December 27, 2010
GINGERBREAD MAN FOR 400,000 HITS!
There is a saying,'When it rains,it pours!' and it is no different in my case! My blog just had it's 400,000 hits (100,000 more in 1 month and 5 days!) and when I am still taking time for it to sink in, I get this email from Susan & Abraham of Chako's Kitchen saying that my HoneyComb cake has been selected as one of the 30 Best Recipes of 2010. This is what they had to say, 'Ria Mathew of Ria’s collection is arguably the most talented baker and blogger from India. Currently residing in US, this gifted lady whips out heavenly cakes, cookies and innovative sweets and savories and her food pictures are talk of the town. So it is but natural that her entry for the Best Recipes of 2010 is indeed one the best recipe from her. This marvelous looking Honey Comb Cake, will woo you with its rich and perfect look and I bet you cannot help but drool over her culinary creations !' (taken with permission from Chako's Kitchen). That one piece of news has kept me smiling for the whole day!
Now let's get back to some little bit of baking that I had been doing the whole of last week!I must say that I was lucky to have some leftovers from the weekend parties to feed the two of us those days, or else, I would have gone crazy baking ,cooking ,cleaning,loading the dishwasher (I hate it!) , decorating the cookies, controlling the temperature indoors to prevent the frosting from melting, answering all the queries I get in my inbox (E-mail and FB which I LOVE!) on an hourly basis mostly regarding the Fruit Cake 1 & Fruit Cake 2, answering to SOS IM's on Google Talk and FB and status updating on FB :) plus the packing for our holidays!
When I asked my niece's what they would like me to bring over for X'mas, they said, they wanted Sugar cookies and Gingerbread man . Okay, I have never made both of them. So I hunted for recipes like a crazy old blind woman who hunts for her lost needle in a haystack (eh? Did I just say that? ).That's exactly when Aparna had to post her recipe for this fabulous Gingerbread Man and I told her, I think I'm going to make her recipe, which I did :-) I am so glad that I made it because it is so good! I couldn't stop munching on them while I was decorating the cookies. I had excuses to give...to myself.
Excuse #1 : How would the Gingerbread Man (GM) look like without it's head?
Excuse #2 : How would the GM look like with it's head and not it's arm?
Excuse #3 : How would the GM look like with it's head and arm intact but not it's right leg?
Excuse#4 : How would the GM look like with it's head, arms and right leg intact but....
Yeah I made good use of all the 'probabilty' stuff I learnt in my class 12.!
Now we are back home after the holidays and I am having some major 'post Christmas' blues.So before I begin to talk about it, why don't you all check out this fabulous cookie's recipe?
EGGLESS GINGERBREAD MAN
Original Recipe from Taste.com
Adapted version from Aparna. I made some adjustments to her recipe.
Ingredients:
1 stick/113 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2c loosely packed brown sugar/grated jaggery
1/2 c honey
2 1/2 c all purpose unbleached flour (regular maida will also work)
1 tbsp dry ginger powder
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C.Line a baking sheet (s) with parchement/butter paper.
Sieve the dry ingredients together and keep aside.
Cream butter and brown sugar/jaggery till pale and creamy.Add in the honey and cream till fluffy.
Add in the dry ingredients and beat till it comes together like rubbles.
Gather the dough together with your hand and knead it lightly, with your fingertips and form a smooth ball.
Flatten it, clingwrap it and leave it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Dust your work surface and a rolling pin with flour, lightly.
Roll out the dough to 1/4" thickness and cut out the gingerbread man.
Place them on a lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 mins depending on the size of your cookie.
Once baked, take them out and let them cool on the sheet for 5 mins.
When they are completely cooled, store them in an airtight tin.
Verdict: This was my first time baking a gingerbread cookie and I must say, this will be baked for the coming years during Christmas season. I love the spices that goes into the cookie and the smell of it gives you a warmth that no other season can bring!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
CHOCOLATE CHIP NANCUTS/NANKATAI
Ihave never baked so much in so little time. Phew! That was a LOT of baking happening in my kitchen. I must say,my oven is still grateful. It hasn't given up on me :-) But trust me, it feels so good to be near the oven during winter...keeps you warm and keeps your house warm,too! Plus, you get to eat your favourite baked goodies!
