Coconut Cardamom Chocolate Cookie

To me, winter is a time to bake. You know, like mad. Friday nights as I mentioned before are soup and bread in the winter. Its so dark and gloomy outside. A bit of baking is all I need to cheer me up. I have been away for so long, it feels like I don't belong here. Am sure once I connect with fellow bloggers and friends like old days, I will feel at home.

Almond Chocolate Chip Biscotti

A little taste of Italy made in your own kitchen. It does take a little time to bake this cause of the double baking, but the processing time is quite less. Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. 

Ingredients (Makes about 18-20)

Large Eggs 2
Sugar 2/3 cup (135 grams)
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp

All Purpose Flour  1 3/4 cups (225 grams) I added about 40gms more of flour
Baking Powder 1 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Almonds Toasted and chopped 3/4 cup (110 grams) 
Chocolate Chips 2/3 cup (110 grams)

Method of Preparation

1. Beat the eggs and sugar along with the vanilla in your mixer for about 5-10 min till it is pale and silky.

2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. 

3. Add that to the mixing bowl. Combine.

4. Add the almonds and choc chip and mix well. At this stage you should have a very sticky dough. Mine was quite wet, so I added the extra flour. 

5. Transfer to a well floured work surface. Shape into a log about 12" long. Transfer to a lined baking sheet.

6. Pat down and make it about 4" wide. 

7. Preheat oven to 180 C (350F). Bake for about 25 min till it starts to have a slight colour but the top is still soft to touch.

8. Take out of the oven and cool for 10 min. Reduce the oven temp to 165 C (325 F).

9. Slice the log into about 20 pieces. Place on a lined baking sheet with the cut side facing up.

10. Bake for 8-10 on each side.

11. Let it cool on a wire rack and then store in an airtight container. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie

When it comes to cookies almost nothing can beat a Chocolate Chip Cookie. But what happens when the base is also a chocolate. Yumm. I would have baked a double chocolate chip cookie. That was the initial plan. But then I bought some peanut butter chips when we were in US. Ok. Now I  love the combination of Chocolate and peanut butter. What's not to love?

White Chocolate Coconut Lime Cookies - Starbucks Copycat - Eggless

When I got my first oven, I dreamt of baking cookies for my child. Forget the fact that I did not have a child at that time. Or the fact that I did not know how to bake. Slowly over the years I have learned to bake, to get over the fear of baking.

Last week we were in Starbucks and there were some sample cookies to try. The moment my son and I ate those cookies we knew we were baking them. They were so refreshing, very tropical, super yumm. On the last day of holiday we got our acts together and baked these awesome cookies. Only problem with these cookies is that you cannot stop eating them.

Lemon Madeleine - Traditional French Madeleines

Madeleines are soft cake/cookies from France. They are noticeable for their unique shell shape. They are spongy in the middle and slightly crispy on the edges. We were introduced to these yummy goodies way back in US when we were shopping in Costco. So it goes without saying that we bulk purchased loads of them and devoured them.

Snowball Cookies - Russian Tea Cookies - Mexican Wedding Cookies - Eggless Cookie

Snowball Cookies also called as the Mexican Wedding Cookies or the Russian Tea Cookies are the simplest cookies you will ever bake. They are quite an interesting cookie to eat, very different from your Chocolate chip cookies or Oatmeal raisin cookies. (I have the recipes for those too, if are looking for them).

We had loads of fun baking these today. Just in time for Santa. Am sure our Santa will be superpleased with the treat we are offering him. The weather is windy and rainy today.  So Santa is sure to appreciate these wonderful snowball cookies that we are going to leave for him under the tree. 

Ginger Bread Man Sugar Cookies (Ice Box Cookies)

Gingerbread cookies are just every kids love. I made a version of gingerbread cookies (with the ginger bread flavours) last year. See recipe here. This year my son wanted to make some sugar cookies. The key for him was to decorate the cookies with chocolates. Well, no surprise there, is there? I made a big batch and froze the dough in portions. Have made cookies of many shapes with these. Just pop the dough in the fridge overnight and you are ready to bake. Cookies will be ready in 20 min (5 min to roll and cut, 10 min to bake and well another 5 to cool)

Chocolate Chunk Cookies with White Chocolate

I think it is safe to say that Chocolate Chip cookies are by far the most popular variety of cookies. Who doesn't like Chocolate, right? I decided to make these cookies with big chunks of chocolate. Very easy to put together. Make the dough in bulk and you can freeze it after shaping. Whenever you want to make a dozen cookies, just take it from the freezer and pop it straight to a preheated oven.

