If she can do it, so can you.

Peanut Cookies February 20, 2007

This recipe is fantastic. Really it is! Haha.. But, I’m so sorry to have posted this so late, else many of you could have made this for the CNY!

An additional bonus? Its SUPER SUPER easy to make! Haha… It’s literally lazychef-approved! Cos its just dump all into one bowl, mix, shape and bake! I like!

I first saw this recipe on Florence’s blog but I tweaked it a bit so as to add more peanuts(Since Daddy loves peanuts! In fact, he loved this peanut cookie so much, I had to make an additional portion!).

If you want this to be very authentic peanut cookies, I’d suggest that you use peanut oil. But I wanted to make it more ‘healthy’, so I used corn oil instead. 🙂

Peanut Cookies 

Ingredients:
250g ground peanut powder
200g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
110g icing sugar
1/4 tsp salt
140g corn oil

Egg wash:
1 egg yolk lightly beaten with 1 tsp water

Method:

1. Mix ground peanut powder, plain flour, baking powder, icing sugar and salt in a big mixing bowl till well combined.
3. Pour in oil slowly and mix till a piable dough is formed. You might need a little more than the stated amount if the dough is too dry.
4. Shape into small bite-size pieces. I used a bottle cap and cling film to get a consistant shape.
5. Place about 2cm apart on lined baking sheet. Apply egg wash.
6. Bake at 170C for 18-22 minutes or till golden brown(depending on oven).

Notes:
1. Use icing sugar instead of castor sugar to get a finer textured cookie.
2. If you add too much oil, the cookie would be very crumbly.
3. You may get the ground peanut powder from baking shops(like Phoon Huat in Singapore.) However, if you’re keen on getting the best cookies, I’d recommend that you roast about 250grams of peanuts and grind them into powder. But yes, the easy way out is to buy pre-ground peanut powder. Works just as well.

*edit: Pour in the oil a bit at a time until you have reached the right consistancy. This is to ensure that you do not put in too much oil, or else, the baked product would be very crumbly!*

Enjoy! 🙂

(PS: Sorry for the boring collage. Will try and make nicer collages the next time around. I have a couple more stuff to post! So, stay tuned!)

Cornmeal Raisin Cookies December 12, 2006

I realised that its been a long long time since I last baked cookies… and well, I’ve been craving for cookies… hehe…

And so, with the newly bought cornmeal(I’ve been waiting very very long for this cornmeal… because I’ve been wanting to bake the famous Kenny Rogers corn muffins…), I decided to try this recipe.

The original recipe required me to chill the dough, then roll it out and cut. But, I think the cookie dough was far too soft, and in our crazily hot weather, the dough soften really faster than expected. So in the end, I scooped out small heaps of the dough, rolled them into a ball between my palms, then I lightly pressed them down onto the cookie tray.

Also, the original recipe was one that required vanilla essence… I have a huge bottle of pure vanilla essence(500ml!) which I picked up in Tijuana, Mexico when I was on my student exchange trip in the States. BUT, haha, I didn’t use it this time. Some how, my taste bud wanted something citrus-y and I grated in orange rind into the cookie mixture instead. Boy was I glad with the results! 

The little grittiness from the cornmeal, the orange fragrance, the chewy and slightly sour tasting raisin was a fantastic blend. Mmm… and guess what? I baked 3 dozen pieces yesterday and today, less than a dozen is left! haha… I guess it is a hit with everyone at home.

I think I’m gonna bake this for CNY next year… it is a really fragrant and yummilicious cookie which I’m sure people would enjoy. 🙂

Give it a try too… 🙂

What you’ll need:

• 170 g butter, softened
• 135 g white sugar
• 1 egg
• 190 g all-purpose flour
• 60 g cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Grated rind of 1 orange(about 1 teaspoon- 1 1/2 teaspoon) 
• 70 g raisins

What to do:

1. In a large bowl, blend butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and beat well.
2. In another bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture. Add orange rind and blend thoroughly. Stir in the raisins.
3. Form dough into ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
4. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball between your palms. Place 1 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet, then flatten slightly.
5. Bake in 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 15-19 minutes or until edges are golden. Store in airtight container.

Notes:

1. You may reduce sugar to about 110g if you do not want it to be too sweet. The original was 150grams.
2. The time required for the baking is dependent on the thickness and size of your cookie. Mine was rather large and thick, so it took a bit longer. Adjust accordingly. 🙂

Kai Chai Pang June 3, 2006

Made this last night…

Its also called Chicken Kampar Biscuits… BUT BUT BUT… there are no traces of chicken in it! hahaha…

For those who don't know, this biscuit originated from Kampar in Perak, Malaysia. It's original recipe has lard in it! Yes! Very unhealthy!

This recipe that I tried is adapted from Amy Beh's version of this crispy savoury biscuit.

Its easy to do because all you need to do it to mix everything up and you can do it all in one bowl!

And yes, its much healthier than the original one cos it has no animal fat in it!
Ingredients:
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 ammonia powder/baking ammonia
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp five spice powder
1 tbsp icing sugar
60g sesame seed
100g candied wintermelon(chopped finely)
1/2 tbsp garlic(minced very finely)
30g cooking oil
2 pieces nam yue(red fermented beancurd)
1 egg(lightly beaten)
30g maltose(mai tang)

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degree C. Line baking trays with parchment paper because the cookies will stick to the baking pan.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Mash the nam yue and combine this and all the other wet ingredients together with the dry ones.
4. Mix and knead gently into a soft dough.
5. Roll dough into small marble size pieces.
6. Place each marble sized dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and flatten with rolling pin.
7. Transfer to baking tray and bake for 15-25 min or till golden brown and crispy(time taken depends on how thick and big your biscuit is).
8. Cool on wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Notes:
1. I added 2 1/2 pieces of nam yue because I read up from the other ladies in KC that the original recipe called for 1 piece and it wasn't enough.