I met Chris Ann last month for a small blogger meet in Minneapolis. I have to say, she was a very graceful host! She brought us some yummy yummy homemade chocolate chip cookies! I remember her saying that she slaved over it...I don't think so! ;-) Anyhow, it was delicious. During the meet,we were having a casual chat and she mentioned that she would like me to do a guest post for their 'Cookie Exchange' event on the blog during the month of December. I agreed on the spot. Why wouldn't I? :-)
But the challenge for me was that she asked me if I could bake some sort of an Indian cookie. Umm, now that's interesting! Indian cookie? I had to think about it for a while because we Indians, really don't have a 'typical' Indian baked goodie.But then again, there should be something that we can call it 'Indian'...and yes! it was a cookie called 'Nankatai' or 'Nancuts' as we call at home. Indian cookies or 'biscuits' as we call it, is never soft like the 'cookies' that we get in US. It's crisp, crunchy and even crumbly, at times. So this is the texture of this cookie/biscuit too. :-)
Nancuts is the simplest of all the cookies. It's a very simple 3-ingredient recipe. You don't need any fancy equipment to get it done. At any given point, you can bake these cookies in less than half an hour!Usually this cookie is baked plain or maybe with a hint of crushed/powdered cardamom. I thought of giving it a twist and added chocolate chips to the dough.
For recipe..visit Love Feast Table!
I am sending these cookies as my entry for the Monthly Mingle- Chocolate Extravaganza hosted by myself! :)
Season's Greetings!
Friday, March 5, 2010
CRUNCHY PEANUT HEARTS from my Bon Amigo!
There are these friends, whom you instantly contact for help...be it anything! And Aparna was one among them.I must also mention that I wouldn't trouble her for anything other than things related to food!We met in Goa in September and she helped me in my search for some fresh cream too :) And Oh yes! how could I forget that...she packed some of her homemade cookies for me! She is a FAB baker and a perfect vegetarian cook! And now, while I am trying to settle in this new country, she is helping me 'feed my blog' :) Thank you so much A! :)
Over to Aparna...
When Ria requested me for a guest post for her blog how could I refuse? I first met Ria and got to know her in the “virtual fellow food blogger” kind of way and then met her “for real” when she came down for a visit to Goa a few months back.
A few months back she told me she was getting married, and asked if I could do a guest post (and I quote Ria here) “to feed my hungry blog” during the time she would be busy with wedding related stuff. Well, a friend in need is supposed to be a friend indeed!
She got married 2 weeks back and since I couldn’t make it to the wedding, the least I could do was bake her some virtual goodies. Now, I know that some insanely rich and decadent cake or confection would be more fitting as a wedding present.
But if I know anything at all about weddings in India and the days that follow, it is that Ria would be extremely happy to see some very simple uncomplicated food. Perhaps some crunchy cookies to go with her cup of tea?
Its funny how when I started blogging, I had very few cookbooks and used to feel very limited by the lack of variety of recipes to cook/ bake. Now I have many cookbooks, I seem to have so many recipes that I don’t even remember which book contains what anymore!
Late last year, Ria had sent me a bunch of vanilla beans (think she’s a vanilla bean bearer to lots of us foodies!) and also a copy of The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits (that’s cookies to some of us). True to nature, I flipped through the pages, admired the book, put it on the shelf and then somewhere along the line forgot all about it!
When I suddenly realized that I had promised Ria a post, I remembered her book and it seemed a good idea to bake something from it. I really like Australian Women’s Weekly books because they contain simple recipes with short ingredient lists, and have always worked very well for me.
And my daughter likes cookies, which her friends like even better!
So here are some Crunchy Peanut Hearts, very slightly adapted from the original.
These cookies have quite a few pluses in my opinion. They’re made from an AWW recipe, they don’t need butter or oil, they have fibre (oats), they contain no eggs and are very good, I didn’t need to go shopping for any of the ingredients, and here’s the best part of all. I just dumped everything in my food processor and voila, the dough was ready!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats, coarsely powdered
1/3 cup dessicated coconut
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp honey
2 to 3 tbsps water
Method:
Sift the flour, baking soda and cinnamon into a bowl. Add the sugar, rolled oats, dessicated coconut and lemon rind and mix well. (I did all this in my food processor bowl)
Rub the peanut butter into the dry ingredients (I did this on the food processor but using the plastic dough making blade) until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Now add the honey and water, a little at a time, stirring till a soft dough forms.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, knead lightly till smooth, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Take the dough from the fridge and divide into two portions. Roll out each portion into 1/4" thickness, dusting lightly with flour if necessary. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2" fluted cutter or cutter of desired shape.