Chocolate Crinkles - Crinkle Cookies

Holiday season is definitely a great time for Baking. The fun of baking and sharing takes away the gloom of winter and just adds joy to our lives. And when you think of something festive, what better than some cookies? Well, wait it gets better. These are chocolate cookies! If that is not good enough, it gets even better. These are fudgy chocolate cookies covered with Sugar. It is super easy to make, great to bake with little ones. They will love rolling chocolate balls in sugar and being your 'helper'. 

Spooky Witches Fingers - Vanilla Butter Cookies

Halloween is just a few days away. When I lived in India, I was blissfully unaware of Halloween. That is not the case any more. I see more and more Indians having little fun for Halloween. Having lived in US for so long, it has kind of become part of festivals we celebrate. Here in UK the halloween is not as popular, but it is gaining popularity.



For me, as with most festivals the key is to make it a grand event for the kids. The holidays started this week (Half term). So my little one and I had a fun time baking these goodies. We did a little colouring and all this morning. Yes, it is the friendly witch that you see below.

Spooky Fingers not your cup of tea? No worries. Cause this recipe is a keeper. Just make the dough and shape them however you like. To quote my son - They are just scrummy! (scrumptious and yummy).

Check out other Halloween Goodies here

Adapted from here
Ingredients (Makes 60 fingers)

Butter (at room temperature) 225 gms
Icing Sugar 125 gms
Large Egg 1
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp (or use almond extract instead)
All Purpose Flour (Plain Flour, Maida) 350 gms
Baking Powder 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Almonds 60
Strawberry Jam as required to paint red
Green Food Colour a little (optional)

Method of Preparation

1. Take the butter in a bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat well.

2. Add the egg, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat till well combined.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.

4. Add this little at a time to the butter mix.

5. Beat till well combined.

6. Cover and refrigerate for atleast 30 min.

7. Take out small portion of the dough. Pinch about 10-12 gms of dough (a very small ball).

8. Make a ball. Roll it on the counter to make a string. Press with your fingers to create the knuckles. Add one almond at the tip as nail. With a sharp knife add a few cuts.

9. Arrange on a parchment lined baking tray.

10. Preheat oven to 160C.

11. Bake the cookies for about 18-20 min till nicely baked.

12. When it cools a little, take the almond out, add a little (a drop or 2) of jam. Press the almond back. Though this is step is optional, I found that if I do not do it, the almond falls off.

Cool and store in an airtight container. If you want to make in batches, you can store this dough in the freezer and use as required. Would recommend cutting into smaller portions and freezing. That way you can just pull out one portion and cool in fridge overnight and bake the next day. 

Mini Checker Board Cookies - Chocolate and Almond Butter Cookies - Eggless Cookies

Checker Board Cookies are so pretty to look at. The more the squares, the better they look, don't they? There are some versions with a dark or white wrap on the outside. I have been dreaming about baking them for ages. Was not bold enough to try a complicated design. Just started off with a 2*2 square.  All in good times :-) This is a beginner version of the cookie and is very very easy to make.



Like I told you before, Avant Garde Cookies have completed an year of cooking together and we are celebrating this month with a lot of specials. Week 1 was Cakes. Check out all our cakes -

Anu - Jamaican Banana Layer Cake
Radhika - Vanilla Sponge Cake with Chocolate frosting
Jayanthi - Tres Leches
Kavi - Oreo Cream Cake
Me - Dinosaur Cake (Vanilla Sponge with Buttercream Frosting)

Now for Week 2, it is cookies!! My son and I had loads of fun baking these. He called it day and night cookies :-) These cookies are nothing but variations of butter cookies or ice box cookies as they are called because of the chilling that is required to cut them into slices. Usually it is cooled in the fridge overnight, but I took a short cut and used the freezer :-) Works well actually.



Ingredients

Butter 113gms (1/2 cup)
Caster Sugar 100gms (1/2 cup)

Yogurt 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp

Baking Powder 1/4 tsp
Baking Soda a pinch
Salt a pinch

All Purpose Flour 195gms (1.5 cups)

Almond Powder 2 tbsp
Cocoa Powder 2 tbsp



Method of Preparation

1. Beat the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

2. Add the yogurt, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.

3. Add the flour and mix till every thing is combined together. The dough will be very soft at this stage.

4. Split the dough into 2 sections.

5. Add Almond Powder to one portion and mix till combined.

6. Add the Cocoa Powder to the other portion and mix till combined.

7. Shape both into logs and wrap in cling film. Place in freezer for 30-45 min till it sets a little. The square of the log should be the size you want your final cookies to be.

8. Cut the logs into 4 portions.

9. Arrange the strips - chocolate and almond at base. and another almond and chocolate on top. Press them gently to make it stick.