Ghirardelli Choco Chip Cookies February 15, 2006

This is my Valentine’s Day bake this year!

Gosh, the Ghirardelli chocolate chips were heavenly! It really is the Godiva of baking chocolate! Unfortunately, it isn’t easily available! I searched various supermarkets before i found it at Liberty Market at Jurong Point! But mind you, its pretty ex! But hey, with quality chocolate, comes quality cookies!

The chocolate remains soft even after baking and the flavour is very rich! Unfortunately, the white chip was a little of a disappointment because it harden, but hey, it added a touch of crunchiness to it!

Got lots of raves from it! I’m glad everyone loved it!

Well, happy belated V-day to all!

Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip

Yield: 60  

What you need! 

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chips. (You can use any brand of chocolate chips too!)
 

What to do!  

Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 degree celcius.

Cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

Mix the rest of the dry ingredients and add in chocolate chips.

Use a tablespoon to drop cookie dough on to a greased baking sheet.

Bake for approx. 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Once done, let it cool on a wire rack and enjoy.

PS: I had a mix of white chips and double choco chips and I added more than 1 cup of chips! Didn’t want to stinge on it and get called “Chip(cheap)-skate cookies”

Adapted from shebakesandshecooks.

No-brainer cornflake crunch January 31, 2006

Seriously, this is really a no-brainer kinda recipe!

Why?

Cos even a 4-year-old kid can do this!!!

Haha.. thats why its perfect for a lazychef like me!

I first got this recipe from Gina, my friend from Uni, and after hearing her rave about how simple it is to create it, i decided to give it a try myself!

Indeed! I made one bottle worth of cookies in less than 1/2 hour! Cos there is no baking/cooking involved. Ok, if you wanna consider melting the chocolate, then its only 1 tiny cooking step.

What you need and what to do!

Put baking chocolate(you can get this easily from any baking shop) in a small bowl, put it into a microwave and melt the chocolate. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate using a double boiler.

Pour the cornflakes into the bowl of melted chocolate and mix until all the cornflakes are well-coated with chocolate.

Spoon small clusters into small baking cups. Decorate with toppings(optional!).

Tada! Done! Enjoy!

See? Isn’t it simple? Its something you can whip up when you have sudden guests, especially when there are little kids too!

Give it a try too. Simple and very versatile. You can add other toppings, like various kinds of nuts, extra chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries… And you can use other types of chocolate… like white chocolate and strawberry chocolate(available from Phoon Huat, Singapore)

Pineapple Tarts January 28, 2006

I LOVE pineapple tarts.

Especially those melt-in-your-mouth kind!

My mummy used to make them when i was young, and i loved them alot! And since i picked up baking recently, she’s been telling me all her baking stories when she was younger.(She since got lazy and would just buy off the shelf or get them from friends). This year, i decided to re-ignite that baking spirit in her!

So, i bought a pack of those pre-made pineapple fillings from Phoon Huat, ready to make some yummy tarts!

Then one evening, i was out with Irene, and she made me so inspired to make my own jam! So, i decided to buy a few pineapples!

The results?

I love my jam! Its less sticky, easier to work with, (because the Phoon Huat version was too sticky for my liking, and it came out hard after baking!) and mine remained moist even after baking.

BUT, my ‘refined-mouth’ bf, said it would have been better if i blended the jam slightly because it was still a little fibrous. But I like it that way. At least I could chew into the fillings. Hehe…

And so, armed with my mummy’s (long-lost-but-now-found)recipe, we made the tarts! I don’t deny. The whole process was super tiring. I find the punching out and pinching (of design) was the most tedious! I would rather stand in front of the stove to cook the jam! Haha…

But it was a good experience. Can’t wait to try it again next year!

Pineapple Tarts

What you need!

Pastry

4 oz self raising flour
4 oz plain flour
5 oz butter
1 large egg, slightly beaten
 

Pineapple filling

2 semi ripe pineapples
Caster sugar
Brown sugar
What to do!

1. Remove skin and black eyes from pineapple (I got the fruit seller to remove it for me!)
2. Grate pineapple and squeeze out the juice. (Squeeze until as dry as you can!)
3. Put pineapple into a large pot and cook.
4. Cook over medium heat for 1- 1 1/2 hours.
5. Add sugar to sweetness desired.
6. Cook for another 30 mins or until it is dry and sticky.
7. Using rubbing-in method, combine butter and sifted self raising flour and plain flour, till they resemble bread crumbs.
8. Make a well in between crumbs and add the egg.
9. Knead the egg into the dough, till they all combine. If it is not wet enough, add a teaspoon or two of cold water.
10. Put dough into a large bowl and keep covered with a cloth as you shape the tarts individually.
11. Roll dough into 1/4 inch thickness and use tart cutters to ‘punch’ out the tarts. Place a generous amount of pineapple filling on top. You may want to put a tiny bit of dough on top of the filling for decoration.
12. Grease the pan, and placed tarts 1/2 inches apart.
13. Bake preheated oven at 200 degree celcius for 25 min.
Enjoy!