Place on lightly greased baking trays and bake at 180C for about 10 to 12 minutes, or till golden brown. Allow the biscuits (cookies) to cool on the trays for about 5 minutes and then cool completely on a rack.
This recipe makes about 30 biscuits (cookies) but I got 40 since my biscuit cutter was a bit smaller.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
LINZER HEART COOKIES & A FRENCH CONNECTION!
You must be wondering what exactly I meant by 'French Connection'. No, I am not talking about the movie, nor the big retail chain. But I am talking about my very sweet friend Jamie who live in Nantes, France.She is this perfect mix of the perfect wife, mother, blogger and a friend. For me, she is that 'friend' who fulfils the proverb 'A friend in need is a friend indeed.'
I tweeted out to Jamie few months ago, to help me feed my hungry blog during my wedding days as I didn't have the heart to starve my dear bloggie. And she accepted it without thinking twice! Isn't she the best! Mwwwaahhhh!! And have a look at those perfect treats that she baked for me!
And let me warn you, she writes really well! So do not blame me if you get hooked onto her writing skills! ;)
LINZER HEART COOKIES FOR VALENTINE’S DAY
RIA’S BIG ADVENTURE
Ah, Valentine’s Day. Our hearts go pitter pat as the date approaches, florist shops fill up with lush red roses, heart-shaped chocolates tucked into delicate, pale tissue paper or tumbling out of boxes tied up in plump pink ribbon are displayed in every candy shop window and showcases of jewelry of gold and silver, diamonds and rubies, both elegant and gaudy, invite us to dream. Visions of chubby cherubim and putti, Cupid gently taking aim with his bow and arrow, the promise of romance and snuggling up with the one you love all are part and parcel of the magic that we call Valentine’s Day.
The month of February, cold and harsh, a blanket of white if we are so lucky, a breath of spring occasionally whispering in our ear, stuck unforgivingly somewhere between the rousing, festive end-of-the-year holiday season and the warming, welcoming arms of spring. February, rarely one’s favorite month, finds us impatient for the winter to end, dreaming of summer vacations in the sun, and escape. But for the romance of Valentine’s Day. So we strap on ours skis or snuggle down under blankets, our hands wrapped around a mug of hot cocoa or we dream of our knight in shining armor as we stir flour into sugar, rub in butter and scent with vanilla and cinnamon and wait for Valentine’s Day. For most of us, Winter respite comes in the form of a heart, that sentimental keepsake, that unlooked for display of affection, candlelight and a glass of champagne warming us up halfway through this otherwise cold, snowbound month.
And then some of us, the lucky ones, get married. Married in the month of February. How romantic is that? Like celebrating Valentine’s Day all month long, like having a special Valentine’s Day all to yourself. My darling friend Ria, far off in exotic India, has been stitching wedding favors, planning menus, putting together her trousseau and fitting the wedding dress of her dreams all in preparation for her February wedding. Darling Ria turned to me for a guest post and how could I refuse? Love and marriage and Valentine’s Day are food for a romantic like me, sentimental fool that I am, stirring up emotions and memories of my own special day so many years ago, a day followed by so many candlelit dinners, so many gifts slid across white tablecloths or placed in the palm of my hand, so many boxes tied up in satin ribbon, so many celebratory bottles of champagne, so many romantic getaways for two. And a near-perfect marriage (no marriage is perfect, my dear) is like the perfect Valentine’s Day: romance blended with joy and laughter, a mad mingling of serenity and excitement, the fusion of the exchange of serious sentiments and a wild burst of frivolity. It is a union of anticipation, worry and joy, hope and dreams.
Ria, I pulled out my years old, battered notebook, dug around until I found the perfect recipe, the perfect treat for this special day in your life. The page is torn and stained, the words beginning to fade, but this is the most romantic of treats that I have chosen for you. The perfect cookie, delicate and tender, a white, white heart, white as the snowy month of February, white as the pureness of love, a sweet, meltingly sweet cookie with a heart as red as love, as red as the passion of lovers, bursting forth on the tongue in a flood of tangy, fruity flavor, the flavor of cherries, deep and mysterious, as mysterious and flavorful as that wonderland we call married life. [ I SO LOVE YOU FOR THIS JAMIE! HUGS!!!!!]