10. Wrap again and place in freezer for another 30 minutes.

11. Slice into thin slices and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. I got about 4 dozen miniatures out of this. So I used 2 sheets.



12. Preheat the oven to 175 C.

13. Bake them for about 8-9 min. They will be very soft when they are done. It will become crunchy when they cool. So do not over bake.



Notes :

1. The bake time depends on how thick or thin you cut the cookies.

2. Make sure that the white portion does not change colour. If it browns, you have baked too long.

3. The cookies will not expand in size much, so you can arrange them near each other. Just leave a little space. 

Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Growing up I have eaten only biscuits. Cookies is something that had for the first time when I lived in US. The famous Chocolate Chip Cookies did not interest me much. My love affair with cookies started when I ate Oatmeal Raisin Cookies! The Crisp outer layer and the chewy inside with it melt in the mouth taste, the sweetness from the raisin and the goodness of oats. What's not to like.



There is a restaurant in US called the Panera Bread. They have an array of amazing soups, bread and ofcourse, cookies. They do a catering box with soup, 1/2 sandwich and a cookie. We used order that a lot when we ordered lunch as a group in office. And my favourite was the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. Those cookies are not the small ones that I have made. They were slightly bigger than the size of our palm. They were pretty amazing considering it comes from the kitchen of a chain restaurant. I usually do not go ga ga over mass produced stuff.





My son and I have been doing all our baking experiments together. As it does not involve any gas flame and hot pans/pots I am more comfortable letting him work with me. I measure out ingredients and he keeps count of the cups and then adds them to the bowl. Does most of the mixing etc. I let him do as much as a little one of 4 yrs can do. You get the idea right! So we don our aprons. No, not figuratively. We actually do. One rainy afternoon last week, we baked these cookies and enjoyed it warm afterwards.





Ingredients (makes about 2 dozen small cookies)

Butter 6 tbsp
Brown Sugar 1/2 cup
Sugar 1/4 cup
Milk 2 tbsp
Egg 1/2
Vanilla Extract 1/2 tsp

All Purpose Flour 1/2 cup
Cinnamon 1/2 tsp
Baking soda 1/4 tsp
Salt 1/8 tsp

Oats 1.5 cups
Raisins 1/2 cup
Chopped Almonds (or peacans or any nut of your choice) 1/2 cup - optional





Method of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

3. Beat the butter, sugars, milk, egg and vanilla in a large bowl till light and fluffy

4. Add the flour mix to this mixing well.

5. Stir in oats, raisins and nuts.

6. Drop tablespoon full of dough to the sheet. Don't worry if they are not perfect in shape or anything. It will just be lumpy. And will shape up while baking.

7. Bake for 12-15 min. For softer cookie bake for less time and more time for a crispier cookie. I baked mine for about 13 min.

8. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10-15 minutes. Note that the cookie will be very soft when it comes out of the oven. It will become harder as it cools down.

Enjoy!

Torcettini di Saint Vincent - Lemon Flavoured Yeasted Cookies

Torcettini are smaller versions of Torcetti (meaning small twists), and these pear/ teardrop shaped twists are made of a dough of flour, yeast and butter which are shaped and then rolled in sugar before being baked. These biscuits are synonymous with the town of Saint Vincent in Valle d'Aosta, a small mountainous region in North-Western Italy, even though they’re well known throughout the Piedmont region as well.

The origin of these biscuits is believed to be from Grissini (breadsticks) which were made from the leftover scraps of bread dough. According to one story, a Grissini baker had some leftover butter which he needed to use up. Inspiration struck and he decided to add the butter to the last batch of his Grissini dough for the day. To be able to differentiate this lot of “breadsticks”, he rolled them in sugar and shaped them into loops, and the Torcetti was born. Torcetti/ Torchettini taste even better when they’re flavoured with lime/ lemon zest or anise.

These biscuits are crunchy, not very sweet and pair very well with cold milk, hot chocolate, tea/ coffee or wine. They are delicious served warm and equally good cold, and keep very well if stored in airtight containers. Apparently, Queen Margaret, the wife of King Umberto I of Savoy loved these biscuits so much during her stay in Valle d'Aosta, that she gave her servants enough provisions to bake an abundant supply for her consumption.

Aparna chose these cookies for our group We Knead to Bake. Provided us with detailed recipe and photos.. We all had fun baking these. Check out Aparna's post and other bloggers in our group here

Torcettini di Saint Vincent

(Adpated from A Baker’s Tour by Nick Malgieri)

Ingredients

Warm water, about 110F 1/2 cup

Active dry yeast 11/4 tsp

All purpose flour  1 1/2 cups 

Salt 1/4 tsp 

Lime/ lemon zest (replace with orange zest for the chocolate version) 1 tsp
Unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces  40gm 

Sugar for rolling the cookies 1/3 cup

Cocoa Powder 2 tbsp (for chocolate version)

Method of Preparation

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, in a small bowl and keep aside. If you are using Instant Yeast, add directly to flour.

