Category: Desserts

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Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies with Sea Salt

What caught my interest in this recipe was the sea salt on top of bitter sweet cookies! Reading these ingredients got my tastebuds and senses perked up. In fact, this was the western way of matching the Rajasthani/Gujarati cuisine  of eating sweets and salty snacks together. I was all set to adapt and modify this recipe and give it a shot. The shape did not turn out to be a perfect circle, but  the taste was just amazing! Cookies with chopped pistachio and bitter sweet chocolate sounds rich and the sea salt on top makes it eclectic as well as savory. This is a great Christmas treat for sure and it will bring warmth to your family!

Recipe 20 cookies

Cooking time: 15 min

Preparation time: 15 min

Freezing time: 1 hour

Ingredients by Volume

 

  • 1/2 cup chopped  shelled pistachios
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose unbleached flour
  • 3/8 tsp salt
  • 2 oz. chopped bitter sweet chocolate
  • 1 1/4  stick unsalted butter
  • 3/4  cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract/essence
  • Coarse sea salt to sprinkle on top
  • Parchment paper
  • Baking tray

Method

  • Whisk the flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt together in a prep bowl.
  • Thaw the butter at room temperature on microwave for 15 seconds in microwave.
  • In a deep pan, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract for about 4 min till it is light and fluffy, using an electric blender.
  • Mix the all purpose flour to the mix. Fold in  with spatula  for 10-15 sec that the flour does not spread out.
  • Add oil to the mix.
  • Blend it with the beater for about a minute.
  • Fold in chopped chocolates and pistachios with a spatula and gently fold it into a kneaded dough look.

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Making /Freezing the chocolate dough roll 

  • Divide the portion in to two equal parts.
  • Roll into a long roll shape about 8″ long.
  • Take a parchment paper paper about 8″ * 11″
  • Put the roll of chocolate base at the edge of the longer side.
  • Make a tight roll of the chocolate mix covered with parchment paper.
  • Repeat for the second part of chocolate mix.
  • Freeze the dough roll for an hour, till firm.

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Baking of Cookies

  • Remove the dough from the freezer, and unwrap the dough from the parchment.
  • Using a serrated knife make a 1/4″ thick round cuts.
  • Line the baking tray with parchment paper.
  • Pre heat the oven at 350 degrees F, preferably a convection oven.
  • Top the cookies with coarse sea salt.

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  • Bake the cookies for 14 min. shifting racks after 7 min, and switching at each level rack from front to back, every 3-4 min.
  • Remove from oven at 14 min. and let it cool for 5 min.
  • Store it an airtight container.

 

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Tips:

Roll the chocolate dough tight enough to firm up the shape. When cutting into chocolate cookies using a serrated knife and applying even pressure, helps cookies from chipping while being cut.

Instinct Factor

Over baking the cookies will make it extra crisp so it is better to underbake than overbake.

Feel factor

The combination of pistachios and chocolate chips just melts into your mouth and warms your heart on a wintry cold evening!

Bon Appetit

Modified and Adapted recipe.

 

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Almond Cookies with Jam/Jelly

Easy, colorful , soft and crumbly- says it all for this holiday baking goodie. Whether its an office party or school celebration or you’re just feeling in the mood of baking, you cannot go wrong with these almond cookies, topped with colorful jellies of apricot, strawberry, blackberry or for the adventurous, some mint jelly too! And the bonus point is getting the kids to eat almonds, without any complaints.

Receipe : 20 cookies

Baking time: 15 min

Preparation time : 15 min

Cooling time: 30 min

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cup almond flakes
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • I  1/2 cup all purpose flour
  •  5 oz unsalted butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup  oil
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • Apricot  Jams/Jelly for yellow color
  • Strawberry Jams/jelly for red color
  • Other jellies of your choice
  • Baking tray
  • Parchment Paper/Baking Liner

Method:

  • Crush the almond flakes to coarse powder form
  • Add flour to it and blend for a minute
  • Add baking powder and salt and blend for another minute.
  • Add sugar to the mix and pulse a few times.
  • Beat the butter in a deep pan, using a blender, till the butter is two shades lighter than the original color or approx. 4-6 min.
  • Add the flour mix to the flour and blend/beat  for further 2 min.
  • Gently mix the dough with a spatula into a soft kneaded dough look.
  • IMG_1866
  • Make 20 balls of equal size.
  • Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Use convection oven if possible.
  • Line parchment paper on a baking tray
  • Roll each ball into a bowl filled with brown sugar.
  • Make a small dip in the center
  • IMG_1867
  • Bake in the oven for 15 min, switching racks after 7 minutes and switching front to back every 4 min.
  • Remove from oven after 15 min, depress the center
  • IMG_1868

 

  • Allow it to cool for at least 15 min.
  • Top it with the jelly filling of your choice.
  • Gently stone in an airtight container.

 

Tips

When you remove the cookies from oven, they will appear to be undercooked, but they are not.

If you are not going to consume all in a day/two, do not spoon the jelly, as the moisture will soften the cookies. Store the extra cookies in an airtight container for latter use.

Instinct Factor

Making round balls and depressing in the center is equivalent to making Baati in Rajasthani cuisine!

Feel Factor

The softest eggless crumb cookie, I have ever tasted, and the colorful jelly on the top is  so attractive,making it difficult to resist.

Bon Appetit!

An adapted recipe that has been modified

 

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Snowflake Chocolate Strawberries

Snow Flakes Strawberry

Watching snowflakes falling is a highly mesmerizing moment for me, and on a cold winter day, a bar of chocolate is always desirable. So, I thought of making a romantic moment come alive, with strawberries, chocolate and coconut snowflakes! The crunchy cold coconut on chocolate was a delightful taste to linger and savor on.