A cookie, like marriage, is a mix of the choicest of ingredients in the perfect blend of just the right quantities: sweet, creamy butter, lots of butter to create something rich and smooth; sugar, powdery and fine, as ephemeral as fairy dust, gliding through your fingers, adding sweetness in just the right balance, in perfect harmony with the earthiness of the nuts; flour and cornstarch, both sturdy yet light, airy yet strong, something basic, clean and pure to bind all the other ingredients together in a perfect harmony, a necessary cohesion of flavor and texture until something beautiful is created, a delicacy to be handled with care so that it doesn’t break, something to be savored on its own yet enhanced by the stunning, passionate surprise of the cherry red preserves, that one exciting, secret ingredient holding all of the rest together. Share it, enjoy it, savor it.
A marriage will warm up the most blustery of Februaries. It will thaw the coldest of hearts as well as a blazing fire and a steaming mug of grog, as sure as a stunning young bride in all the glow of her love. Enjoy, Ria, and I wish you all the best!
LINZER HEART COOKIES
¾ lb/3 sticks (345 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (125 g) powdered/confectioner’s sugar
1 egg
2 cups (250 g) flour
1 cup (120 g) cornstarch
3 oz (80 g) finely ground nuts (almond, hazelnut or walnut)
Cherry preserves (Red raspberry is the classic filling)
Powdered/confectioner’s sugar for dusting cookies (about ½ cup/ 65 g)
Cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat just until blended.
Sift together the flour and the cornstarch then add it to the butter/sugar/egg mixture beating in as much as you can with the electric mixer then stirring and folding in the rest by hand until homogenous and it pulls together into a dough.
Working quickly (the butter is melting as we speak!), scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead just until you have a smooth dough. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
Cut the ball of dough in half and wrap back up one half and stick back in the fridge to keep chilled. This dough gets very soft and sticky as it warms to room temperature. Roll the half you have kept out on a floured to a thickness of 1/8 to ¼” (don’t forget you will be sandwiching the cookies so it will double the thickness). Using heart-shaped cookie cutters of any size, cut out pairs of hearts. Place them side by side and, using either a tiny heart-shaped cutter or a round cutter (for the small hearts I used the small end of a pastry tip) cut out a center hole from ONE of each pair of cookies (this will be the top of the sandwich). Gently lift and place the cut out shapes on an ungreased baking/cookie sheet.
The center hearts will make tiny little individual cookies to pop into your mouth.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until firm and just barely golden brown (lift one up and the bottom should be starting to brown). Remove from the oven, allow to cool a bit on the baking sheet until firm enough to lift and transfer onto cooling racks.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
Pair up the hearts with one solid bottom and one top with a hole cut out. Spread a dollop of cherry preserves on the bottom cookie of each pair. Place all of the top cookies on a rack on top of a plate or a piece of aluminum foil and very generously dust with a thick coating of powdered sugar. Top each bottom cookie with the preserves with a sugared top and press very, very gently so as not to break the cookies.
Now, now! I must admit I have never seen a Linzer cookie as pretty as this! And what a way to celebrate V-Day! Jamie, your JP is SUPER lucky to have you! :)
Thank you so much for this BIG help for me. And the saying 'actions speak louder than words' did come true in our case! Hugs!
I tweeted out to Jamie few months ago, to help me feed my hungry blog during my wedding days as I didn't have the heart to starve my dear bloggie. And she accepted it without thinking twice! Isn't she the best! Mwwwaahhhh!! And have a look at those perfect treats that she baked for me!
And let me warn you, she writes really well! So do not blame me if you get hooked onto her writing skills! ;)
LINZER HEART COOKIES FOR VALENTINE’S DAY
RIA’S BIG ADVENTURE
LOVE & MARRIAGE
Love and marriage, love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage
This I tell you brother
You can't have one without the other
Love and marriage, love and marriage
It's an institute you can't disparage
Ask the local gentry
And they will say it's elementary
Try, try, try to separate them
It's an illusion
Try, try, try, and you will only come
To this conclusion
Love and marriage, love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage
Dad was told by mother
You can't have one without the other
Love and marriage, love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage
This I tell you brother
You can't have one without the other
Love and marriage, love and marriage
It's an institute you can't disparage
Ask the local gentry
And they will say it's elementary
Try, try, try to separate them
It's an illusion
Try, try, try, and you will only come
To this conclusion
Love and marriage, love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage
Dad was told by mother
You can't have one without the other
- Sammy Cahn & Jimmy Van Heusen
VALENTINE’S DAY AND A WEDDINGAh, Valentine’s Day. Our hearts go pitter pat as the date approaches, florist shops fill up with lush red roses, heart-shaped chocolates tucked into delicate, pale tissue paper or tumbling out of boxes tied up in plump pink ribbon are displayed in every candy shop window and showcases of jewelry of gold and silver, diamonds and rubies, both elegant and gaudy, invite us to dream. Visions of chubby cherubim and putti, Cupid gently taking aim with his bow and arrow, the promise of romance and snuggling up with the one you love all are part and parcel of the magic that we call Valentine’s Day.