2. Put the flour and the salt in the food processor bowl (or a largish regular bowl if kneading by hand) and pulse a couple of times to mix. 

3. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the butter is well mixed and the flour-butter mixture looks powdery.

4. If making chocolate Torcetti, remove 2 tbsp all-purpose flour and add the 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder mentioned in the recipe. Don’t add the lemon zest/ anise. Use orange zest and maybe add 1/ 2 tsp instant coffee powder with the flour.

5. Add the yeast-water mixture and pulse till it all comes together as a ball. Do not over process or knead. Place the ball of dough in a oiled bowl, turning it so it is well coated with the oil. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise quite a bit.



6. This dough does not really double in volume, but it should look “puffy” after about an hour or so. When you pinch off a bit from the top you can see the interior looking a bit like honeycomb. Press down the dough and deflate it, wrap it in cling warp and refrigerate it for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

7. When ready to make the cookies, take the dough out and lightly roll it out into an approximately 6” square. If the dough feels sticky, scatter a little sugar on it. 

8. Using a pizza wheel cut the dough into four strips of equal width. Cut each strip into 6 equal pieces, by cutting across, making a total of 24 pieces. The measurements are not very critical in this part because this just makes it easier to have 24 equal sized bits of dough, as compared to pinching of bits of the dough.



9. Roll each piece into a pencil thick “rope” about 5” long. Sprinkle a little sugar on your work surface and roll the “rope” in it so the sugar crusts the dough uniformly. Form the “rope” into a loop crossing it over before the ends.





10. Place the Torcettini on parchment lined baking sheets, leaving 1 1/2" between them. Leave them for about 20 minutes or so till they rise/ puff up slightly. Don’t worry, they will not “puff up” much.



11. Bake them at 160C (325F) for about 25 minutes till they’re a nice golden brown. Cool the cookies completely, on a rack. Store them in an air-tight container at room temperature. This recipe makes 24 biscuits.

Other Breads baked as part of the group - We Knead to Bake

January      : Whole Grain Pull Apart Bread with tomato-onion chutney spread
February    : Classic Croissants 
March : Muffin Rolls (Hokkaido Milk Bread) With Tangzhong
             Hot Cross Buns - Easter Recipe - Tangzhong Method

Nankatai - Indian Cookies

Those who have been following me know that I am so scared of baking. When I say baking, I am not talking about making cakes and all those wonderful stuff. Even turning on the oven to bake some vegetables scares me. I have tried making cakes a couple of times and most have ended in disasters.

I decided the time has come for me to get over that fear. With that in mind I started making a few things - mainly vegetable side dishes. That step went well. I even made my version of Dil Khush and Pizza. But I knew that those were minor steps. The big step is when I actually make a cake. That has to wait for now. 

For this month's Blog Hop I was paired with Veena. There were quite a few recipes in her site that I liked and I started bookmarking them to find 'the' one that I wanted to make. When I saw the recipe for Nankatai I knew this is my chance to do a little something to face my fear. I am glad I did. It turned out really good. My son called it cookies and kept asking for more. What better compliment can you ask for.

Ingredients - Makes 15 Cookies

Maida/All Purpose Flour 1 cup

Sugar Powdered 1/2 cup

Ghee 1/2 cup 

Cardamom 1/4 tsp

Baking Soda a pinch

Salt 1 pinch

Method of Preparation

1. Take ghee in solid form in a bowl (i made ghee by melting butter and once done I kept in freezer for 5 minutes). It should not be hard or melted.

2. Mix in the powdered sugar. Whisk till it is nice and creamy. I used a hand blender and worked for a few minutes

3. Add the maida, cardamom, baking powder and salt. Mix well with hand for a minute or two. Let it sit for 20 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 190C. Greese a cookie sheet. Make 15 small balls out of the dough and flatten to form a cookie shape with your hand. 

5. Arrange with some space in between and bake for 12-14 minutes. 

6. Cool for 15 minutes and store in an airtight container.

Notes - Updated on 15/06/2012 

1. The cookies on the farther end of the sheet were slightly browned at the base. The ones near the oven door were better. So next time, I am thinking may be I will rotate the tray half way thru...

2. I tried sticking some pistas on the top. I did not press some of it in well. A few got burned :-)

Linking this to Blog Hop Wednesday - Recipe by Veena

Linking this to I love Baking
Linking this to Lets Cook - Kids Special
Linking this to Cookie Mela