Recipe :  20 Strawberries

Ingredients
  • 1  (3.5) oz  bar of milk chocolate bar
  • 1/3rd  bar of  (3.5) oz of  dark/semi sweet chocolate
  • 2 tbsp shredded dry coconut
  • 1 pound washed strawberries
  • Toothpicks
  • Styrofoam /Thermocol  Thick sheet (12″ * 18″ in dimension at least 1/3rd ” thick)
Method
  • Take a microwave safe bowl- preferably a glass one.
  • Break the milk chocolate bar into small pieces into the microwave bowl.
  • Heat the milk chocolate at  high power setting
  • Stir at every 30 seconds until completely melted.
  • Remove from microwave.
  • Break the 1/3rd dark/semisweet bar into half.
  • Add them to the already melted chocolate and keep stirring .
  • Stir till no lumps are left and its a smooth flowing mixture.
  • Pour the mixture into a deep small bowl, so as to easily dip the strawberry.
Dipping the Strawberries
  • Take a toothpick, and insert into the  strawberry from the top till 2/3 of the way.
  • Hold the strawberry from the toothpick and dip it 2/3 of the way into the mixture.
  • Swirl the strawberry 3-4 times to get a thick coating of chocolate
  • Turn it upside down , and keep swirling till the tail of the strawberry is invisible.
  • You can tilt the strawberry a  little bit, to make the tail invisible.
  • Then insert the upside down strawberry into the styrofoam sheet , till it remains steady and straight.
  • Repeat for all remaining strawberries.
  • Sprinkle the desiccated dry coconut onto the strawberries to give the snowflake effect.
  • Refrigerate the Styrofoam Sheet containing strawberries for couple of hours.
  • Remove the toothpicks before serving the chilled strawberries

Tips

If the chocolate mixture cools and starts thickening, you can microwave it for 10 sec, stir and re- use. Make sure your strawberries are firm, so as to hold the toothpick.  Better to sprinkle more coconut then less, as it will fall off. You can also keep the leaves on  the strawberries,  to give the Godiva Strawberries Look!

Instinct Factor

Swirling technique comes with practice, but if you have ever roasted marshmallows on fire, you are well trained to dip the chocolates!

Feel Factor

Classy  romantic dessert readily available in your kitchen!

 

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Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Welcoming fall with the aromatic smell of cookies baking in your home, puts you in the mood of holiday cheer and honing your baking skills. It inspires you to try something new this season. The recipe is my teenage daughter’s favorite and whenever she feels like exploring in the kitchen, this is her go to recipe. Achieving this measurement went through rounds of trial and error, but the end result was loads of smiles and baking memories!

Recipe :  15 Cookies

Cooking time  : 30 minutes

Preparation time : 15 minutes

Ingredients
  • 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour [aio_button align=”none” animation=”bounce” color=”gray” size=”small” icon=”shopping-cart” text=”Shop” relationship=”dofollow” url=”http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-unbleached-all-purpose-flour-5-lb”]
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 1  1/2 cup. brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla imitation essence
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoon dark cane syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • 60ml water
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Method
  • Mix everything , make 15 round balls
  • Flat the rounds and  place on baking tray lined with parchment paper.
  • Keep 2 inches difference between two flat rounds
  • Put some chocolate chips on top of the flat round
  • Pre heat convection oven at 375 degrees
  • Bake for 5 min  on top rack
  • Rotate 180 degrees
  • Bake 4 min on the bottom rack
  • Rotate again 180 degrees and move to top rack
  • Back for next 2 min
  • Open the oven for 10 sec
  • Bake for another 3 min
  • Remove from oven
  • Shift cookies on cooling rack
  • Cool for 5 min
  • Store the cookies in airtight container.

Tips

Storing immediately in  airtight container will keep it fresh and moist. Rotating cookies keeps the baking even at all levels.

Instinct Factor

Brown color to your desire. the cookies will darken a bit after cooling.

Feel Factor

Perfect start to Fall baking and Holiday Celebrations with soft crunchy cookies!

 

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Apple Orange Cupcakes with Nutmeg and Cinnamon

 

This is a delicious, wholesome snack with apples, oranges along with the fall spices of nutmeg and cinnamon. It helps you keep the chill away and makes you want more during those evening tea time snacks! At the same time, it keeps the guilt of frosting and sugar and oh, those dreaded calories, but it still tastes great! I often use whole wheat to make it even healthier.

 

Recipe :  12 Cupcakes

Cooking Time 30 min

Preparation TIm 15 min

Ingredients by Volume
  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour/pastry flour [aio_button align=”none” animation=”bounce” color=”gray” size=”small” icon=”shopping-cart” text=”Shop” relationship=”dofollow” url=”http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-perfect-pastry-blend-3-lb”]
  • 1/3 cup Oil (Canola/Peanut)
  • 1/3 cup Orange Juice + 1 tbsp Orange Juice
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  • 1/4 tsp Baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp Sodium Bicarbonate
  • I tsp Nutmeg Powder
  • 1 cup Sugar + 2 tbsp Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Peeled and Grated Apple

Method

  • Miix all ingredients except for Apple.
  • Beat the mixture for a 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the Grated Apple to the mixture
  • Pre-heat Oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line the cupcakes baking tray with paper/silicone cups
  • Fill up to 3/4 way for cupcake mould
  • Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
  • Remove from the oven and let it cool for sometime
  • After it cools , sprinkle some ground cinnamon and sugar on top.

Tips

The cupcakes will tan a bit after a cooling. This has been made with Whole Wheat and hence has the pink/orange tint to the cupcake. Can be stored  in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.

Instinct factor

Don’t be intimated – go for it! Feel the sponge in the cupcake by pressing it a bit and enjoy watching it bounce back!

Feel factor

No need for any cream/frosting- blend of apple/orange and spices is yum!

 

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