The month of February, cold and harsh, a blanket of white if we are so lucky, a breath of spring occasionally whispering in our ear, stuck unforgivingly somewhere between the rousing, festive end-of-the-year holiday season and the warming, welcoming arms of spring. February, rarely one’s favorite month, finds us impatient for the winter to end, dreaming of summer vacations in the sun, and escape. But for the romance of Valentine’s Day. So we strap on ours skis or snuggle down under blankets, our hands wrapped around a mug of hot cocoa or we dream of our knight in shining armor as we stir flour into sugar, rub in butter and scent with vanilla and cinnamon and wait for Valentine’s Day. For most of us, Winter respite comes in the form of a heart, that sentimental keepsake, that unlooked for display of affection, candlelight and a glass of champagne warming us up halfway through this otherwise cold, snowbound month.
And then some of us, the lucky ones, get married. Married in the month of February. How romantic is that? Like celebrating Valentine’s Day all month long, like having a special Valentine’s Day all to yourself. My darling friend Ria, far off in exotic India, has been stitching wedding favors, planning menus, putting together her trousseau and fitting the wedding dress of her dreams all in preparation for her February wedding. Darling Ria turned to me for a guest post and how could I refuse? Love and marriage and Valentine’s Day are food for a romantic like me, sentimental fool that I am, stirring up emotions and memories of my own special day so many years ago, a day followed by so many candlelit dinners, so many gifts slid across white tablecloths or placed in the palm of my hand, so many boxes tied up in satin ribbon, so many celebratory bottles of champagne, so many romantic getaways for two. And a near-perfect marriage (no marriage is perfect, my dear) is like the perfect Valentine’s Day: romance blended with joy and laughter, a mad mingling of serenity and excitement, the fusion of the exchange of serious sentiments and a wild burst of frivolity. It is a union of anticipation, worry and joy, hope and dreams.
Ria, I pulled out my years old, battered notebook, dug around until I found the perfect recipe, the perfect treat for this special day in your life. The page is torn and stained, the words beginning to fade, but this is the most romantic of treats that I have chosen for you. The perfect cookie, delicate and tender, a white, white heart, white as the snowy month of February, white as the pureness of love, a sweet, meltingly sweet cookie with a heart as red as love, as red as the passion of lovers, bursting forth on the tongue in a flood of tangy, fruity flavor, the flavor of cherries, deep and mysterious, as mysterious and flavorful as that wonderland we call married life. [ I SO LOVE YOU FOR THIS JAMIE! HUGS!!!!!]
A cookie, like marriage, is a mix of the choicest of ingredients in the perfect blend of just the right quantities: sweet, creamy butter, lots of butter to create something rich and smooth; sugar, powdery and fine, as ephemeral as fairy dust, gliding through your fingers, adding sweetness in just the right balance, in perfect harmony with the earthiness of the nuts; flour and cornstarch, both sturdy yet light, airy yet strong, something basic, clean and pure to bind all the other ingredients together in a perfect harmony, a necessary cohesion of flavor and texture until something beautiful is created, a delicacy to be handled with care so that it doesn’t break, something to be savored on its own yet enhanced by the stunning, passionate surprise of the cherry red preserves, that one exciting, secret ingredient holding all of the rest together. Share it, enjoy it, savor it.
A marriage will warm up the most blustery of Februaries. It will thaw the coldest of hearts as well as a blazing fire and a steaming mug of grog, as sure as a stunning young bride in all the glow of her love. Enjoy, Ria, and I wish you all the best!
LINZER HEART COOKIES
¾ lb/3 sticks (345 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (125 g) powdered/confectioner’s sugar
1 egg
2 cups (250 g) flour
1 cup (120 g) cornstarch
3 oz (80 g) finely ground nuts (almond, hazelnut or walnut)
Cherry preserves (Red raspberry is the classic filling)
Powdered/confectioner’s sugar for dusting cookies (about ½ cup/ 65 g)
Cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat just until blended.
Sift together the flour and the cornstarch then add it to the butter/sugar/egg mixture beating in as much as you can with the electric mixer then stirring and folding in the rest by hand until homogenous and it pulls together into a dough.
Working quickly (the butter is melting as we speak!), scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead just until you have a smooth dough. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
Cut the ball of dough in half and wrap back up one half and stick back in the fridge to keep chilled. This dough gets very soft and sticky as it warms to room temperature. Roll the half you have kept out on a floured to a thickness of 1/8 to ¼” (don’t forget you will be sandwiching the cookies so it will double the thickness). Using heart-shaped cookie cutters of any size, cut out pairs of hearts. Place them side by side and, using either a tiny heart-shaped cutter or a round cutter (for the small hearts I used the small end of a pastry tip) cut out a center hole from ONE of each pair of cookies (this will be the top of the sandwich). Gently lift and place the cut out shapes on an ungreased baking/cookie sheet.
The center hearts will make tiny little individual cookies to pop into your mouth.
[ I LOVE THIS PICTURE! ]
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until firm and just barely golden brown (lift one up and the bottom should be starting to brown). Remove from the oven, allow to cool a bit on the baking sheet until firm enough to lift and transfer onto cooling racks.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
Pair up the hearts with one solid bottom and one top with a hole cut out. Spread a dollop of cherry preserves on the bottom cookie of each pair. Place all of the top cookies on a rack on top of a plate or a piece of aluminum foil and very generously dust with a thick coating of powdered sugar. Top each bottom cookie with the preserves with a sugared top and press very, very gently so as not to break the cookies.
Now, now! I must admit I have never seen a Linzer cookie as pretty as this! And what a way to celebrate V-Day! Jamie, your JP is SUPER lucky to have you! :)
Thank you so much for this BIG help for me. And the saying 'actions speak louder than words' did come true in our case! Hugs!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
MOCHA - CHOCOLATE CHIP POUND CAKE & THUMBPRINT COOKIES to celebrate my fave season :)
" It's Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."
W.T.Ellis
I just got back this morning from a one day trip to Cochin...still SO groggy :) Did a bit of my trousseau shopping + loads of baking -goods shopping! :) Must say, not much energy left! :)
I LOVE this season and now that Christmas is around the corner I thought of doing a double-post, yes 2 recipes! :) These 2 are my current favourites. Trust me, the cookies are mighty delicious and the cake...sinful ! :)
MOCHA CHOCOLATE CHIP POUND CAKE
Recipe source: My Mom
Ingredients:
Flour-240g
Regular butter-240g
Powdered sugar-240g
Eggs-240 g ( 6 large eggs)
Vanilla-1tsp
Baking powder-1 tsp
Instant coffee powder- 2 tbsp
Boiling water- 2 tbsp
Milk-1/4 -1/2 cup (optional)
Chocolate chips-3/4 cup
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
- Grease, dust and line the baking tin.
- Sift flour with baking powder.
- Cream butter and powdered sugar till light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
- Mix coffee powder in boiling water.
- Add coffee + vanilla extract to the batter.Add the flour which has been sifted with baking powder.
- Fold in the chocolate chips which have been coated with some flour.
- If, the batter is too thick, add some milk to loosen it.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for 50-55 mins or till done.
I am a huge jam- treat fan! You would have seen it in my Buttery Jam Tarts and Jam Filled Cookies . So here is one more to add on to the list :)
THUMBPRINT COOKIES
Recipe source : Southern Living -Cookbook of Cookies
Ingredients:
Butter/Margarine-1 cup
Powdered sugar-2/3 cup
Egg yolks-2
Vanilla essence-1/2 tsp
Flour-2 1/4 cup
Salt-1/4 tsp
Mixed fruit /Raspberry jam- 1 cup ( or as needed)
Method:
- Beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugar,beating well.
- Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
- Combine flour & salt;add to creamed mixture , mixing well. Chill dough at least for 1 hour.
- Shape dough into 1" balls; place about 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Press thumb in each & bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins *. Spoon preserves & bake for 5 more mins.
- DO NOT brown. Cool on wire racks.
* It took me 20 mins in my oven.
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